PKI-lite S/MIME Email Clients Summary

Document: hepki-tag-pkilite-smime-clients-7.html 
Editor: James Jokl 
Date: May 18, 2004
Comments to: hepki-tag@internet2.edu

  Netscape 4.7 Messenger Mozilla Outlook Express 5.5/6.0 Outlook 2000 Windows Eudora with Tumbleweed plugin Mulberry 3.x CommuniGate Pro Web Mail PINE
S/MIME Version Compatibility   3 2 & 3   2 & 3     3
Support for separate signing and encryption certificates   planned yes yes yes no no yes
Supported signing hash algorithms     SHA-1 only SHA-1 and MD5 SHA-1 and MD5 SHA-1 SHA-1 SHA-1
Supported encryption algorithms DES, 3DES, RC2 (40, 64, and 128 bit) DES, 3DES, RC2 (40, 64, and 128 bit DES, 3DES, RC2 (40 and 128 bit) DES, 3DES, RC2 (40 and 128 bit) DES, 3DES, RC2 (40, 64, 128, 255 bits)     DES, 3DES, RC2 (40, 64, 128, 255 bits)
Sentmail folder encryption control   Messages in sentmail folder are encrypted Messages in sentmail folder are encrypted   Messages in outbox are clear text Messages in sentmail folder are encrypted   Messages in sentmail folder are encrypted
Decryption and folder storage     Messages stored in folders are encrypted   Messages stored in folders are encrypted Messages stored in folders are encrypted   Messages stored in folders are encrypted
LDAP directory support for certificate download Yes   Yes Yes Yes No   No
Enforces certificate / From: address mapping No Yes Yes Yes No yes    
Behavior of client when sig verification fails   indication of bad signature and indication of incomplete cert chain Big full-window click-through warning     Red warning message   Inconspicuous message that might disappear quickly. Message still readable, though.
Supports user's ability to trust a received cert without needing to trust a whole CA hierarchy     yes yes   yes   no, unless it's self-signed
Support for multiple users (more than one private key) on the same platform     yes yes   yes yes yes
Support for plugins such that S/MIME information (signature, etc) is available to the plugin               no
                 
Additional Information   Tech Info
Using S/MIME 		User Documentation User Documentation   http://www.cyrusoft.com http://www.stalker.com/cpro Additions contributed by Jonathan Paisley.
At last word (a long time ago) he doesn't
have time for support or improvements.
Comes with pine distribution; needs to be
compiled and installed by hand.
I don't know if anything else is available now;
Client notes
  1. Single column for Netscape on all operating systems. We will split later if needed.
  2. Will let you send a signed message with certificate/From: line mismatch.
  1. Still in development
  2. User interface is unfinished
  3. Supports Unix, Windows, and Macintosh
  Client requires both a signing and an encryption certificate before it will enable S/MIME From: -- certificate address correspondence is not checked either in or out.