A Microsoft Office (Excel, Word) forum. OfficeFrustration

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Go Back   Home » OfficeFrustration forum » Microsoft Outlook » Fax
Site Map Home Register Authors List Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read  

email fax security



 
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old September 12th, 2008, 02:41 AM posted to microsoft.public.outlook.fax,alt.fax
Square Peg
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 5
Default email fax security

I am considering signing up for one of the email fax systems such as
MyFax.

http://www.myfax.com/

In reading over the FAQs, I learned that MyFax uses the destination
phone number as the email address. If I want to send a fax to
888-555-1212, I send an email to .

If it's just a short message, I can type it in the email message. If
it's a document, such as a Word document, I attach the document to the
email.

I am wondering how secure this is? Some of my documents are
confidential and some of them are legally privileged. When they leave
my machine and go out over the internet, those attachments are not
encrypted, right? They will pass through a number of nodes enroute to
myfax.com. Could some at one of the intermediate nodes look at the
attachments?

Thanks

  #2  
Old September 12th, 2008, 02:49 AM posted to microsoft.public.outlook.fax,alt.fax
Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 9,440
Default email fax security

Faxing has never been secure and never could be. HIPAA had to create a giant
exception to its requirements so that medical information can continue to be
transmitted by fax.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
"Square Peg" wrote in message
...
I am considering signing up for one of the email fax systems such as
MyFax.

http://www.myfax.com/

In reading over the FAQs, I learned that MyFax uses the destination
phone number as the email address. If I want to send a fax to
888-555-1212, I send an email to .

If it's just a short message, I can type it in the email message. If
it's a document, such as a Word document, I attach the document to the
email.

I am wondering how secure this is? Some of my documents are
confidential and some of them are legally privileged. When they leave
my machine and go out over the internet, those attachments are not
encrypted, right? They will pass through a number of nodes enroute to
myfax.com. Could some at one of the intermediate nodes look at the
attachments?

Thanks


  #3  
Old September 12th, 2008, 03:21 AM posted to microsoft.public.outlook.fax,alt.fax
Square Peg
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 5
Default email fax security

On Thu, 11 Sep 2008 21:49:31 -0400, "Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook]"
wrote:

Faxing has never been secure and never could be. HIPAA had to create a giant
exception to its requirements so that medical information can continue to be
transmitted by fax.


Are you talking about phone faxing where one fax machine makes a call
to another? What security holes are there other than me entering the
wrong fax number?

In any case, I am talking about email faxing, like with MyFax.com.
Unless I encrypt the email and any attachments before sending the
email-fax, I would think that it is visible to every node along the
way, no?
  #4  
Old September 12th, 2008, 11:18 AM posted to microsoft.public.outlook.fax,alt.fax
Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 9,440
Default email fax security

Just what do you think email faxing uses? It doesn't matter how secure your
transmission to the service is. From there it uses POTS.
Never secure. Never will be.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
"Square Peg" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 11 Sep 2008 21:49:31 -0400, "Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook]"
wrote:

Faxing has never been secure and never could be. HIPAA had to create a
giant
exception to its requirements so that medical information can continue to
be
transmitted by fax.


Are you talking about phone faxing where one fax machine makes a call
to another? What security holes are there other than me entering the
wrong fax number?

In any case, I am talking about email faxing, like with MyFax.com.
Unless I encrypt the email and any attachments before sending the
email-fax, I would think that it is visible to every node along the
way, no?


  #5  
Old September 12th, 2008, 02:37 PM posted to microsoft.public.outlook.fax,alt.fax
Andrew Rinaldi
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 8
Default email fax security

Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook] wrote:
Just what do you think email faxing uses? It doesn't matter how secure
your transmission to the service is. From there it uses POTS.
Never secure. Never will be.

I would disagree with the statement that fax over POTS can never be secure.

A number of companies sell products that are DoD JITC certified to meet
military and NATO protocols for secure fax communication over POTS.

Ricoh SecureFax products have also been widely deployed in the
commercial sector, and some fax servers have implemented the ITU-T T.36
security capabilities.

Regards

Andrew Rinaldi
Mainpine Developer Support
USA +1 866 363 6680 | UK +44 1225 807 807
| www.mainpine.com
 




Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 12:22 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2024 OfficeFrustration.
The comments are property of their posters.