email

Redirecting mail for the local root user

postfix is Ubuntu’s default mail transfer agent (MTA) and can be configured to deliver mail using a relay host that requires SMTP authentication.

Get the necessary packages with the following command:

user@ubuntu:~$ sudo apt-get install postfix mailx

Begin to configure your postfix installation by choosing satellite system as the general type of configuration. Enter the local machine name as the mail name (eg mycomputer.edafe.org) and the SMTP server address of your email service provider as the SMTP relay host (eg smtp.relayhost.com).

Edit the file /etc/postfix/main.cf and add the following:

smtp_sasl_auth_enable = yes
smtp_sasl_password_maps = hash:/etc/postfix/sasl_passwd
smtp_sasl_security_options =
relay_domains =

Create the file /etc/postfix/sasl_passwd and make the following entries:

smtp.relayhost.com user:password

Substitute smtp.relayhost.com with the address of the SMTP relay host and user:password with your login details.

Continue by executing the following three commands:

user@ubuntu:~$ sudo chown root.root /etc/postfix/sasl_passwd
user@ubuntu:~$ sudo chmod 600 /etc/postfix/sasl_passwd
user@ubuntu:~$ sudo postmap hash:/etc/postfix/sasl_passwd

Instruct postfix to reload its settings with the following command:

user@ubuntu:~$ sudo /etc/init.d/postfix reload

Making changes to the alias table

The aliases table provides a system-wide mechanism to redirect mail for local recipients.

Edit the file /etc/aliases to contain the following entries:

postmaster: root
root: user@yourdomain.com

Substitute user@yourdomain.com with the email address that you would like mail for the root user to be redirected to.

Finally, update /etc/aliases.db using the following command:

user@ubuntu:~$ sudo newaliases

Mail for the local root user from now on will automatically be forwarded to user@yourdomain.com , using smtp.relayhost.com as the relay host.
www.postfix.org, help.ubuntu.com

Still sending naked email?

“In a world of repressive governments and a growing reliance on insecure networks, there’s no way anyone can be sure their most sensitive messages aren’t intercepted by the forces of darkness. But you can make it mathematically improbable that all but the most well-funded snoops could ever make heads or tales of your communications.” Use Dan Goodin’s step-by-step guide to email encryption and keep your communications private.
www.theregister.co.uk

The case for email security

“It may not be surprising for you to learn that email is not a secure medium of communication; however, it may surprise you to learn just how inherently insecure it really is.” Erik Kangas on how email really works, what the security issues are and where you can make the difference.
luxsci.com (PDF file, 112 kb)

Das elektronische Briefgeheimnis

In German

“Wer eine E-Mail verschickt, muß damit rechnen, daß seine Nachricht von Dritten gelesen wird.” Brief article outlining steps you can take to keep your email communications private.
www.sueddeutsche.de

Why you shouldn’t use HTML email

“Spammers use HTML emails to confirm your address.” There are other drawbacks to using HTML-formatting when sending and receiving emails. Consider this list of potential pitfalls that Martin Favreau has compiled for you.
www.freeantispam.org

Why use email encryption?

Email encryption should be used by everyone. Here’s why.
rffr.de

Redirecting mail for the local root user

This post has been updated.

How to encrypt your email

“You too can get PGP set up in a few simple steps.” Jason Thomas shows just how easy it is to start encrypting your messages.
www.lifehacker.com

Thinking about email security

“The bottom line is, if your email passes through or is stored on servers controlled by others, it’s probably a good idea to consider encryption.” Joe Brockmeier considers the confidentiality of your messages.
www.newsforge.com

Introduction to cryptography

Find out more about the basic terminology and main methods of cryptography.
www.ssh.com

A practical introduction to GNU Privacy Guard

“In this guide, I will show you how to use the most important GPG commands.” Brendan Kidwell introduces GnuPG for Windows users.
www.glump.net

Avoiding Windows email viruses with Mozilla Mail

“The users that I support would double-click on a landmine to see what it did.” Phil Jones and Vidar Braut Haarr explain how to stop viruses from spreading to your computer by enlisting the help of Mozilla Mail and adopting a common sense approach.
www.pjls16812.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk

Understanding email netiquette

“Internet life carries its own versions of courtesy, privacy and security issues that all users need to know.” This article discusses basic email etiquette and explains the proper use of the To, CC and BCC fields when sending emails.
www.bestprac.org

Introduction to cryptography

Not entirely sure how cryptography works? This document’s two chapters, The Basics of Cryptography and Phil Zimmermann on PGP, will tell you what you need to know.
ftp.pgpi.org (PDF file, 1007 kb)

Point-and-click email crypto

“I don’t want people reading my mail.” Roy Hoobler explains how to use KGPG for email and file encryption under KDE.
www.linuxjournal.com

Why do you need PGP?

For a conclusive answer read this article by Phil Zimmermann, author of the Pretty Good Privacy application.
www.pgpi.org

Spam bots – and how to avoid them

“Once your email address is in the hands of spammers, regaining control of your inbox is a very, very difficult job indeed.” Nobody likes to receive spam, but what can you do to avoid it? Essential reading for anyone keen to ‘throw a spammer’ in the works.
www.bestprac.org