dovecot - Jul 2005 - Root password or key access to pop3?

Hi all,

We're an ISP, and are currently looking for a way for our tech support 
guys to access customer's email without having shell access to the server, 
or knowing the customer's password.

We'd like to install a custom webmail client that would only show the 
user's inbox and the ability to delete the messages.  The problem is, that 
we would have to know the user's password in order for my PHP pop3 code to 
go out and fetch the mail.

Is there a way I can setup and/or patch dovecot so that any connection 
from <said IP address> can use the password "jq3erjq3535" for
any account,
and it will authenticate them?

Or is this some kind of custom patch I would need to write?

Thanks!

-Matt

Matt Juszczak wrote:
> Hi all,
> 
> We're an ISP, and are currently looking for a way for our tech support 
> guys to access customer's email without having shell access to the 
> server, or knowing the customer's password.
> 
> We'd like to install a custom webmail client that would only show the 
> user's inbox and the ability to delete the messages.  The problem is, 
> that we would have to know the user's password in order for my PHP pop3
> code to go out and fetch the mail.
> 
> Is there a way I can setup and/or patch dovecot so that any connection 
> from <said IP address> can use the password "jq3erjq3535"
for any
> account, and it will authenticate them?
> 
> Or is this some kind of custom patch I would need to write?
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> -Matt
> 
Hi Matt,

You could keep the passwords in plain text form in an sql table for 
dovecot to access, you could then easily plug this into a PHP script. 
Or just give them access to the MySQL database.  We as an ISP keep 
passwords in crypt or MD5 form as well as plain text in the SQL so the 
customer's control panel can reveal their E-Mail and FTP passwords upon 
request.

Regards
Andrew
-- 
Andrew Hutchings (A-Wing) - Linux Guru
Netserve Consultants - http://www.domaincity.co.uk/
A-Wing Internet Services - http://www.a-wing.co.uk/
Random quote 77: "Only Microsoft would have the temerity to pick your 
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