Re: POP3 password in plaintext?

[Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@gnus.org>]

Stefan Monnier <monnier@iro.umontreal.ca> writes:

>> I liked Ted's suggestion about providing modeline indicators.
>
> I'd much rather just signal an error if a password is sent in the clear.
> And then provide some configuration option to indicate when it's OK to
> send the password in the clear on this connection.

Yes, sort of.

What I had planned on implementing was a way to make the user manage the
security more explicitly.  Here are the main options we need:

1) The connection is TLS, and the certificate is valid.  Everything OK;
don't ask the user for anything.

2) The connection is TLS, but the certificate can't be validated (i.e.,
self-signed certificate, which is very common on pop3/imap/smtp/nntp/etcp
connections), or it is invalid.

We then notify the user of this, display bits of the certificate, and
ask how to proceed.  The user will typically say "no, get me out of
here", "OK for this session only" or "OK always".  Emacs will then store
the choice, and store a fingerprint of the certificate, so that we can
verify that we're still making the same choice later on.

3) The connection is not TLS: Ask the user whether she really wants to
send anything unencrypted to this server, and store the choice.


It can all be done on the `open-network-stream' level. 

Somebody just has to write this thing.

-- 
(domestic pets only, the antidote for overdose, milk.)
   bloggy blog: http://lars.ingebrigtsen.no