Is this considered a Safe Setup for Email?

Author	All Replies
gt7697c Premium join:2001-02-16 The Hive	Is this considered a Safe Setup for Email? I am tired of using Outlook Email, or really anything related to email, downloaded and stored on my HD. Since Yahoo and others have upgraded their services, would it be good security to move to a webmail provider like Yahoo? Or would that be less secure? I am aksing this question for my mother, who will soon be surfing the net on her computer, and for myself. Since it will be me having to fix her system if it breaks. I tend to think that it will be more secure simply because her Email will not be stored on the HD, and will not be subject to the disk failures of the HD. Any thoughts or opinions welcome.:) -- Just my 2 bits.
	to forum · permalink · · 2004-07-19 19:33:25 ·
BlitzenZeus Burnt Out Cynic Premium,MVM join:2000-01-13 Beaverton, OR ·Verizon FIOS ·Verizon Online DSL	Modular e-mail like those services don't make you keep it around, but might delete mail after being stored so long on the server depending on their their terms. You could even use your isp mail like this, just don't download it with a program, but many of these will delete messages after so many weeks/months. Its not more secure, you basically view everything over the internet on an unsecure connection everytime you view your e-mail I use a free e-mail address for public use, something I don't mind being spammed. For private discussions I have a couple addresses, depending on their use they are restricted for communicating with certain groups only. -- My hourly rates: $25 per hour. $35 per hour if you want to watch. $45 per hour if you want to help. $75 per hour if you tried to fix it, and failed. To err is human...to really foul things up requires a computer!
	to forum · permalink · · 2004-07-19 19:48:23 ·
atangel Now What?? Premium join:2002-02-18 Bronx, NY	reply to gt7697c Nothing beats safe practices... Even with Web-based mail, you download an attachment and execute it, or even something that takes advantage of browser vulnerabilities (we've seen that before as well). I don't think you are any safer with Web-based mail vs. locked down OE. But you may want to explore alternative clients: Pegasus, The Bat!, Thunderbird. Read this (there is a section on alternative E-mail clients as well): »Security »How to Secure (and Keep Secure) My (New) Computer(s): A Layered Approach: This is the best way to stay safe. -- The reason you think I'm way on the left is 'cause you're so far to the right. Dell Dimension, XP Pro, 2.4 Ghz, 512MB, BEFSX41, ZAP 5, NOD32, BOClean, a2, Adaware, Spybot, MW Pro, The Bat!
	to forum · permalink · · 2004-07-19 19:53:23 ·
B Premium,MVM join:2000-10-28	With the advent of enormous mailboxes (1 GB for GMail and 2 GB for Yahoo), using a web mail provider full time becomes even more feasible. I'm reacting more to the "hassle-free" aspect of your requirements than to any security aspect since, as noted by others, you still have to be careful with attachments. Web mail providers mean never having to worry about local storage corruption, single points of failure, software quirks, etc. By the way, ISP accounts with 10 MB or less per e-mail address (I'm talkin' to YOU, Earthlink) are quickly beginning to seem really, really silly. If your web provider allows IMAP (don't know if GMail or Yahoo do) then you can also do the best of both worlds -- leave all mail on the server in perpetuity, but ALSO access it with a regular e-mail program when you feel like it. By the way, I have become disheartened with Pegasus, as I've posted in another forum here. I would probably suggest Mozilla Mail or Thunderfox if you want a local mail client. -- B -- In a realm outside causality and function
	to forum · permalink · · 2004-07-19 20:38:13 ·
gt7697c Premium join:2001-02-16 The Hive	reply to gt7697c Excellent points by everyone.:) However, I am going to go with Ease of Use. For me Eliminating anything M$, other than the O/S, increases security 100%. For emails that are more personal simply zip & encrypt then send as an attachment. Thanks for help.:) -- Just my 2 bits.
