>
> Email "with current encryption technologies" is arguably one of the most
> secure methods of communication at present. The problem which isn't always
> appreciated with unencrypted email is that when sent over the Internet, it
> passes via several - sometimes many - other computers, which are completely
> out of the control of the sender and recipient. Messages can be read by
> anyone who has access to any of those computers - which will usually mean
> hundreds if not thousands of folk.
>
> They may all be able to read, copy,
> delete, alter etc anything which passes.
> (Hence the stupidity of putting
> words to the effect that "This email is confidential" in the so-called
> disclaimer at the end of an unencrypted mail!)
Whilst it may be common practice in your company to allow hundreds or
thousands of folk administrative access to your mail servers, this
certainly does not reflect the level of vulnerability of email on most
of the rest of the Internet.
Typically the message goes from the sender's PC to their company's mail
server then to their ISP's server - the message then passed to the
receiving ISP's server, then company server then PC. There are
variations - small companies may send direct to ISP and larger ones won't
use the ISP server.
In each case, unless the people running the systems are particularly lax about
security, email could only potentially be read by the few people who have
sufficient access to maintain that server, not hundreds or thousands of
folk. Furthermore, on many relaying servers messages will only be present
for a fraction of a second, or perhaps a few minutes, allowing little
opportunity to read them.
This is probably as few as if not fewer than the number of people
who typically handle a letter, when taking into account all the stages in
collection and delivery in a typical organisation.
>
> Apologies if grandmothers and eggs are relevant at this point.
>
Old wives and tales would probably be more relevant.
Chris Bayliss
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
If you wish to leave this list please send the command
leave data-protection to [log in to unmask]
All user commands can be found at : -
www.jiscmail.ac.uk/user-manual/summary-user-commands.htm
all commands go to [log in to unmask] not the list please!
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
|