Network Solutions email says new SSL certificate requires Apple legwork
September 6, 2023 6:14 PM Subscribe
My friend received an email from Network Solutions saying they were issuing a new SSL certificate, and that as an Apple user, she needed to update her server settings for her Incoming and Outgoing Mail Servers. She only uses the Gmail app on iPhone and Gmail on a web browser. What does she need to to exactly?
She has a personal domain with an personal-domain-email, as well as a Comcast email; both of these emails are forwarded to her Gmail account.
She wants to make sure that her emails will still be forwarded to her Gmail account, but we couldn't figure out where we would change the Incoming Mail Server setting and the Outgoing Mail Server setting.
(She does not use Apple's Mail app—again , she only uses the Gmail app on her iPhone and Gmail on the Chrome web browser)
Here is the text of the email she received:
It seems like Gmail.com and the iOS Gmail app should be smart enough to just handle this.
Any ideas?
She has a personal domain with an personal-domain-email, as well as a Comcast email; both of these emails are forwarded to her Gmail account.
She wants to make sure that her emails will still be forwarded to her Gmail account, but we couldn't figure out where we would change the Incoming Mail Server setting and the Outgoing Mail Server setting.
(She does not use Apple's Mail app—again , she only uses the Gmail app on her iPhone and Gmail on the Chrome web browser)
Here is the text of the email she received:
"Dear Valued Customer,Is this only for if she was using an actual app (like Mail) for email?
As a part of our security processes, the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate in place to ensure your emails are securely delivered will expire on September 8th, 2023. Prior to this date, we will install a new SSL certificate. As a function of this update, Apple device users will need to update their mail account settings to continue receiving email.
This notice is in regards to email on [MyFriendsDomain].com domain.
What does this mean for you?
For Apple device (Mac, iPhone, or iPad) users only, additional steps will be required to configure your email client so that it recognizes and trusts the new SSL certificate.
Before September 8th, 2023 Apple device users will need to:
1. Setup your email account on your device using the server settings as shown below:
a. Incoming Mail Server: netsol-imap-oxcs.hostingplatform.com
b. Outgoing Mail Server: netsol-smtp-oxcs.hostingplatform.com
NOTE: Steps to update your server settings may vary depending on your device or iOS version. For detailed instructions please visit our Help Center
Note: This security update requires action from Apple device users only. If you are using a Windows-based PC or Android device, no action is needed.
At Network Solutions, your account security and accessibility are of primary importance to us. We apologize for this inconvenience and thank you for your continued patronage.
Sincerely,
The Network Solutions Team"
It seems like Gmail.com and the iOS Gmail app should be smart enough to just handle this.
Any ideas?
It sounds like the domain has been set up to forward all messages to Gmail, probably via some kind of web-based control panel at Network Solutions. If so, then there is no IMAP client accessing the account and thus no IMAP server setting to update.
If, instead, your friend's Gmail account has been set up to log into their domain email account and fetch messages from there, she'll have to update that configuration.
Also, it may be necessary to tell Gmail about the new SMTP server setting. In order for Gmail to send mail addressed from your friend's domain, it uses that account's SMTP server. If that's set up, the SMTP server address will have to be changed.
All that said, I'd first want to make absolutely sure that this email is legit, and that hostingplatform.com is actually controlled by Network Solutions, because this sounds like the social engineering part of a MITM scheme.
posted by smammy at 7:07 PM on September 6, 2023 [2 favorites]
If, instead, your friend's Gmail account has been set up to log into their domain email account and fetch messages from there, she'll have to update that configuration.
Also, it may be necessary to tell Gmail about the new SMTP server setting. In order for Gmail to send mail addressed from your friend's domain, it uses that account's SMTP server. If that's set up, the SMTP server address will have to be changed.
All that said, I'd first want to make absolutely sure that this email is legit, and that hostingplatform.com is actually controlled by Network Solutions, because this sounds like the social engineering part of a MITM scheme.
posted by smammy at 7:07 PM on September 6, 2023 [2 favorites]
Network Solutions offers web and email hosting as well as DNS services. A lot of folks likely just use those services for their mail.
If your friend is using Gmail for her domain email she would have to set her DNS MX (email records) to point to Google’s mail servers this means all email traffic goes straight to gmail. She would have done this in her DNS records at Network Solutions and doing so makes this email moot.
This probably went out to all their customers regardless of how they do email - she shouldn’t have to do anything.
posted by bitdamaged at 7:30 PM on September 6, 2023
If your friend is using Gmail for her domain email she would have to set her DNS MX (email records) to point to Google’s mail servers this means all email traffic goes straight to gmail. She would have done this in her DNS records at Network Solutions and doing so makes this email moot.
This probably went out to all their customers regardless of how they do email - she shouldn’t have to do anything.
posted by bitdamaged at 7:30 PM on September 6, 2023
I would definitely not do anything until I confirmed this email as legitimate. If you change your incoming and outgoing email servers and enter your username and password, the server will obviously receive them. Then they could send email as you, hijack the domain, whatever.
However, it does seem like there's some weird recurring thing with Network Solutions and Apple devices. This thread is from 2021:
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/253220870
In any case, if your friend is using GMail, they don't need to do anything.
For the record, I've used various email hosts with Apple computers for over a decade for my custom domain, and have never once been told I had to update my mail host settings in this manner. I mean this in the nicest way, but Network Solutions is well known to be one of the worst companies on the entire Internet, and anyone who values their time, money, or sanity will migrate to another provider, any other provider.
posted by wnissen at 9:36 AM on September 7, 2023
However, it does seem like there's some weird recurring thing with Network Solutions and Apple devices. This thread is from 2021:
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/253220870
In any case, if your friend is using GMail, they don't need to do anything.
For the record, I've used various email hosts with Apple computers for over a decade for my custom domain, and have never once been told I had to update my mail host settings in this manner. I mean this in the nicest way, but Network Solutions is well known to be one of the worst companies on the entire Internet, and anyone who values their time, money, or sanity will migrate to another provider, any other provider.
posted by wnissen at 9:36 AM on September 7, 2023
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posted by tubedogg at 6:53 PM on September 6, 2023 [1 favorite]