E-mail system can use two TCP/IP protocols to send and receive messages. The Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) handles outgoing mail, while the Post Office Protocol (more commonly known as POP3 for the current version) is responsible for incoming mail.
SMTP Vulnerabilities
Most attacks upon an SMTP server occur because the server has been configured incorrectly. Hackers scan the internet for any incorrectly configured SMTP server so that they can send an e-mail message to the server. By doing this, they can exploit the server in two ways:
• The attacker can send mail anonymously. The recipients of these e-mail messages will not able to discover where the e-mail come from.
• Hackers can also send the SMTP server a single e-mail with the intention of reaching over millions of users. This method allows an attackers to send out megabytes of spam through the server’s fast connection.
POP Mail Vulnerabilities …show more content…
This eliminates the central pool of data that is more common with Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP), however, is increases the risk of data being stored on a number of clients. For example, it has a less robust system of assigning identification to messages entering a mail server, which may result in violating the unique identifier by creating a duplicate number. The process by which the identifier is assigned creates a drag on the system and contributes to make the protocol move vulnerable to DoS