This page contains useful information on how to ensure your mail server remains secure. It will also help ensure your users are also protected from attack and viruses.
It is important that you secure your SMTP so that only you and selected users can use it to relay mails onto external accounts. Failing to do so can often lead to your SMTP being abused by SPAM systems, which will eventually result in your IP being 'black listed'. Securing your SMTP against this is simple and can be done in a variety of ways, but the most secure way is by enabling SMTP Authentication. This forces any user who wishes to have relaying access to provide valid login details (often their normal username and password).
Currently the largest threat to the Internet community is the ability for viruses to spread by email. With security exploits discovered in the most popular mail clients, dangerous attachments may automatically execute and infect your computer before you can even delete the mail. Only recently, email viruses have become headline news again and have been responsible for millions of dollars of damage. It is important that you are protected against such threats, and Ability Mail Server has the technology to achieve this.
Ability Mail Server supports integration to almost any available antivirus product. This allows true antivirus scanning protection which filters all mails and their attachments. This service can automatically protect users and help reduce the spread of viruses on the Internet. You can also use the Antivirus Filtering service to strip out any potentially harmful attachments and much more, protecting your users further.
Ability Mail Server contains many advanced features which are intended to make the software flexible. However, in a lot of cases, some are not required. We recommend that to ensure security is at its best, you disable services which are not used (e.g. if you don't use IMAP4, disable it). With fewer services running, there are fewer portals for hackers to attempt a break in. This does not only apply to our mail server; other services such as web servers, ftp servers, windows file sharing and others can also be streamlined.
As well as limiting the services that you run on your server, it is also a good idea to use a firewall to restrict access to only the ports needed. This way you can be sure that there are no ports accessible through flaws in Windows or other software. You should always build your security by starting with a 'brick wall' (firewall) around your server then letting through just the bits you want as and when they are needed.