[4162] in cryptography@c2.net mail archive
mixmaster && the DNS
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Russell Nelson)
Mon Feb 8 15:28:56 1999
Date: 8 Feb 1999 19:51:17 -0000
From: Russell Nelson <nelson@crynwr.com>
To: cryptography@c2.net
Hmmm.... Anybody thought of combining mixmaster, an SMTP client, SMTP
server, and the DNS? Here's how it would work:
1) email would arrive at the SMTP client using ordinary means.
2) The SMTP client would ask the DNS for the MX records for the host.
3) If the DNS has two MX records which point to the same host, one of
which is in a particular range (e.g. 23489-23511), then the
recipient is considered mixmaster-enabled. If not, then the mail
is simply delivered.
4) The SMTP client has access to a list of acceptable relay hosts,
also mixmaster-enabled. It either delivers the mail, or relays
the mail to one of these hosts. The relay is done in the usual
mixmaster fashion.
5) (and here's the key). When the SMTP client (either the original
one, or the one on the relay) tries to deliver the mail, it does
so by connecting to the port number named in the highest-numbered
of the two MX records. If that fails, then the mail is delivered
via unencrypted SMTP.
It's got some weaknesses, but it goes a long way towards keeping
intranet trans-Internet mail private.
--
-russ nelson <rn-sig@crynwr.com> http://crynwr.com/~nelson
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