Understanding email protocols
An email protocol is a standard used to allow two computer hosts to exchange email communication. When an email is sent, it travels from the sender’s host to an email server. The email server can forward the email through a series of relays until it arrives at an email server close to the recipient’s host. The recipient will receive a notification stating that an email is available; the recipient will then reach out to the email server to get the email.
Users typically use an email client to access emails. An email client can use different protocols to access the email. We will now discuss some email protocols you may encounter when conducting a digital forensics investigation.
Understanding SMTP – Simple Mail Transfer Protocol
SMTP is the protocol for email transmission. It is an internet standard based on RFC 821 but was later updated to RFC 3207, RFC 5321/5322.
Tip
RFC stands for Request for Comments...
