Email log

[Cristiano]

I have to use a program (under WinXP Pro) which sends an email to
(e-mail address removed).
The program must not send any other email.
Is there any way to check that the program sends emails only to (e-mail address removed)?

Thanks
Cristiano

 

[Steven L Umbach]

You don't mention the program but most email programs keep a copy of the
emails it sends so you could review the sent list if that is the case.
Another thing you could try is to use a software based firewall such as Zone
Alarm, etc and create a firewall rule to allow only outbound email [port 25
TCP] to the specific domain/IP as a preventative measure or see if the email
application has rules that can be configured do the same.

Steve

 

[Cristiano]

You don't mention the program but most email programs keep a copy of
the emails it sends so you could review the sent list if that is the
case.

The program I mention is not an email program. I have to use it to
periodically send "informations" to my customers. I'd like to check whether
the program leaks informations to the programmer.

Thank you
Cristiano

 

[Steven L Umbach]

If it is not an email program then it should interface and use the email
program on your computer. It needs info for the smtp server, sender email
address, etc. Check the sent list for your email program [Outlook Express,
Outlook, ec].

Steve

 

[Cristiano]

If it is not an email program then it should interface and use the
email program on your computer. [...]

Are you joking?

Cristiano

 

[Malke]

If it is not an email program then it should interface and use the
email program on your computer. [...]

Are you joking?

Cristiano

No, of course he isn't joking. It is you who don't seem to understand
the process of sending email. Look, in order to send email from your
computer you must have an SMTP server configured. Most people configure
this from their email client (Outlook, Outlook Express, Thunderbird,
etc.). In addition to regular email clients, certain applications may
have the ability to send an email to a designated person (usually the
system administrator) if some specific thing occurs in the program.
Examples are antivirus programs that can send an email to the system
administrator when a virus is found on a server; a UPS monitoring
program that can send an email when something goes wrong with the power.

Those programs must get the SMTP information from somewhere. If you
didn't configure the SMTP server from within your Mystery Program then
the Mystery Program is reading the information from whatever email
program configuration you set up. The Mystery Program can't magically
create SMTP server settings out of nothing.

I'm not sure what you're really trying to accomplish but if you're
uncomfortable about what your Mystery Program is doing, spend some time
looking at its configuration settings, log its traffic with your
firewall, and/or contact its tech support for help.

This is not a Windows security issue in any case.


Malke

 

[Cristiano]

If it is not an email program then it should interface and use the
email program on your computer. [...]

Are you joking?

Cristiano

No, of course he isn't joking. It is you who don't seem to understand
the process of sending email.

I know that process very well.

Look, in order to send email from your
computer you must have an SMTP server configured. Most people
configure this from their email client (Outlook, Outlook Express,
Thunderbird, etc.). In addition to regular email clients, certain
applications may have the ability to send an email to a designated
person (usually the system administrator) if some specific thing
occurs in the program.

The latter is my case. I wrote a program which sends email using its own
smtp server (I don't need OE) and the program I need to monitor is very
similar to the one I wrote (it don't need any email client, because it use
its own smtp server).

Those programs must get the SMTP information from somewhere. If you
didn't configure the SMTP server from within your Mystery Program then
the Mystery Program is reading the information from whatever email
program configuration you set up. The Mystery Program can't magically
create SMTP server settings out of nothing.

As I told you, the Mystery Program use its smtp server and obviously it
knows the address of the server.

I'm not sure what you're really trying to accomplish but if you're
uncomfortable about what your Mystery Program is doing, spend some
time looking at its configuration settings, log its traffic with your
firewall, and/or contact its tech support for help.

The problem is that I have to use it to work. I know very well its
configuration settings and I know the "legitimate" email address, but I
don't know if the programmer added an email address used to leak emails to
him.
I don't know if now the things are clearer.

I also tried hMailServer to log the smtp traffic, but my configuration
doesn't work :-(

Cristiano

 

[VanguardLH]

If it is not an email program then it should interface and use the
email program on your computer. [...]

Are you joking?

No, but obviously you are. "I have to use a program to send an email"
and then you contradict with "the program I mention (WHICH YOU NEVER
DID MENTION) is not an e-mail program." Make up your mind, or get a
darts board with Yes and No tags on hit and throw darts blind until it
hits one of those tags.

 

[Cristiano]

If it is not an email program then it should interface and use the
email program on your computer. [...]

Are you joking?

No, but obviously you are. "I have to use a program to send an email"
and then you contradict with "the program I mention (WHICH YOU NEVER
DID MENTION) is not an e-mail program."

I know that my English is bad, I don't need your nitpicking. It should be
clear that I meant that my program in not an email client (like OE).

Make up your mind, or get a darts [...]

Too much trolling here. Time to stop for me.

Cristiano

 

[Bruce Chambers]

I know that my English is bad, I don't need your nitpicking. It should be
clear that I meant that my program in not an email client (like OE).

But it's not at all clear why you'd expect such a program to send
email, if it's not an email program. You're contradicting yourself.


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ~Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. ~Bertrand Russell

The philosopher has never killed any priests, whereas the priest has
killed a great many philosophers.
~ Denis Diderot

 

[VanguardLH]

in message

I know that my English is bad, I don't need your nitpicking. It
should be
clear that I meant that my program in not an email client (like OE).

If the program connects to a mail host to send mail then it *IS* an
e-mail client. Your English wasn't the problem. It was your own
contradiction that is the problem.

You have to use the "mystery" program at work presumably because your
employer tells you to. Doesn't matter if it "leaks" information
somewhere else because that is what you are required to use. If you
are sending destructive e-mails from work then expect to get caught.
They don't need a program running on your host to sniff your traffic
and inspect its packets to determine what e-mails you are sending and
their content. If you are whistleblowing or sending personal e-mail
that you don't want your employer to see then do NOT use *their*
resources to send/receive those e-mails.

You could always run your own packet sniffer to find out what data is
being sent to/from your host. Ethereal (now called Wireshark) is
free.

 

[Cristiano]

in message



If the program connects to a mail host to send mail then it *IS* an
e-mail client. Your English wasn't the problem. It was your own
contradiction that is the problem.

I said that my problem is my English because I posted many messages and I'm
still not able to explain my situation. Anyway, it is no longer a problem
because the program you told me (Wireshark) works very well.

Thank you very much
Cristiano