Email Security: Keeping it Plain

Email security has become a major hot-button topic on IT and business forums over the past couple of years; and with good reason: According to recent research, Spam accounts for 14.5 billion messages globally per day. In other words, spam makes up 45% of all emails. Some statistics say that figure could be as high as 73%. (That is 3 out of every 4 emails received!).

Besides being a nuisance, SPAM messages typically come from marketers in the form of HTML (Web)-based messages. This can create a serious security risk for both home users and businesses. If your child uses your computer, it’s probably to assume that you don’t want him or her viewing a message containing pictures for male enhancement formulas!

When you view an HTML message, you get much more than just the message. Embedded images and stylesheets are downloaded from a remote web server. This is called a "web bug". Your email client (via the built-in HTML viewer) sends the following information to that web server without your knowledge:

• Any piece of information attached to the URL of the image
• Your internet IP address
• Date / time when you read the message
• Your OS type
• Your browser type
• The language set in your browser

Additionally, HTML messages may contain executable code in the form of javascripts, ActiveX components, Flash applets, etc. These snippets of code could allow a hacker remote access to your computer and the personal data it contains. It could also allow them to remotely launch an attack on a corporate or government computer network. Pretty unsavory stuff!

So, what’s the solution?

Text only email!

It may not be as glamorous, but configuring your email client to only view messages as text, rather than HTML will allow you to defeat many of these email attacks. True, you won’t see the fancy text and the pictures that are embedded in the email messages, but you will be able to read the message safely!

Taking it a step further, you should also send messages as text only rather than as HTML or Rich Text. This will not only keep the messages safe, but ensure that your recipient(s) are able to read the message correctly on their email clients, iPods, Blackberries, or other devices.