Re: Is a SSH tunnel for accessing POP3 over SSL really a safe solution?

From: Richard E. Silverman (res_at_qoxp.net)
Date: 09/19/05 

Date: 19 Sep 2005 12:31:25 -0400

>>>>> "TG" == ishapian <tomas.gold@gmail.com> writes:

    TG> Hi, I haven't found yet a satisfactory answer to the following
    TG> situation. Due to a restrictive firewall on our campus network, I
    TG> can't connect to POPS on my mailserver. What I do is that I set up
    TG> a SSH tunnel using a server somewhere outside (different from the
    TG> mailserver) to have my emails downloaded. What I am concerned
    TG> about is the security of this solution.

    TG> The communication between localhost and the server is secured
    TG> (SSH) as well as the connection between the server and the
    TG> mailserver (POP3 over SSL). But I wonder how safe are the data on
    TG> the server itself?

    TG> I think that the server has to decrypt the incoming transmission
    TG> from mailserver and then encrypt it and send it over SSH.

No -- the SSH server does not decrypt anything coming from the mail
server. The SSL session is between your mail client and mail server; SSH
does not know or care about it. Since your POP connection is protected
end-to-end by SSL, you are reasonably safe. 

-- 
  Richard Silverman
  res@qoxp.net

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