Securing Emails with SSL Encryption

In this article, we'll provide useful information and answer some common questions about securing your email. Protecting your email with encryption is free, easy to apply, and doesn't affect how your IONOS email accounts are used in any way.

Please Note

If you use the IONOS mail servers for your email accounts, you only need to make sure you are using the correct settings in your email program(s) In order to benefit from SSL-encrypted email communications. These changes to your settings can typically be applied quickly (less than 5 minutes).

 

If you are running your own mail server, you should make sure to protect your mail servers with your own SSL certificate. For additional information on securing your email in Plesk, please see this article.

What exactly is SSL encryption, and what are the benefits of encrypting my emails?

SSL encryption protects your email communications by making it unreadable and inaccessible by third parties who may try to intercept your messages without your knowledge. Using encryption not only benefits your privacy, but it also improves the integrity of your messages by verifying the sender's identity and preventing tampering.

Additionally, encrypting your email communications is free and easy to do. Plus, as we continue to enhance the security of our products, it is a requirement to use encryption settings when connecting to the IONOS mail servers as of August 9, 2022. For more information on this requirement, please see the article Migration to TLS 1.2 for IMAP, POP, and SMTP.

Why did I receive another email about this even though I already updated my settings?

Please make sure all devices/programs where you have set up your IONOS email accounts use the encryption settings.

 

Examples of this include:

  • Smartphones or Tablets
  • Email clients (Thunderbird, Outlook, Apple Mail, etc.)

You may have simply overlooked the settings for one of your accounts or haven't checked all devices/clients that have been set up.

 

If you have already made the changes for all devices and programs, you can simply ignore our email, and we apologize any inconvenience this may have caused.

Where can I find instructions for my email program?

Please follow the link that applies to you:
 

  • You want to set up your email account in an email program for the first time? Instructions for the most popular email programs can be found under the Email & Office category.
  • Already using an email program? For information on how to activate SSL for an email account that has already been set up, see SSL Encryption for Email.

What if I had someone else set up my email program?

If you only use your IONOS email address (such as with an employee in a company) but do not manage it yourself technically, forward any relevant emails on this topic and the link to this page to your IT administrator/specialist.

Do the recipients of my emails need to do anything when I switch to secure email settings?

No. Using encryption does not affect how your sent emails appear or how they must be received.

What if I only use IONOS Webmail and not a separate email program?

IONOS Webmail is used exclusively through Internet browsers and already offers protection with HTTPS encryption. No settings need to be changed/applied for secure email in Webmail.