Security Basics mailing list archives
Re: How can you trust a company you don't know?
From: SMiller () unimin com
Date: Tue, 21 Oct 2003 17:18:07 -0400
Nicholas, At the risk of recommending a non-technical solution, I suggest you begin with the often overlooked but very useful basic reference check. Get a customer list from the provider. Make sure you tell them that you want only random customers with whom they do not have multi-faceted relationships (i.e., not customers who are also stakeholders, vendors, etc.) Start calling the references and ask pointed questions, including some about the nature of their relationship with the vendor. Make sure you get responsive answers from at least 3 of those customers. That will probably mean trying to contact a dozen or so. You won't like all the answers, that is to be expected and may not rule out the vendor. But if you get a clear indication that the vendor has seriously mislead you (about the service ~or~ the customer relationship) or that the abuse cites are legitimate, run like hell. If the vendor tries to tell you that they can't allow you to check references because their customer list is confidential, your BS alarm should be clanging immediately;>) Scott Miller Nicholas Diotte <xphox () xphox net> To: security-basics () securityfocus com cc: 10/21/2003 02:39 Fax to: PM Subject: How can you trust a company you don't know? Greetings List, Recently I've been asked to look into a product, that a company I've never heard of sells. The company in question has a service that our Marketing Department would like to purchase. It being computer related, IT gets final say. Basically this company is advertising, "Fully-Branded Emails". Currently we restrict our Marketing Dept. from using "fancy" HTML emails, and only allow them to send plain text. However this company will allow them to send Rich Text, and HTML emails. They will even provide what seems to be impossible reporting, dynamic content (via database), and custom emails based on user interaction (in other words profiling). Basically I'm assuming each email will contain embedded hidden pictures, etc that will track what users are doing. A little scarry for me, as the last thing I want is our company emails being picked up by spyware scanners, etc.. I've done some basic research on the company and they do seem rather legitamite, however I have found traces of them on a couple mail abuse lists. Basically it's an opt-in newsletter, how it works is you give them a subdomain, and point the MX record to their mailserver. But how do I know they won't spam from our domain, how do I know they won't sell the opt-in list, and what about user tracking... Do I have to alert our subscribers that they will in fact be "profiled"? What steps would you take if you needed to look into a company and give a report to your VPs, giving the product a yeah, or nah. Thanks, --Xphox --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Visual & Easy-to-use are not words that you think of when talking about network analyzers. Are you sick of the three window text decodes? Download ClearSight Network's Analyzer and see a new network analysis tool that makes the complex - easy http://www.securityfocus.com/sponsor/ClearSightNetworks_security-basics_031021 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Visual & Easy-to-use are not words that you think of when talking about network analyzers. Are you sick of the three window text decodes? Download ClearSight Network's Analyzer and see a new network analysis tool that makes the complex - easy www.clearsightnet.com/jmp6-downloadtrial.jsp ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current thread:
- How can you trust a company you don't know? Nicholas Diotte (Oct 21)
- The answer is, "you cant" Dave Hartnell (Oct 21)
- RE: The answer is, "you cant" Mike Molloy (Oct 22)
- RE: The answer is, "you cant" Xphox (Oct 22)
- RE: The answer is, "you cant" Mike Molloy (Oct 22)
- Re: How can you trust a company you don't know? Steve (Oct 21)
- Re: How can you trust a company you don't know? Steve (Oct 22)
- RE: How can you trust a company you don't know? Rob McComber (Oct 22)
- Re: How can you trust a company you don't know? Steve (Oct 23)
- <Possible follow-ups>
- Re: How can you trust a company you don't know? SMiller (Oct 21)
- The answer is, "you cant" Dave Hartnell (Oct 21)