Johannesburg, 11 Jun 2001
A recently released statement that a bug in Outlook Express could allow a hacker to intercept messages has raised serious security concerns in business circles worldwide.
Newsbytes reported on Friday (8 June 2001) that a design flaw, present in Outlook Express version 5.5 service pack 1 and earlier, could enable a malicious user to hijack all e-mails sent by the victim to a trusted address.
This raises serious concerns for organisations that have come to rely on e-mail for the exchange of privileged information with colleagues, businesses and financial institutions.
"Sending an e-mail is much safer than sending the same message through the regular postal system," says Mike Wright, CEO of The E-mail Corporation. "Once a letter is posted, there is always the risk that someone could open the envelope. With e-mail, that risk is greatly reduced."
Wright maintains that there are steps one can take secure the delivery of highly sensitive information via e-mail, the most effective being the use of encrypted attachments.
"Encryption takes your document message and garbles it completely, so that even if someone manages to intercept the message, all they will see is gibberish," says Wright.
The E-mail Corporation recently announced the launch of its FinMail Product Suite, a fully integrated solution that has been designed to facilitate the delivery of secure documentation, from invoices and statements, to payslips and corporate results, via e-mail.
This enables the secure mailing of documents in a format that ensures that only the intended recipient is able to open it. With no requirement for costly key or certificate management, this methodology service makes secure messaging easy to deploy, use and administer.
"Communicating with clients and associates via e-mail is safe and secure," says Wright, "as long as you are careful and meticulous about the procedures and software you use."
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