protecting email on public hotspot

I read that email and passwords for email is sent as plain text over wireless networks. If I am at a public hotspot how would I protect myself? I have a firewall etc. but what about someone sniffing my email (don't care about much else)?

Dil

Reply to
Dil
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  1. VPN tunnel to your ISP mail server. Requires VPN client IPSec sortware on your machine.
  2. SSL encrypted web mail. Built into all browsers.
  3. SSH tunnel to your ISP. Requires SSH client software.
  4. Email "wrapper" or "envelope" service, usually with X.509 certificates for authentication. For example:
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    Per-session or one-time password generator such as S/key (RFC2289). These normally come with a "key fob" with an LCD screen that delivers a new password every minute.

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my OTP (one time password) generator runs on my cell phone (QCP-6035) PDA.
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I think there are some more that I forgot, but the above are the ones that I use or have played with.

Reply to
Jeff Liebermann

Dil wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@individual.net:

I guess you're free game out there. Some people do look for an ISP that provides a VPN solution for the wireless consumer. A VPN connection to an ISP would secure your wireless connection in a hotspot.

Duane :)

Reply to
Duane Arnold

Hi,

  1. SSH tunnel to your ISP. Requires SSH client software.

Requires a listening ssh service on the ISP side, as such not only impractical but impossible.

See if your ISP supports spop3 (port 993) and encrypted smtp-auth. Otherwise, you can use an ssh/ssl tunnel providing you have an endpoint to tunnel to, i.e

client establishes a tunnel through wifi to a server under your control which redirects to your isp's pop3 server.

regards

dc

regards

dc

Reply to
datacide

Other than a VPN solution, does your mail host provide web based access? If they provide an https:// connection, the communication is secure.

Reply to
Jerry Park

Requires an ISP who offers the VPN server. Boingo.com does. sonic.net requires it for direct WiFi access, might allow it for general use.

Requires an ISP who offers webmail. Most probably do.

Requires an ISP that allows SSH tunnelling to pop, or a shell login account, which some have. sonic.net does, rahul.net does.

Using an ssh login to a unix shell offers the advantage of reading email and news in a text-only format, insulating you from most Microsoft-borne viruses, even when running from a Microsoft-based machine.

Reply to
dold

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