SSL with email

[Brado]

I am trying to get a better understanding regarding SSL and emails, and the great google is not helping me majorly at the moment.

Basically, I understand SSL, and I understand emails(duh ), but to the extent of the different ports and protocols, etc. But I am by no means and expert in either field, and my email knowledge is a couple years old now.

However, I was setting up a new email for my dad in his outlook, and I noticed that it would not work using SSL. This is an ISP type email(not sure if they have a unique name?), and it only works if SSL is unchecked. Now from what I understand, it is due to the site/email not making use of SSL, which I get, as it is new, not setup yet, bla bla bla.

But then, slightly concerned, I went and checked his [email protected] email settings, and found the settings dont have SSL either. I thought this would.
My dad uses this as his main email, and considers this to be secure. However, surely with out SSL, it is very un-secure?

And then the main question, how important is SSL with email? I know Gmail and Yahoo and such have SSL, but why not telkomsa? Or does it? Have I just missed something?
What are the security concerns over using a non-SSL email?
Should we start making a point of using Gmail for sensitive emails?

I have tried to get him to move over to gmail full time in the past, but he is happy with his telkomsa email, but if this is a security concern, he would make the switch.

thanks for reading the long babble
Hope some one knows a fair bit more than me here

 

[zizebra]

Do you understand the concept of ssl on internet i.e http vs https. Ssl is there to ensure information transmitted between your pc and the email server. The information is encrypted to minimise probability of other internet users decrypting user names and passwords and other details. Ideally you want to ensure pop3 and imap to secured with SSL. These two are used to retrieve emails. Gmail and yahoo are operating on international scale and security is big deal. It should be big deal for telkom but i guess they have nothing to lose if usernames and passwords are sniffed. Govt will bail them out

 

[InTheCube]

As far as I know, SSL isn't supported by most ISPs in RSA for regular consumer/entry-level accounts. They either don't support it at all, or charge you extra for it, and have to move your email account on to a different server.

Regarding Gmail, yes your email is secure on the internet, but not necessarily from Google themselves, or whoever they grant access to your information (like the NSA).

 

[Tim the Techxpert]

Hi There,
I am with Saajid on this one. maybe we can get a comment form Afriman as to whether they support it?

Regards

Tim