	to forum · permalink · · 2004-07-19 23:04:19 ·
madylarian The curmudgeonly Premium join:2002-01-03 Parkville, MD	reply to gt7697c I can't see how web-based email can be safer or more secure than using an email client on my own computer. Since it's web-based, how do you turn off HTML? How do you open an email without allowing it any internet access? How do you install your own antivirus or antispam software? How do you add multiple accounts? No thanks. Web-based free accounts like Hotmail or Yahoo are fine for those cases where one must supply an email address that will most likely be spammed, but I will keep using Pegasus. mady -- Honi soit qui mal y pense
	to forum · permalink · · 2004-07-19 23:30:33 ·
gt7697c Premium join:2001-02-16 The Hive	True, and this setup was not a setup recommended for everyone. It was constrained to just my mother, and to me having to troubleshoot her PC. IE, reasonable security given the other products that would exist on the system. AntiSpam features are a part of Yahoo, as well as, AV attachment scanning. Second constraint was applied when I said I was tired of using Outlook. I don't like having all those messages on my HD. I would rather have them off my HD. -- Just my 2 bits.
	to forum · permalink · · 2004-07-19 23:44:40 ·
marti Color outside the lines Premium,MVM join:2001-12-14 Houston, TX clubs:	reply to gt7697c Unfortunately, web-based email addresses are not accepted for some web purposes. Many forums won't let you sign up if you use hotmail, yahoo, etc. You must have an ISP provided email address to join. You may find that you need to use your ISP provided email address when trying to email your ISP! As to the safer: hell no. You are still opening spam mail, or opening the attachment that may be malware. An email client lets you set up rules for mail, and also gives you a way to set up folders for storage of that mail. Your mother may find that Outlook Express is what she needs, or she may like another email client (many other options). She doesn't need MS Outlook for what I guess will be her internet uses. Please note that if she likes Outlook Express, never use the default folders for storage, instead set up your own folders for that purpose. I use Outlook Express, and have it set to send and receive in "plain text" only. I also have my software firewall set up to only use certain ports for email. That means that some parts of emails are not seen; I have also received emails that are unreadable. You need to teach your mother how to be safe, as there is not any one email client nor web-based email service that can keep her safe from malware. -- Team Z Member PCQ&A Forum
	to forum · permalink · · 2004-07-20 00:02:42 ·
gt7697c Premium join:2001-02-16 The Hive	Hmm...very good points. But I still like using Yahoo. Why?: 1. I have an AV on my system updated every 3-4 hours, so will she. 2. I don't use IE and neither will she. 3. Yahoo provides AntiSpam and AV attachment Filtering for free. 4. I do not have to install, configure, and teach over and over and over again. (I learned my lesson from my Uncle. I set him up with Outlook and he already has viruses. I repaired his system, implemented my own personal settings and then schooled him on my setup. That killed an entire day. No doubt he will still get infected, because he still uses the Preview Pane for certain items.) 5. The emails are not stored on the computer system, and are not controlled by the Hard Drive of said system. That means, if the Hard Drive fails she can still get her emails from another net enabled system. Is it more secure? Probably not. Is it less secure? Probably so. Is Reasonably safe? Probably so. Will it work? Yes. Will I spend less time on it in the long run? Remains to be seen.:) However, since I switched I have yet to get any viruses/trojans on my system. (Going a month now, virus/trojan free.) I recieve less spam, and no AntiSpam Programs bugging out on me or decreasing my system performance. Plus I don't have to store the Emails on my system, which take up Hard Drive Space. (Not all have 200gb Hard drives.) Nor do I have Outlook downloading Duplicate Emails in an Endless loop. -- Just my 2 bits.
