Tag: email

Install and configure nullmailer using Fastmail as a smarthost

If you want to receive status updates from your Debian or Ubuntu system, you need to employ the help of a mail tansfer agent (MTA). nullmailer is a relay-only forwarding MTA that can be used as an alternative to more complex MTAs such as Exim, Sendmail or Postfix.

nullmailer can be configured to use Fastmail as a smarthost and hence ensure the deliverability of your messages. In principle, these instructions should also be applicable to service providers other than Fastmail.

In the following example configuration, debian is the hostname, bookworm the local username and linus.torvalds@fastmail.com the Fastmail username.

Step 1

Log into your Fastmail account and set up a new app password for SMTP authentication.

Step 2

Create the new directory /etc/nullmailer and the file /etc/nullmailer/adminaddr.

$ sudo mkdir /etc/nullmailer && sudo nano /etc/nullmailer/adminaddr

Your Fastmail username is the only entry in /etc/nullmailer/adminaddr.

linus.torvalds@fastmail.com

Step 3

Install the required packages.

$ sudo apt-get install --yes nullmailer mailutils

Step 4

Perform the initial configuration using debconf. Reconfigure nullmailer at any time after the initial installation using the following comand.

$ sudo dpkg-reconfigure nullmailer

Setting the mail name

Set the system mail name. If you are setting up on a home network, you should use home.arpa as the domain name.

Configuring nullmailer

Mailname of your system:

debian.home.arpa

Ok

Configuring the smarthost

Set the Fastmail server as the smarthost. Use the app password you set in Step 1.

Configuring nullmailer

Smarthosts:

smtp.fastmail.com smtp --port=587 --auth-login --starttls --user=linus.torvalds@fastmail.com --pass=password

Ok

Step 5

Test your configuration with the following command.

$ echo "Test mail from nullmailer on debian.home.arpa to the local root user and forwarded on to Fastmail" | mail -s "Test nullmailer" root

Check your Inbox, Linus!

Mail-Dienste sehen alles

“Die elektronische Post kam mit kostenlosen Diensten in Mode. Für sie zahlen Kunden nicht in harter Währung, sondern akzeptieren Werbung und meist auch die Verwertung der aus ihren Daten gespeisten Kundenprofile.” Mittlerweile bekannt gewordene Abhörpraktiken der NSA rücken immer mehr auch Fragen nach der Sicherheit von E-Mails in den Vordergrund. Die Stiftung Warentest hat 14 Provider unter die Lupe genommen: Als Testsieger gehen Mailbox.org und Posteo hervor.

www.test.de

Edward Snowden: the untold story

“The question for us is not what new story will come out next. The question is, what are we going to do about it?” James Bamford interviews Edward Snowden, who regards the use of strong encryption in your everyday communication as a viable means to end mass surveillance.

www.wired.com

Also watch United States of Secrets, a two-part series detailing how the US government came to monitor and collect the communications of millions around the world.

NSA surveillance: a guide to staying secure

“The NSA has turned the fabric of the internet into a vast surveillance platform, but they are not magical. They’re limited by the same economic realities as the rest of us, and our best defense is to make surveillance of us as expensive as possible.” Bruce Schneier works on the assumption that the NSA is able to decrypt most of the Internet.

www.theguardian.com

Good luck with that

“Practicing effective counterintelligence on the internet is an extremely difficult process and requires planning, evaluating options, capital investment in hardware, and a clear goal in mind.” The advice of the grugq is to choose your adversaries carefully, should you wish to maintain anonymity.

grugq.github.io

Anonymous speaks: the inside story of the HBGary hack

“I’ve talked to some of those who participated in the HBGary hack to learn in detail how they penetrated HBGary’s defenses and gave the company such a stunning black eye — and what the HBGary example means for the rest of us mere mortals who use the Internet.” Peter Bright’s story may be a couple of years old, but it still makes for an interesting read and tells you what not to do.

arstechnica.com

Still sending naked email?

“In a world of repressive governments and a growing reliance on insecure networks, there’s no way anyone can be sure their most sensitive messages aren’t intercepted by the forces of darkness. But you can make it mathematically improbable that all but the most well-funded snoops could ever make heads or tales of your communications.” Use Dan Goodin’s step-by-step guide to email encryption and keep your communications private.

www.theregister.com

Click to copy