---
type: concept
title: Unauthorized Email Clients
tags: [spyware, credential-exfiltration, email-security]
related: [e-mail-sicherheit, data-privacy-compliance, central-email-service]
created: 2026-06-30
updated: 2026-06-30
sources: ["output/rz_uni_greifswald_de_dienste_allgemein_e_mail_e_mail_sicherheit_unbefugte_accoun.md"]
---

# Unauthorized Email Clients

Unauthorized email clients are third-party applications that the [[universitatsrechenzentrum-urz]] classifies as spyware due to their data handling practices.

## Technical Risks
These clients are prohibited because they engage in:
- **Credential Exfiltration**: Requesting and transmitting URZ login credentials to the provider's own servers.
- **Mailbox Mirroring**: Copying the entire contents of the university mailbox to external servers.
- **Traffic Routing**: Routing all incoming and outgoing email traffic through the provider's infrastructure rather than directly through university services.

## Prohibited Software List
The following applications are currently identified as high-risk:
- **Edison Mail+**
- **E-Mail - Schnelle Mail**
- **bluemail**
- **Microsoft Outlook** (Standard versions; see [[microsoft-outlook]] for the approved LTSC exception).

## Regulatory Status
The use of these clients is a violation of **§ 6 Abs. 2 Satz 4 of the Ordnung des URZ**. The URZ monitors email log data to detect and mitigate these unauthorized accesses.

## False Positives
Certain security software, such as **Norton Anti-Virus**, may trigger security alerts if their integrated VPN functions are active during email retrieval, as this behavior can mimic the traffic patterns of unauthorized clients.