	to forum · permalink · · 2004-07-20 00:59:25 ·
sybille Not only "just visiting" Premium join:2004-04-06 France 1 edit	Another option that no one has mentioned is to use an email reader or monitor program along with web mail or an email client. An email reader allows you to view the contents of your mailbox without opening or downloading messages to your computer. In most cases you can set up spam-filtering, auto-deletion rules or you can delete unwanted mail from the server manually. It's kind of like having a tiny browser just for email accounts. Email readers can also be set to check for mail automatically at intervals, perhaps most useful for always-on internet connections. Eric Howes has a list of different email reader programs on his site: »https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/ehowes/www/soft13b.htm I use PopTray (open source): »www.poptray.org/ There is a plugin for hotmail (I've never used that), and it's very easy to learn. For viruses, it sounds like your family members need a program with real-time email monitoring that scans incoming mail and prevents it from being displayed, much less opened, if infected. Then there would be no worry about the preview pane. pollux44 edit: grammar
	to forum · permalink · · 2004-07-20 01:51:12 ·
gt7697c Premium join:2001-02-16 The Hive	My uncle has NAV 2004, I assume it is set to whatever it defaults to upon clean installs. I do not use NAV as I do not like it, and therefore use another AV. Thanks for the link and suggestion, I will check it out.:) -- Just my 2 bits.
	to forum · permalink · · 2004-07-20 02:08:59 ·
sivran Long Live The Suite Premium join:2003-09-15 Arlington, TX clubs: ·RoadRunner Cable	reply to gt7697c I wouldn't rely too heavily on Yahoo's free virus scanning. I seem to recall a screenshot posted here during one of the major outbreaks, showing a warning on a message in a Yahoo email box stating that it had not been scanned due to the scanner for free accounts being "unavailable" for the time being. Just out of curiousity, why don't you want your email on your HD? Even infected attachments are harmless if left unexecuted. You mentioned drive failures, so maybe you just need to backup more. -- TCPA - the ultimate spyware. Kerio 2.1.5 - My favorite firewall
	to forum · permalink · · 2004-07-20 02:51:25 ·
dp Go Steelers Premium,MVM join:2000-12-08 Greensburg, PA ·Verizon Online DSL	reply to gt7697c said by gt7697c : I am aksing this question for my mother, who will soon be surfing the net on her computer, and for myself. Since it will be me having to fix her system if it breaks. This is how my daughter runs her system and has for at least 3 years nows w/o any problems. Yahoo is her only mail application, she has OE installed and setup security wise but never uses anything but her Yahoo account. -- Write your questions down on the back of a $20 dollar bill and send them to me
	to forum · permalink · · 2004-07-20 07:25:12 ·
DracoFelis Premium join:2003-06-15	reply to gt7697c I suppose it depends upon the web based email, and what "security" you are looking for. I personally think gmail will be pretty nice, when it comes out of beta. I got a gmail account a couple of weeks ago, and I'm just waiting to get "invites", so that I can get gmail accounts for my family members. Here's why: 1) The web interface is actually quite nice, with no "pop-up ads". The only ads you see, are those non-annoying "text ads on the side" (just like you see with normal google searches). 2) 1gig is more than enough space to store emails (except for huge file attachments) as long as you want. And gmail doesn't auto-delete emails (except for emails in the SPAM folder), after a set length of time (i.e. keep the emails as long as you want). 3) Like all email providers, google is in a position to "abuse" your gmail account (if they wanted to). However, you are also trusting "google" when you use them to do a web search. So far, there is no hint that google has abused the public's trust. 4) The gmail.google.com web site uses secure/encrypted browsing (https), so a random person on the internet can't just "sniff" your use of the gmail web portal. 5) Gmail has built in SPAM detection (which you can train yourself, by explicitly marking an email as "SPAM" or "Not SPAM"). 6) You can use gmail "labels" to classify the emails for easier finding later. You can even use "filters" to automate the process as emails come in (for example, I designed a filter to automatically tag my "NetFlix" movie emails, with their own "label"). 7) And finally, you can search the emails in your own gmail account, just as easily as you can search the web with normal "google". Not bad for a "free service" IMHO!
