Re: Port 25 Error in Mac Mail after SSL Security Measures

Hi Beth,

>A user got this when he changed his security settings in Mac Mail.
>...
>"I have been getting an error msg when sending email via my home dsl
>services. it has only come up since I've implemented the ssl
>requirements. the error says:
>
>The SMTP server "smtp.sbcglobal.yahoo.com" doesn't support TLS (SSL)
>on port 25. Please check your account settings and try again.
>...
>I talked to sbc yahoo and they said I need to "opt out of port 25
>filtering" in order to use ssl for the outgoing smtp server. does this
>sound right?

  The CalMail folks are advising users who connect to the Internet
through ISPs which require the use of their own mail servers to either:

- Leave their existing 'sending mail' settings in place;
  that is, to continue to leave one's email program(s)
  configured to use the ISP's own mail server for sending mail,
  while configuring secure (SSL/TLS) connections to CalMail for
  receiving mail from that server via POP or IMAP; or

- Configure their email programs to securely send mail to
  CalMail via the 'alternate' SSL-only SMTP port, port 465,
  *if* the ISP doesn't filter that port; or

- Configure their email programs to securely send mail to
  CalMail via the 'submission' port, port 587. (Caveat:
  while this is the preferred method, Internet standards-wise,
  this can be tricky to configure in Eudora.); or

- Opt out of the ISP's filtering of the SMTP port, port 25 - which
  usually requires a specific request to the ISP, and may take
  some time - then configure their email programs to connect securely
  to CalMail's SMTP port, port 25, using the "Required TLS" or "STARTTLS"
  or similarly named configuration option in their email program.

  For simplicity, the first option (i.e. leaving one's email
program configured to send outgoing mail via the ISP's SMTP server)
is what some of the CalMail client configuration docs now reflect.
(See the Eudora documents in the CalMail Knowledge Base,
<http://kb.berkeley.edu>, for examples.)

  Some of the other docs (e.g. Mail for Mac OS X) are in the
process of being similarly revised, but these changes may take
another day or two to be reflected in all of the client docs.

>if so, I'm I exposing myself to other non-filtered stuff coming thru b/c
>I've asked sbc yahoo NOT to filer on port 25?

  Not to my knowledge. That type of filtering is not for protection
against viruses or Internet attacks; rather, it is simply preventing
users of that ISP from sending outgoing mail via port 25 through any
mail servers except those belonging to the ISP.

Aron Roberts
Workstation Software Support Group

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Received on Mon Feb 28 09:45:35 2005