Based on the authentication tests and the strand space model, the robust email protocol with perfect forward secrecy is formally analyzed, and the security shortcomings of the protocol is pointed out. Meanwhile, the man-in-the-middle attack to the protocol is given, where the attacker forges the messages in the receiving phase to cheat the two communication parties and makes them share the wrong session keys with him. Therefore, the protocol is not ensured to provide perfect forward secrecy. In order to overcome the above security shortcomings, an advanced email protocol is proposed, where the corresponding signatures in the receiving phase of the protocol are added to overcome the man-in-the-middle attack and ensure to provide perfect forward secrecy. Finally, the proposed advanced email protocol is formally analyzed with the authentication tests and the strand space model, and it is proved to be secure in authentication of the email sender, the recipient and the server. Therefore, the proposed advanced email protocol can really provide perfect forward secrecy.
According to the security shortages of two robust practical email protocols with perfect forward secrecy, attacks on the two protocols are analyzed and corresponding improvements on the two protocols are proposed. First, by analyzing the two email protocols, the corresponding man-in-the-middle attacks are proposed, where the adversary forges the messages in the receiving phase to cheat the two communication participants and makes them share the wrong session keys with him. Consequently, the man-in-the-middle attacks can make the two protocols fail to provide perfect forward secrecy. Secondly, by adding corresponding signatures in the receiving phases of the two protocols, two corresponding improvements on the protocols are proposed to overcome the man-in-the-middle attacks on the two protocols and make them provide perfect forward secrecy. Moreover, the two improved protocols can retain all the merits of the former protocols.
