Is Your Email Private? Part 1 Of 3

By: Mike Ameye

In a word, no - an email message has always been nothing more than a simple text message sent unencrypted to a recipient we choose. So all the email that we so blithely send all over the Internet everyday is neither private nor secure. Every birthday greeting or Dear John email, every complaint, rant or verbal purge we may have sent to our employers, credit companies, congressman or customer service rep is subject to delivery errors or outright interception.

How can this be? To answer that we need to understand how email works. For the vast majority of email users today, the email system they use consists of two servers providing incoming and outgoing services, SMTP and POP3.

The SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) server handles the outgoing email. SMTP was designed years ago when plain ascii text was all there was to send via email. So, when you push the "Send" button in your email client, the SMTP server at your ISP (Internet Service Provider) connects with the incoming POP3 (Post Office Protocol ver. 3) server where you are sending the email. The servers have a short "chat" verifying that the email address you are trying to send to exists on the incoming POP3 server. Then the SMTP server passes the message to the POP3 server and the POP3 server puts the message into the recipient's email box. At no time during the process is your email encrypted to protect your privacy. The message could be intercepted at anytime during the process and read by anyone.

On occasion, email sent to you or by you may even be delivered to the wrong inbox and your private message is no longer private. A single misdirected message could expose you to all kinds of trouble depending upon it's content.

Well, no one wants to read your email right? Wrong! Have you ever heard of Carnivore? That's a system that the FBI uses to harvest all email traffic going through a network. How does this affect you? When the FBI hooks Carnivore up to your ISP's network because they suspect someone of dealing drugs or some other crime, Carnivore will filter through ALL email looking for keywords that relate to the crime in question. And because the search has to be intentionally vague, you may be sending a request for information about a prescription drug you take and Carnivore will harvest your email to be read by a human agent. Suddenly, the drugs you're taking are now public knowledge. Spammers have also been known to harvest email addresses via captured emails.

OK - so now that you know the problem, what should you do about securing your privacy? It was hinted at earlier on... encryption! Learn how to use PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) to encrypt your email.

PGP uses a Public/Private key method to encrypt email. First you create a "Public" key. This is the key that others will use to encrypt email sent to you. Send this key to everyone you want to receive encrypted email from. Then you create a "Private" key. This is the key you use to decrypt any encrypted email sent to you. Safeguard this key well. It is the only thing that can decrypt your messages. If you tell someone what it is or loose it, your privacy is again compromised.

For more information on PGP and a free download visit: http://www.pgpi.org. Next Time: Incorporating PGP into your email...


About the Author:

Michael Ameye has been developing web sites since 1995. He started writing about online privacy issues to answer questions from family, friends and co-workers. Visit http://www.canyourspam.com to see his latest work or to sign up for PSS Online - a privacy, safety, and security ezine.

Keeping Private Information Private

By: Norm McAlister

Identity theft, a vicious crime based on impersonating someone else, is becoming more and more prevalent. Recently, there has been a run of news items on this topic in the national media almost daily. One of the most disturbing aspects is that often these crimes are inside jobs occurring at banks, mortgage companies, and similar places where sensitive personal information is housed. In these instances, where the crimes are large scale and well organized, there is not much the individual can do to prevent them.

During March and April 2005, numerous significant examples of large scale identity theft occurred. With help from a few corrupt insiders, several major banks and credit card companies were targeted, involving the compromise of personal information of millions of Americans.

However, there are various things you can do to handle those factors within your control. These include being aware of how your private information is used, who has access to it, and how it is handled. This involves shredding papers before disposing, keeping information secured or locked and away from those who do not need it.

Just because someone asks for information does not mean you are obliged to provide it. Find out if -- and why -- something is required before responding. You can also remove yourself from unwanted mailing lists, where your name and address is circulated.

When you understand why and how these crimes occur, it is easier to eliminate the opportunity. Simply becoming more aware of daily activities involving your information (i.e., using credit cards, putting out the trash, visiting web sites, etc.) should increase your caution. The more careful you are, the less opportunity for the thieves, and this is certainly a crime of opportunity.

By taking a few simple precautions, you may save yourself considerable suffering and grief. Identity theft is a violation of the worst sort, and the consequences are serious and lasting. Repairing your credit and getting your identity back can be done, but it is a lengthy expensive and tedious process.


About the Author:

Norm McAlister is a writer and consultant with a background in security. For additional informationabout what you can do to protect yourself and those you love, go to http://www.SafeguardYourInfo.com.