What is the value of authentication?

NETWORK WORLD NEWSLETTER: MICHAEL OSTERMAN ON MESSAGING
09/13/05
Today's focus: What is the value of authentication?

Dear networking.world@gmail.com,

In this issue:

* Weighing e-mail domain authentication
* Links related to Messaging
* Featured reader resource
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THE LATEST HOME NETWORK EQUIPMENT PREDICTIONS

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Today's focus: What is the value of authentication?

By Michael Osterman

Domain authentication has been touted as a valuable tool in the
fight against spam. In theory, if a sender's IP address has been
authenticated, that is supposed to be a good indicator of the
validity of the messages received from that source. However, in
practice, authentication has turned out to be far less reliable
for a couple of reasons.

First, spammers are among the heaviest users of authentication.
For example, MX Logic analyzed a sample of 19 million unique
e-mail messages sent from July 17 through July 23. Among senders
that had published a Sender Policy Framework (SPF) record for
their domain, 83% of the messages were from domains that send
spam. Among those domains that had published SenderID records,
82% of the e-mail messages were from domains that send spam.

It's almost as if receipt of an e-mail message from an
authenticated domain is more of an indicator that the source is
a spammer rather than a valid sender.

Second, only a very small percentage of domain owners have
authenticated their domains using SPF, SenderID, DomainKeys
Identified Mail (DKIM) or some other authentication scheme. Of
the 82.9 million domain names that had been registered worldwide
through the second quarter of 2005, fewer than one-tenth of 1%
of these domains had been authenticated. In the MX Logic sample
discussed above, only 9% of the e-mail messages were from
domains that had an SPF record, and only 0.15% had a SenderID
record.

None of this is to imply that authentication is dead or dying. I
believe that authentication will be a valuable tool that will
help organizations to manage e-mail more effectively. However,
other techniques and technologies will be more valuable than
authentication and will do more to eliminate the impact of spam.

The top 5: Today's most-read stories

1. McAfee, Tech Assist top anti-spyware test
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlmsg6958>

2. What's the best way to protect against spyware?
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlmsg6959>

3. Google hacking <http://www.networkworld.com/nlmsg6688>

4. Supermarket chain freezes Internet access
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlmsg6606>

5. Cisco warns of another IOS bug
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlmsg6770>

_______________________________________________________________
To contact: Michael Osterman

Michael D. Osterman is the principal of Osterman Research
<http://www.ostermanresearch.com/>, a market research firm that
helps organizations understand the markets for messaging,
directory and related products and services. He can be reached
by clicking here <mailto:michael@ostermanresearch.com>
_______________________________________________________________
This newsletter is sponsored by WiredRed Software

e/pop Web Conferencing - Share desktop, apps, PowerPoint and
multiparty video. Secure connections with SSL and even your own
PKI. Easy admin with user, feature and QoS controls. Software or
service: easy 5 minute server install, or one phone call hosted
service activation. Free trial.
http://www.fattail.com/redir/redirect.asp?CID=114502
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ARCHIVE LINKS

Archive of the Messaging newsletter:
http://www.networkworld.com/newsletters/gwm/index.html
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FEATURED READER RESOURCE

GARTNER'S SECURITY HYPE-O-METER

What is hype and has it influenced your network security
efforts? At a recent Gartner security summit, analysts described
what they say are "The Five Most Overhyped Security Threats,"
risks that have been overblown and shouldn't be scaring everyone
as much as they seem to be. For more, click here:

<http://www.networkworld.com/weblogs/security/009180.html>
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