Interesting arcticle taken from a webpage on OOF Messages to the Internet:
Equiinet.ComMission Mission History History Directors Directors
Awards Awards Corporate Corporate Security Security SME SME Press
Releases Press Releases Reviews Reviews White Papers White Papers
Locations Locations Maps Maps Email Addresses Email Addresses
EQUIINET CALLS FOR RETHINK ON E-MAIL SIGNATURES TO AVOID INTERNET
CRIME RISK
24th June 2002
British companies were today warned by Equiinet to review their
e-mail policies to avoid their employees being placed at risk from
criminals using e-mail signature messages to obtain personal
details.
Automatic response messages are used to inform anyone e-mailing a
specific e-mail address that the person they are trying to reach is
unable to respond. But many people, particularly during the busy
summer holiday season, create automatic messages that say they will
not be back in the office until a certain date, allowing people to
conclude they are probably away on holiday. The 'away from' e-mail
messages are typically sent indiscriminately the first time an
e-mail is received.
Swindon-based Equiinet, the leading supplier of multi functional
server appliances, decided not to introduce automated e-mail
response as a product feature because of the danger of individual
employees exposing themselves or their employer to risk when setting
up the messages.
Criminals have been known to exploit this system by purchasing spam
e-mail lists with which to send a test message to millions of
recipients. They then identify those people who are away and look up
their probable - or in some cases exact - home addresses using a
simple online directory such as those at www.192.com or www.btcom.
The technique even allows wily burglars to guess the potential value
of goods at an address according to a person's job title, which is
often included in e-mail signatures in accordance with corporate
policy.
"This is the on-line equivalent of not cancelling the milk," said
Bob Jones, Equiinet's managing director. "It's on a par with
advertising in a newspaper that you are on holiday in the full
knowledge that anyone can easily find out your address."
Jones said companies should review their e-mail policies so that
employees cannot specify that they are away, or use software that
blocks such messages being sent to untrusted sources.
"This Internet loophole makes it possible for even unsophisticated
criminals within 60 seconds to discover a home address of someone
who is away on holiday," he added.
"With the main holiday season almost upon us, British companies must
act now to clamp down on this out of responsibility to their staff."
ABOUT EQUIINET
Equiinet, based in Swindon, specialises in integrated solutions that
provide cost-effective, easy, fast and secure access to the
Internet. The NetPilot range of Internet server appliances provides
all the hardware and software needed for extremely secure Internet
connectivity and networking in a single multifunctional unit.
VPN-specific products offer Virtual Private Networking capability.
New to Equiinet's family of products is the TrafficPilot range,
bringing clever and cost-effective overlay networking to life for
larger organisations with customer-facing branches. Equiinet's
managing director Bob Jones has previously founded and sold three
successful networking start-ups: Steebek Systems, Mayze Systems and
Sonix Communications, the last of which was acquired for $70 million
in 1995.
Editorial contact: Neil Madle, Marketing & PR Manager,
+44 1793 603759
Mobile: +44 7990 887628
Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Ken
-----Original Message-----
From: Sandhya Pai [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: Thursday, August 01, 2002 10:49 AM
To: Exchange Discussions
Subject: RE: OOF Messages to the Internet
Thanks to everyone that responded to my message. I'll try my best to not
turn it on.
Sandhya
_________________________________________________________________
List posting FAQ: http://www.swinc.com/resource/exch_faq.htm
Archives: http://www.swynk.com/sitesearch/search.asp
To unsubscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Exchange List admin: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
_________________________________________________________________
List posting FAQ: http://www.swinc.com/resource/exch_faq.htm
Archives: http://www.swynk.com/sitesearch/search.asp
To unsubscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Exchange List admin: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
