Re: [msmtp-users] Passwords

[Robert Thorsby <robert@...93...>]

On 28/09/08 11:44:33, Michael Witten wrote:
> I've noticed that many unix tools require that a user
> specify account passwords in config files.
> 
> To me, this seems like a terrible idea, and indeed
> msmtp at least prompts for a password when it needs
> one.
> 
> However, what if I don't want msmtp to prompt me? For
> instance, it seems reasonable to me that someone might
> like to create a higher-level program that uses msmtp
> to do the grunt work; in many cases, that higher-level
> program might like to manage the password in its own
> way.
> 
> Sure it's possible that this higher-level program
> could provide that password via stdin, but that
> seems like a flaky endeavor.
> 
> In short,
> 
> 	Why are passwords dealt with in the way that
> 	they are?
> 
> 	Is it dangerous to provide an option such as
> 	--password?
> 
> 	Is it reasonable to use stdin?
> 
> 	Why are so many people willing to write their
> 	passwords in config files?

The use of passwords (in contradistinction to the use of more secure 
methods of authentication) is largely a matter of the MX setup of one's 
ISP, and mere account-holders often have little say in the matter.

For reasons that are not here germane, my ISP's MX server *requires* 
password authentication. I therefore *am obliged* to provide a 
password.

I include my password in my msmtp config file because my computer is 
physically isolated and behind a firewall, giving me both LAN and 
Internet security -- if my email password is compromised then, quite 
frankly, I have more important things to worry about than whether my 
email account will be used as a spambot.

However, having said that, I occasionally use msmtp in a script. In 
such cases I create a file for the nonce, give the file minimal 
permissions, add my ad hoc config parameters (including password) to 
it, then nuke it immediately it is no longer required. I prefer this to 
stdin because stdin will be converted into an argument when invoking 
msmtp -- since one of my scripts involves large mime attachments it 
means that the arguments to mime will be visible for a considerable 
time to anyone who runs ps. In my opinion, a password en clair is less 
vulnerable in a short-lived file than as an argument to a relatively 
long-running instance of msmtp.

Robert Thorsby
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