AFAIK the server just drops the form email into the standard smtp stack and
therefore the email is totally plain text in it's standard issue.  to secure
the email would require some form of server side code to either encrypt the
message to a PGP key before sending or something similar, or storing the
info on a database on the server for him to connect through a secure means
and download the info over SSL, or some other secure manner.

Regards
Mark

-----Original Message-----
From: CASchwark(at)aol.com [mailto:CASchwark(at)aol.com]
Sent: Monday, March 12, 2001 1:33 PM
To: hwg-techniques(at)hwg.org
Subject: Secure form info help


I have been through the llist archives and did not find answers to my
questions, so I've stopped lurking and posted.  :-)

I have a current web client that has his site on a UNIX server and has email
forms in place and working now. Form data is "in the clear" and
non-sensitive at this time.

He want's to add a new form that will simply send the name/addr/etc AND
credit card info to a selected email securrely.

I understand that I have to place the form processor cgi files on a new SSL
location on his ISP's server and that the info is secure through the "pipe"
to the server from the form.  What I'm unclear about is how do I insure that
the resulting email sent to his email address is ALSO secure?  Or do I have
to set up an enterprise/shopping cart system?  Client does not want to
involve third-party "free" hosting or anything like that, just a "simple"
secure pipe from the form to his email box.

Thanks in advance,

Chuck Schwark
Westridge Consulting

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