I have my host behind a corporate firewall as part of the company network. POP3 port is blocked by the firewall. To reach to my gmail POP server -- I will need setup port forwarding on some external host (outside the firewall and with direct access to internet).
From my local windows host -- I would generate the pop traffic on port
21 or 8080 (which will be allowed by my firewall) -- this pop traffic will be targeted to the FORWARDING_SERVER -- which takes my pop traffic and forwards it to the Gmail server on 995 port.
My question here is -- Are there any public FORWARDING_SERVERs available ?
Another question you should consider: will they fire you when they find out that you are deliberately subverting the corporate security policy?
If you are in the USA, then there is likely more to the story than just virus protection: many US corporations are now required by law to record incoming and outgoing email -- I think it is in order to determine whether "insider trading" (or leaks of insider information) are occuring. A detected subversion of that recording requirement could land huge fines upon a company, and that would surely have an effect on your career.
snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com wrote on 18 Apr 2006 06:10:50 -0700:
Ask your admin to allow you to get to port 995 on the gmail server. If they locked it down, they probably have a reason to - if you check your employment T&C you may well find that accessing personal email outside of the corporate mail system is restricted. By circumventing the restrictions in place you might well find yourself looking for another job.
Actually my motives are far more innocent as compared to the "insiders".
Plus I think my integrity won't allow me to fool around with corp security by employing this "port" tweaking in any other harmful way.
My company -- any ways is quite fine with everyone accessing their Gmail Inbox using webbased means. So I hope they shouldn't be too mad at me doing this --- atleast not mad enough to fire me.
Regarding recordiing the in and out traffic --- I think even if I generate POP traffic via 21 or 8080 -- they will be recording it anyways.
That aside -- In general any idea if such a server or service is available ?
So you haven't actually checked with them that it would be OK to do this then, as you're assuming they won't mind. As I said before, you must check with your IT department - if I found someone here trying to do the same as you're doing, they'd get at least a severe warning and loss of personal use of the internet, if they asked first then they'd probably be allowed once approved by the MD.
No idea. And if I did, I doubt I'd post it's location. Just go to your IT dept and ask your admin to allow you access to the POP port for GMail if it's not against company policy. As pointed out by Walter, there may well be a legal reason why they won't allow it.
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Your motive might have nothing to do with insider trading, but in the USA most companies must, by law, take steps to ensure that leaks of information do not occur, and that means they must monitor and record. Penalties for evading such a system can be severe, no matter what the reason for the evasion.
If they allow web based access to Gmail then they might not be driven by the US regulatory requirements I was alluding to. It sounds as if they are perhaps attempting to control viruses and trojans. If they feel that that is necessary, that their normal virus protections do not provide a sufficient layer, then you -are- "fooling around with corp security" by increasing the risks to the network.
In my recent incarnation as security manager, the action might not have resulted in firing, but it -would- have had the local equivilent of Vice President talking directly to the corporate Vice President in charge of computer security to get an electronic wiretap turned on... The exact consequences after that would be considered confidential, but from my general discussions with corporate security, I know that consequences have included firing of full employees for repeated offences, non-renewal of contracts for terms and contractors, and immediate "you are no longer welcome here" notices to guests.
well.. actually I did chat with my IT folks some time back. The POP3 port was earlier kept open long time back --- but some specific group in company was generating a bit too much of POP traffic -- and the firewall wasn't strong enough to virus/trojan scan everything.
So they put a blanket blocking on that port. They are quite okay with webbased traffic.
I think you are right. The gain vs effort --- might not be worth enough to compromise the overall security.
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