Opolis as a new way to address Email weaknesses

March 30, 2010 - PRLog -- Opolis as a new way to address Email weaknesses

In March 2010 Opolis Secure Mail and Document Messaging Service (http://www.opolis.eu) was launched with the aim to address key weaknesses in standard Email applications. Accounts with Opolis are free. The following article looks at some of the key issues in today´s Email architecture and how Opolis intends to address them.

Key issues of the current architecture and mechanics of standard Email applications

Email systems are based on a store-and-forward model in which Email computer server systems accept, forward, deliver and store messages on behalf of users. Originally, Email was transmitted directly from one user's device to another's; nowadays this is rarely the case. In such an environment, Email privacy can be compromised because:
•   Email messages are generally not encrypted;
•   Email messages have to go through intermediate computers before reaching their destination, meaning it is relatively easy to intercept and read messages; and
•   Many Internet Service Providers (ISP) store copies of Email messages on their mail servers before they are delivered. The backups of these can remain for up to several months on their server, despite deletion from the mailbox.

This may even lead to situations in which Email content and traffic information flow can be manipulated by the recipient. - Or, once sent, Email with confidential content can be - intentionally or accidentally - forwarded to any third party. Not only that this third party should never have received that information, but the originator of the message has neither control nor may even be aware of what actually happened. In the current Email architecture there is only a very limited technical possibility to pull back accidentally sent Emails.

In essence, tracking Emails and monitor what a recipient of an Email has actually done with it, is virtually impossible in the current Email traffic architecture.

A technical framework addressing key issues of the current Email architecture

Ideally, an Email is immediately encrypted when pressing the Send button and subsequently transmitted and interim-stored on servers in encrypted mode only. Eventually only the authorized recipient shall be able to decrypted and read the message, and nobody else.

In optimal circumstances, a sender can also decide what the recipient of a message is allowed to do with it and is in a position to monitor the path of a sent message.

The technologies and elements for such an ideal Email traffic architecture have already been available for quite a while. They have also been implemented within numerous - mostly larger - corporations, many of them operating globally. However, any messages leaving such a protected Email traffic architecture are - unfortunately – always a potential target for abuse and manipulation.

A primer to Public-Private Key technology

The distinguishing technique used in Public-Private Key cryptography is the use of asymmetric key algorithms, where the key used to encrypt a message is not the same as the key used to decrypt it. Each user has a pair of cryptographic keys — a Public Key and a Private Key. The Private Key is kept secret, whilst the Public Key may be widely distributed. Messages are encrypted with the recipient's Public Key and can only be decrypted with the corresponding Private Key. The keys are related mathematically, but the Private Key cannot be feasibly (i.e., in actual or projected practice) derived from the Public Key.

An analogy to Public-Private Key encryption is that of a locked mailbox with a mail slot. The mail slot is exposed and accessible to the public; its location (the street address) is in essence the Public Key. Anyone knowing the street address can go to the door and drop a written message through the slot; however, only the person who possesses the (Private) key can open the mailbox and read the message.

Confidence (ideally proof) that a Public Key is correct and belongs to the person or entity claimed (i.e., is 'authentic'), and has not been tampered with or replaced by a malicious third party is essential for Public-Private Key technology. The usual approach is to use a Public-Key Infrastructure (PKI), in which one or more third parties, known as certificate authorities, certify ownership of key pairs.

Opolis - Secure Mail and Document Messaging Service

At the moment, Opolis is one of few globally operating service providers with a focus on point-to-point Email security for corporate and private users. Opolis addresses the concerns of the current issues in regards to Email traffic architecture by applying Public-Private Key technology to transmit and interim-store messages. On top, the sender has always full authority over what the recipient is allowed to do with a message and is empowered to monitor the flow of a message sent.

Treating any message and its attachments as confidential information, Opolis combines the latest Email security technologies and transmits, processes and stores all messages in encrypted mode. Using Public-Private Key encryption methodology (cryptographic keys), with Opolis messages and attached documents are immediately encrypted when sent and can only be encrypted and read by the authorised recipient and nobody else.

Opolis operates on any PC in parallel to standard Email applications, such as Microsoft´s Outlook or Apple´s Mail. Opolis aims to empower the sender to optimally protect Emails and attachments:
•   The sender decides what the recipient of a message is allowed to do with it. For example, the sender decides whether the recipient may copy, print, respond to or forward a message to another Opolis User or not ("I Decide").
•   The sender is also able to monitor how the recipient has further processed the received message. - The path and status of each message sent can constantly be monitored live ("I Control").

For further information please refer to the Opolis website: http://www.opolis.eu.

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