Andrea Hoffmann wrote:
> even I the recipient do could read the header, he would still
> not know if renfield@docomo.ne.jp is really renfield or not.
Right, this was my misunderstanding.
But this is NOT a technical problem, it's a social one.
As far as I know there are only 300,000 gaijins in Japan and all
of them coming from different countrys. So in this case it's easy
to find only ONE (the one and only) Renfield. But if somebody is
named Kyoko Suzuki than you have only a small chance to know
this person with the email address (fictive!):
Kyoko_Suzuki @ docomo.ne.jp
because these combination surname/name is very prominent in Japan.
Even more worse (to follow your Renfield example) is, if she is named:
Kyoko @ docomo.ne.jp :)
You can have the same type of problem also with faked faxes
(please fax your Visa Number to THIS faxnumber...), faked
signs and more.
<historic note>
Several years ago somebody in (can't remember) found out that a
bank branch got an fax announcement from a security firm
about 2-3 hours before an anonymous employee of this security firm
picked up some money. He faked the headers and faxed the bank,
that this day the anonymous employee comes one hour more early.
So he went to the bank, got without further questions the money
and ... (moved to the Bahamas I assume).
</historic note>
World famous hacker Kevin Mitnick stated: [to hack something] 10%
is technical skills, 90% social skills.
And I add: Lazyness and Routine is the worst enemy of security.
J.
Received on Mon Aug 28 18:20:46 2000