Regarding Microsoft Exchange environment & reading email.

[abc]

Couldn't decide what forum to ask this but in a NT environment with Exchange Server 5.5 deployed, are there any means to actually examine the actual contents of any given email sent from and to recipients???

 

[err]

abc:

I've been looking for that answer as well, but I don't think so ... I think this is done for security reason so that your net admin can't read your mails.

However, if you have the admin access you can always login by that particular email account and read his email. and reset his password later.

Please let me know if you ever find out how to do this ? I've been twaeking with exchange 2000 and can't find the way to do it.

eRr

 

[Rogue]

There are several software packages that allow you to do just this. Granted, there is nothing built in per se, but it's possible. You can also a tool that Microsoft designed for finding things like the Lovebug virus that searches the information store for a particular word or string. That is not done in real-time though. Hope this helps.

 

[Rogue]

Oh, you can also set one account up as an Alternate Recipient so that you receive everything sent to a person. That only allows you to monitor one person though, but you will catch the other person if they are responding and you will have the full response thread in the e-mails for the one person. It comes down to picking the guiltiest party and setting them up as an alternate recipient. We do this for certain techs in our building to allow their supervisor to monitor their e-mail communication covertly.

 

[abc]

Hi err.

regarding your post about having admin rights yeah I have it,
and not unofficially but officially.

About your method of accessing email, you're just suggesting that I can change somebody's NT login account so that I can login as a user, thereby opening up the exchange client as if I were that person?

In this case though (if this is what you suggest) there would be question from the user as to why the password was changed.)

 

[abc]

Rogue, about your first messsage, about "several packages" which can let one read emails (& do you mean invisible to the common user?) would one such package be somehting called "enterprise administrator"? (Not from microsoft). Can you list some packages you know of? I wanna know if I'm being monitored.

Regarding your second message, I wonder if I my exhcange mail account has been set up to have an 'alternate' recipient. Using me as the victim, you are saying that it is possible for my exhcange account to be set up such that any email sent to me is automatically ALSO sent to somebody else? And this includes any email I send?... a copy gets sent to the snoop?

I have full access previleges to the exchagne server,
I just don't know WHAT screens to look at and what things mean

I just know how to set up email accounts for people, simple stuff....

 

[Rogue]

abc,

That's right. Someone designated as an Alternate Recipient receives every e-mail you receive as well as their own e-mail. What you send however is not really read by them. For that, they would just have to have administrative permissions to the Exchange server and add your mailbox to their Outlook (mail client) in addition to their own. This is accomplished by going to Tools>Services>Microsoft Exchange Server>Properties>Advanced tab and adding the user mailbox. That gives me your entire mailbox including everything in every folder stored on the mail server. That means your Sent Items, Deleted Items, etc. I can walk you through setting up an Alternate recipient on a mailbox so that you can receive every e-mail that that person gets from any sender. I can also walk you through making yourself an Exchange Administrator so that you can just add mailboxes to your Outlook at will (assuming again you're using Outlook as your mail client). I have only done this once and it is a pretty lengthy process that I have only done once. Let me know and good luck!

 

[abc]

Rogue, question about exchange, hope I can explain it clearly enough. Say I am looking within a "container" a container is one in which it contains a list of mailbox accounts. Say I double click 1 specific user, this brings up a window with folder tabs.

There is one tab called "permissions".

What is thiis for?

Within the permissions tab there is a box that says something like " Windows NT accounts with inheritied permissions".

There is the following:

\unknown Account Administrator Recipient Container
\unknown account Administrator Recipient Container

and 3 more listings similar to the above.


Thanks!

 

[CBuxton]

If you're just wanting to read someone elses' email, then I think the easiest way would be to go into Outlook, go to File, Open, Other User's Folder..Make sure inbox is selected and then just select the user from the list. You'll open up straight into their inbox. You do have to be an admin to do this.

 

[Rogue]

I would have to say that the NT account that was there has been removed from the User Manager for Domains. What I had to do so that I could add anyone's mailbox I wanted was go through and add my NT account to every container object I could find. I know there has got to be a better way to do it, but I still have a lot to learn about Exchange myself. For some good Exchange info, check out Windows 2000 FAQ Homepage and Microsoft Exchange Resource Page. What's really funny was when my fiance glanced at my monitor and wondered why I was on a website called "m"sexchange.com. She freaked! I had to explain to her that is was "Microsoft Exchange" and then she caught on. Anyway, hope I was a little help. Keep asking questions and I will see if I can dig up any more answers for you.

 

[abc]

hi rogue, you state: "What I had to do so that I could add anyone's mailbox I wanted was go through and add my NT account to every container object I could find."

you are saying that in order for you to be able to have access to anybody's email, you had to add your NT account into all of the objects (exchange accounts) within a container?

So when I examine my exchange account and check out who has "inherited permissions" to my exchange account, these folks can see my email???

 

[live4spd]

Keep in mind that the Exchange is probably backed up on a regular basis. (possibly nightly) Then it would be possible for any domain admin to read thru the contents of the email you have saved. (because it would be on tape)

Unfortunately I've had to do this before. Management, what's up their butt?