On Mon, Dec 18, 2000 at 08:50:48AM +0900, *** ssh *** wrote:
> From: Rick Moen <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Subject: Re: secure pop3/smtp how? - problem broken down
> Date: Sun, 17 Dec 2000 12:10:56 -0800
>
> > begin [EMAIL PROTECTED] quotation:
> >
> > > as another point of view on this matter:
> > >
> > > i have not found ssl/tls support in mail clients to be as widespread
> > > as this statement seems to suggest.
> >
> > I'm pretty sure he was referring to MTAs.
>
> if that was the intention, i think the wording was poor:
>
> - Modern email software supports using SSL/TLS encrypted channels without
> using SSH at all. On the client side, e.g. Netscape supports SMTP with
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> SSL support (STARTTLS protocol) and IMAP with SSL support, Outlook supports
> SMTP with SSL (wrapping on all ports but port 25, on which STARTTLS is used).
>
> "On the client side" suggests MUA, not MTA in this context to me.
>
> do you read that differently?
I explicitly meant what I said.
I don't know about your user base, but my user base finally consists of
people using Netscape and people using Outlook (Express), both of which
do support SSL/TLS with SMTP in one way or the other.
Like it or not (I don't like it), both MUAs together have a big market share.
(I personally do use mutt, which doesn't support SMTP at all, but IMAP and
POP are supported with TLS/SSL.)
As far as I could find out, Eudora does not support SSL/TLS, www.kde.org
seems to be down at the moment, so I cannot tell you about kmail.
I consider the fact that only around April the US export restrictions where
changed, so that starting from then things have changed significantly. Also
people are becoming more aware of security issues.
Most servers (MTAs as well as POP/IMAP) by now support TLS/SSL, so people
(customers?) have to impose pressure on MUA authors to support it, too.
Best regards,
Lutz
--
Lutz Jaenicke [EMAIL PROTECTED]
BTU Cottbus http://www.aet.TU-Cottbus.DE/personen/jaenicke/
Lehrstuhl Allgemeine Elektrotechnik Tel. +49 355 69-4129
Universitaetsplatz 3-4, D-03044 Cottbus Fax. +49 355 69-4153
