* web.lan / Posts / 2024-09-23 /
What is an email?
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Notes:

• Emails should remain hidden from public
  Reason stated: unknown
  Cover in article: crawlers
• Links can hack your email account
  Reason stated: unknown
  Cover in article: phishing
• Email auth does not require password
  Reason stated: Hacked Microsoft/Google etc accounts?
  Cover in article: IMAP auth

Structure:

• Talk about email source code composition
• Talk about IMAP auth, including:
  • RFC3501 section 8
    Mention that LOGIN is only used by postmasters for troubleshooting
    Mention relationship to commercial VPN claims
    Old standard (2003), superseded by RFC9051 (2021)
  • RFC9051 AUTHENTICATE command
    New authentication scheme, replaced LOGIN
    LOGIN example is authoritative, and more digestible
  • Google and Microsoft no longer use IMAP by default, and their duopoly
  • (Optional) Mention RFC4422 SASL maybe?
  • (Optional) Mention GSS-API?
• Cover readers' scenarios and educated guesses what could've happened
  Collect their testimonials, previous post deleted
• (Optional) Talk about sextortion emails, and their MAIL FROM: and From: relationship

Published to: web.lan