Topic: Email Authenticate via a key file and not password

[iltasu]

Hello,
I wonder if there's a way to have the authentication of the users of the email services (imap and smtp) done via some sort of key file stored on the client's computer, instead of letting everyone that knows the password of a user to log in. This way I'll be more than happy to give some of my clients the ability to use SMTP outside the lan, they don't have to remember arcane passwords, the key will be sufficiently hard to guess (128 or 256 bit... ^_^)

Thanks for the answers.

Gabriele

[cactus]

Hello,
I wonder if there's a way to have the authentication of the users of the email services (imap and smtp) done via some sort of key file stored on the client's computer, instead of letting everyone that knows the password of a user to log in. This way I'll be more than happy to give some of my clients the ability to use SMTP outside the lan, they don't have to remember arcane passwords, the key will be sufficiently hard to guess (128 or 256 bit... ^_^)

Thanks for the answers.

Gabriele

You could consider VPN using a certificate (all users logged in from outside are considered as local to the server and traffic is obscured). I use this http://sme.firewall-services.com/spip.php?rubrique3 .

[iltasu]

Hello! ^_^ Thank you for the answer, well, I use OpenVPN in all the servers, actually, both for remote management and remote access to network shares, printers, emails.. but some of them need to access emails from outside via their handhelds (a mix of iphones, PPC, Palms...), and the openvpn client is not developed for all those platforms.

[CharlieBrady]

I wonder if there's a way to have the authentication of the users of the email services (imap and smtp) done via some sort of key file stored on the client's computer, instead of letting everyone that knows the password of a user to log in.

SME server doesn't have any such capability.

[Stefano]

SME server doesn't have any such capability.

but it could be very intersting.. any hint to start searching?

TIA

Ciao
Stefano

[warren]

instead of letting everyone that knows the password of a user to log in

Its hard    , but users need to be educated     , sharing of passwords is a no go ( would they be
as willing to share their bank pin numbers ? )

done via some sort of key file stored on the client's computer

If they are breaking the first rule ( ie letting others know  their passwords ), then
whats stopping them letting others have access to the key files ?