SSL for SMTP and POP3

From: Jem Berkes (jb@users.pc9.org)
Date: 02/13/03 

From: Jem Berkes <jb@users.pc9.org>
Date: Thu, 13 Feb 2003 04:54:25 GMT

I'm developing a POP3 and SMTP capable mail client, and I'm trying to
support the most common form of SSL protected POP3 and SMTP.

I know that some ISPs simply provide alternate ports (pop3s=995, smtps=
465) that are SSL only. But there also seems to be a way of converting a
regular plaintext channel into an SSL.

Which way is the most common? Is one on its way out, the other in?

I found RFC 2595 which describes the 'STLS' command for POP3, which lets
the client and server do a SSL/TLS negotiation to switch to secure
channel.

And RFC 3207 describes the 'STARTTLS' command for SMTP.

I have found ISPs (including my own) that support one or more of
everything mentioned above. Any idea, from your experience, what is more
common? From a security standpoint they all seem OK to me. 

-- 
Jem Berkes
http://www.pc-tools.net/
Windows, Linux & UNIX software

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