	to forum · permalink · · 2004-07-20 11:04:02 ·
B Premium,MVM join:2000-10-28	reply to dp Hmm, so many little things to which to respond: mady: Good points about HTML mail. In Yahoo and, I think, GMail, you can TURN OFF the rendering of HTML and display all messages in text form, believe it or not. Then you're back to the vulnerability of links and attachments, which is NO DIFFERENT than in a local mail program. If you really want to apply your own spam or AV filtering after your provider's, then you can set up automated runs with an IMAP client (assuming your provider does IMAP). marti: I'm seeing less and less of the "no Hotmail accepted" rule. When's the last time you came across such a restriction? There are lots of people using Yahoo and now GMail as their full time mailers (don't really care about Hotmail). Again, you can set web mail for "plain text only" too. I agree education is always nice, but it doesn't change the OP's request. pollux44: Actually, I suggested in my first post that the user consider IMAP access to mail simultaneous with web access, to provide the "best of both worlds"; this is very similar to the "email reader" suggestion you made, but even more versatile. I hate preview panes, mostly for their potential "touching" of evil messages, though I understand the appeal. sivran: As long as the poster's local AV is up to date, it doesn't really matter what Yahoo scans or doesn't scan. HTML-specific exploits aside, any malicious attachments have to be executed locally, and will therefore get caught by the local AV's real-time-monitor. (Usual disclaimer about not running anything you're not expecting, safe computing, etc.) As to the poster's dislike of local storage, I just think he's tired of the hassle. With web based "clients" more and more functional, and with storage limits rising well above the piddling 5 or 10 MB range, web mail really becomes enormously attractive. Got more than one account? Gee, open another browser window! -- B -- In a realm outside causality and function
	to forum · permalink · · 2004-07-20 11:07:37 ·
sybille Not only "just visiting" Premium join:2004-04-06 France	said by B : pollux44: Actually, I suggested in my first post that the user consider IMAP access to mail simultaneous with web access, to provide the "best of both worlds"; this is very similar to the "email reader" suggestion you made, but even more versatile. I hate preview panes, mostly for their potential "touching" of evil messages, though I understand the appeal. -- B You see, I don't really know what IMAP access is. I've always supposed that it is some kind of alternative to POP3 used by some ISPs, not mine to date. Thus, I didn't understand that my suggestion was redundant. Something new to learn about... With PopTray, you don't get a preview pane unless you double click on a particular message. Otherwise, you just see a list of information: sender, subject, size of any attachments, etc. Just like an envelope: enough information to determine what to throw away without opening. pollux44
	to forum · permalink · · 2004-07-20 11:26:06 ·
dp Go Steelers Premium,MVM join:2000-12-08 Greensburg, PA ·Verizon Online DSL	said by sybille : You see, I don't really know what IMAP access is. I've always supposed that it is some kind of alternative to POP3 used by some ISPs... IMAP -- Write your questions down on the back of a $20 dollar bill and send them to me
	to forum · permalink · · 2004-07-20 11:30:55 ·
B Premium,MVM join:2000-10-28	reply to sybille said by sybille : You see, I don't really know what IMAP access is. I've always supposed that it is some kind of alternative to POP3 used by some ISPs, not mine to date. Actually you're completely correct. It's not entirely redundant with your suggestion, just similar. It IS an alternative to POP3, your ISP DOES need to specifically support it, and unfortunately many ISPs do NOT. The major distinction between POP3 and IMAP4 is that with IMAP mail by default STAYS on the server. You manage the server mail folder just as you would a local mail folder. You can also copy or move mail out of the server mail folder at will. And you do all this with a regular mail client, like Outlook or Pegasus or Eudora or Mozilla Mail/Thunderweasel. It's really quite nice, IF your account has enough storage. -- B -- In a realm outside causality and function
	to forum · permalink · · 2004-07-20 11:40:00 ·
sybille Not only "just visiting" Premium join:2004-04-06 France	reply to dp said by dp : IMAP Thanks!
	to forum · permalink · · 2004-07-20 11:42:05 ·
sybille Not only "just visiting" Premium join:2004-04-06 France	reply to B Thanks to B, too!
	to forum · permalink · · 2004-07-20 11:45:57 ·


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