Bug#386875: exim4: doesn't support outgoing SSL connections on port 465

[Marc Haber]

On Mon, Sep 11, 2006 at 06:27:34PM +0930, Arthur Marsh wrote:
> Marc Haber wrote, On 2006-09-11 18:14:
> >On Mon, Sep 11, 2006 at 04:56:14AM +0930, Arthur Marsh wrote:
> >>I've used a guide at 
> >>http://www.technovelty.org/linux/tips/exim4ssmtp.html to get outbound 
> >>ssl connections to my ISP's secure mail server working, and wondered by 
> >>exim4 didn't support outbound mail connections over ssl using port 465?
> >
> >smtp-over-tls on port 465 is a legacy protocol. Upstream is not
> >planning to implement this at the current time. Please pester your ISP
> >to support current Internet Standards.
> >
> >All I can offer is to forward this upstream, getting a new statement
> >"we won't implement this" and keep this bug open as wontfix in the
> >Debian BTS.
> >
> >I don't think that makes sense, so I'll close this bug. If you
> >disagree, please feel free to re-open.
> 
> OK, but what are the current Internet standards for secure smtp connections?

ESMTP STARTTLS on Port 25.

> My ISP's current secure email connection information is at:
> 
> http://www.internode.on.net/support/email/secure/index.php

They seem to provide you sub-standard service. Try educating them.

I suspect that there is a number of mail clients that cannot do
smtp-over-tls on tcp/465 in the first place.

> (FYI, I'm one of the people that doesn't believe the "telnet is 
> insecure, ssh is safe" mantra that others keep stating, having run 
> secure-only telnet servers and read of man-in-the-middle attacks on ssh).

When people say "telnet is insecure", they are usually referring to
unencrypted telnet. Personally, I have never run telnet over TSL, but
I suspect that ssh is more widely used because of its vastly superior
feature set.
mitm attacks are usually caused by people clicking away the "new host
key" warning, but it's the same with classical TLS as well.

Greetings
Marc

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