In article <[log in to unmask]>, <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:
> Hail all net-gurus....
 
I think this lets me off the hook, because I'm certainly no guru, net or
otherwise, but I'll throw in my two cents' worth now and await authoritative
info from the gurus ...
 
> I have a couple of e-mail questions for you.
>
> 1.  I have been corresponding with my computer's manufacturer about some
> problems that I have been having.  They want my credit card number, name,
> and expiration date (the card's...not mine)
> as part of sending me a new monitor.  My question is,
> is this a good idea?  The person I have been dealing with was careful to
> indicate that I should send it via PRIVATE E-MAIL.  So what is PRIVATE
> E-MAIL and how does it differ from regular e-mail?  How secure is an
> e-mail message once I send it?
 
My gut reaction is that I would never, ever send a credit card number (or
other similarly secure info) through e-mail.  I'll leave the question of
encrypted e-mail to the folks who know, but normal unencrypted should not
be considered secure or even very private.  The most simple reason for
this is that if there are any problems with its delivery, it is highly
likely to bounce out to a postmaster somewhere, who will more than likely
read it in the course of trying to figure out who it was coming from, who
it was going to, and why it didn't get from the former to the latter.
 
> 2. On a related issue.  Let's say I send someone a very private message.
> If I send the message then immediately delete the all notebook file
> (or whatever notebook file the message is logged into) is there any record
> of the message at this end?  Is there any way that the message could be
> 'intercepted' between myself and the reciever?
 
See above.  Also, while deleting your ALL NOTEBOOK file on the IBM VM system
(MiamiU) may prevent the message from being accessible from your account, I
don't know that it erases all record of that message from the system, but I
*do* know that it does *not* prevent misdirection (as described above) and I
doubt it prevents other possible means of interception.  But here again, I
defer to those in the know.
 
> Just some questions....
>
> ********************************************************
> *  Paul Mongeau  -  Communication  -  Miami University *
> *              BITNET: PMONGEAU@MIAMIU                 *
> *      INTERNET: [log in to unmask]        *
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--
 
                          John B Harlan
         Campus Wide Information System (CWIS) Coordinator
                    Miami University (Ohio USA)
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