Email is undisputedly the most important business application for most organizations. E-mail providers are updating or rolling out new e-mail clients that provide users with more security and useful features. Users are checking messages not just on traditional desktops, but also laptops and Web-enabled devices, such as phones and PDAs. Email faces many ongoing challenges, the most important being “Email Security”.
Several email challenges/problems are:
- Readability: In real, most emails are straight text. That is they are very easily readable by anyone coming into contact with the message. This hinders the privacy aspect of a confidential email. Many solutions include a component of encryption either using PKI (public key infrastructure) or something more proprietary. Alternatively, many software packages are available for this, which can interface with common email clients. This solution controls who can read a message.
- Route of email: Email messages are sent using the “Internet.” This means that messages are typically routed through many servers and make stops along the way. Thus, email is available on all the servers along the way. This is one the greatest disadvantage for maintaining email security.
- Control over message forwarding: Email has the capacity of being instantly transmitted. This further complicates the control over email. This feature of being easily forwarded and distributed hinders the security of the content or the email itself.
- Spam: Spam is receiving bulk unwanted, unsolicited emails. These are emails you did not ask for and from senders you do not know. As more people use email, marketers are increasingly using email messages to pitch their products and services. Email spam is very annoying and some popular methods for filtering and refusing spam include e-mail filtering based on the content of the mail, DNS-based blackhole lists (DNSBL), greylisting, spamtraps, enforcing technical requirements, and checksumming systems to detect bulk email.
- Email Virus/worms: There are-mail viruses that have been flying around the Internet. Email virus as the name indicates are the viruses that spread vial email. They are also called as “Computer Worms”. They easily enter your inbox or your computer as an attachment. When you download such attachment your computer gets affected by virus destroying all your important data. Scanner programs offer protection against computer worms and email viruses. Email filter is another solution to this problem. “Email Filter”, filters malicious content and attachments using customized controls and settings. It conceals your mail servers and gateways from the threat of anonymous connections.
