SSL Encrypting passwords and usernames for email

[infinity003]

In various mail clients you can set the SSL encryption for the username and password. Does anyone know if these servers support that, or even how it works. I haven't the slightest idea, but would like to make sure things are secure when going wireless.

Thanks,
Greg

[J-G]

What's all this then?

It sounds like two different security topics:
1) Secure sockets layer to communicate between your browser and a server, to authenticate into an email server,
and
2) Security between a wireless computer and a wireless router/firewall/etc.

Or ?

[infinity003]

Well yes and no. I understand that using wireless, email passwords and usernames are transmitted in plaintext, thus making them available to any packet sniffers. I am trying to investigate using SSL to encrypt this text and was wondering if we could do that, or if I could learn some more about how it works with email.

[J-G]

Hmmm

As I understand it, SSL is encrypted between the PC and the server. In theory, if the wireless is between the PC and the router/firewall, the wireless may be sending plain text, but it's still scrambled plain text. I can't see a wireless device "unscrambling" the data in SSL packets as they go between PC and remote server.

Works for me dept.: I use https://www.mydathornsite.com:2096/ for a secure login/interaction with the webmail available on mydathornsite.com

And there's always http://computer.howstuffworks.com/encryption.htm ... or http://computer.howstuffworks.com/wireless-network.htm ....

[Pedja]

If you use SSL you are safe. It works as an tunnel from your computer to end point. It is encrypted so it does not matter what kind of link is used for connection. That is the primary purpose of the protocol.