A penetration tester finds that a company's login credentials for the email client were being sent in clear text.
Which of the following should be done to provide encrypted logins to the email server?
Click on the arrows to vote for the correct answer
A. B. C. D.D.
The correct answer to this question is D. Enable an SSL certificate for IMAP services.
Explanation:
Sending login credentials in clear text is a significant security vulnerability because it allows attackers to intercept and read the login credentials as they are transmitted over the network. To prevent this, the company should enable encrypted logins to the email server. There are several ways to do this, but the most common and recommended method is to use SSL/TLS encryption.
Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Transport Layer Security (TLS) are protocols that provide encryption and authentication of network traffic. SSL/TLS is commonly used to secure web traffic (HTTPS), but it can also be used to secure email traffic, such as IMAP, POP3, and SMTP. SSL/TLS encrypts the entire session between the email client and server, including the login credentials, so that even if an attacker intercepts the traffic, they cannot read the information.
Therefore, enabling an SSL certificate for IMAP services is the correct answer. IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) is a protocol used to access email on a remote server. Enabling SSL/TLS for IMAP services ensures that email clients can securely connect to the email server and transmit login credentials in an encrypted format, preventing attackers from intercepting the credentials.
The other answer options are incorrect because:
A. Enable IPSec and configure SMTP: IPSec is a protocol suite used for secure communication over IP networks. It is not commonly used to secure email traffic, and SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) is not the protocol used for email login credentials.
B. Enable SSH and LDAP credentials: SSH (Secure Shell) is a protocol used for secure remote access to servers, and LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) is a protocol used for accessing and maintaining distributed directory information services over an IP network. Neither of these protocols is commonly used to secure email traffic, and LDAP is not the protocol used for email login credentials.
C. Enable MIME services and POP3: MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) is a standard for formatting email messages that contain multimedia content, but it is not used to secure email login credentials. POP3 (Post Office Protocol version 3) is a protocol used to retrieve email from a remote server but does not provide encryption for email traffic, and it is not the protocol used for email login credentials.
In conclusion, enabling an SSL certificate for IMAP services is the most appropriate and common method for securing email login credentials transmitted over the network.