Computerworld

Xtra users should change settings to access email: Telecom

Xtra customers that access email via third-party clients need to change settings as SSL becomes the default setting for the platform.

From this Monday (17 March) some Xtra email users may need to change their account settings before they can access their email accounts on third party email clients, as Yahoo and Telecom apply an additional encryption setting to Yahoo Xtra email.

To regain access, Xtra customers can either follow the instructions on Telecom’s website or call the dedicated helpdesk, according to a statement issued by Telecom.

Customers will also be able to access their email account by visiting the Yahoo Xtra webmail home page.

Over the past month Telecom has been contacting customers who access the Xtra email service via a third party email client, such as Microsoft Outlook for PCs or Android for mobiles, to explain that they need to change their settings due to SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) becoming the default setting for the email platform.

Users who have already made the change and those who access their account via webmail or the Yahoo mobile application will be able to access their accounts without any problems.

Telecom Retail CEO Chris Quin acknowledged today there may be some inconvenience to those customers who need to change their settings, but said the sooner that additional security can be applied to protect customers email online, the better:

“We’ve been contacting affected Xtra users by phone, SMS, email and post, and while we’re pleased to see a number of customers have chosen to make the change themselves, there is still a way to go. We’ve made the call that, when it comes to their online security, our customers want us to do all we can protect them and they don’t want us to muck around with it.

“So, from Monday, customers who use third party clients will only be able to access their emails after making these changes to their account settings.”

Quin said Telecom will continue to roll out security enhancements on the Xtra email platform to give users more confidence in the service.

“Protecting our customers online is always going to be a team effort. We’re confident this setting change will further assist that effort, but we encourage all email users to keep their wits about them and consider how they can play a role in preventing the circulation of spam.

“This means never clicking suspicious links contained in emails, which can perpetuate spammers’ activity, even if the email appears to come from a friend or family member,” he added.