As you know, email is potentially susceptible to advanced and sophisticated threats to security. At ReliableISP, we are continually addressing any new attempts at breaching security on the server side, and we want to provide suggestions that you can employ on your account on your side to be sure to reduce the probability of any of those attempts being successful.
Determine which mail server you use for sending and retrieving email
We provide email services in 2 ways: via a cPanel hosting account or via a stand-alone mail server (we sometimes call that a 'postfix' account). Some customers may have both a cPanel hosting account and a stand-alone account.
If you are not sure which type of account you have, you can check by opening a browser and entering webmail.yourdomainname.com. If you have a stand-alone account, the browser should redirect to webmail.reliableisp.net. If you have a cPanel account, you should get a cPanel webmail login screen (Note: some of our cPanel servers utilize an older scheme for accessing webmail and using yourdomainname.com/webmail should result in accessing the correct webmail portal.)
For example, if you use customer@ipns.com for email, you can check which type of account you have by going to webmail.ipns.com, which will redirect to webmail.reliableisp.net.
There are three basic actions you can take to increase your email security:
1. Double check your mail client settings
Your mail client settings (Outlook, Thunderbird, MacMail, etc) should be compared to the required settings for secure connection and transmission of your email.
For cPanel accounts:
You can confirm your email settings by logging into your webmail portal (see above) and clicking on 'Configure Mail Client'. Scroll down for the manual settings. Open your mail client and be sure you have the same settings as listed.
For stand-alone (postfix) accounts:
Secure SSL/TLS Settings
Username (use full email address): username@domain.com
Password: Use the email account’s password.
Incoming Server:
mail.ipns.com OR mail.drizzle.com OR mail.csolutions.net
IMAP Port: 993
POP3 Port: 995
Outgoing Server:
mail.ipns.com OR mail.drizzle.com OR mail.csolutions.net
SMTP Port: 465
Authentication is required for IMAP, POP3, and SMTP.
2. Change your password frequently
Change your passwords frequently. All of our webmail portals provide an option to change the email account password. All cPanel hosting accounts provide an option to change all of the email account passwords via the cPanel Admin Portal.
Use at least 10 characters with at least one of each of the following: Uppercase, lowercase, numeral, special character (such as $ or #). Be sure not to use any easily guessed words or numbers, do not use a variation of your user name, or use a similar password as any previous passwords.
If you suspect you have been compromised, immediately change all passwords on all accounts as hackers usually have gained, or will gain, access to other related accounts in the same domain.
3. Install a virus checker
Although we aggressively scan on our gateway servers for spam email that include viruses or trojans, some will still slip through. If you haven't already, install a virus checker on all devices and keep it updated.
When you get spam: If something slips through our scanners, forward the entire email to our filters at spam@ipns.com; be sure to remove any signature lines added by your mail client so they're not added to our spam definitions.
In closing, be aware that the Internet landscape is constantly changing and vigilance is one of your best tools to protect your privacy and secure your personal information.
If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact us at support@reliableisp.net or call our 24-hour support desk at 877-300-6311.