TL;DR
Avast sometimes incorrectly says encrypted connections aren’t needed for your email. This isn’t usually true. Here’s how to make sure your email is secure, even if Avast disagrees.
Why Email Encryption Matters
Email travels across the internet in pieces. Without encryption, anyone snooping on those pieces could read your messages. Encryption scrambles the message so only the sender and receiver can understand it.
Step 1: Check Your Email Client Settings
Most email clients (like Outlook, Thunderbird, Apple Mail) have settings to control encryption. You need to make sure these are enabled.
- Find the Account Settings: This is usually in a “Settings”, “Preferences” or “Accounts” menu.
- Look for Encryption Options: The exact wording varies, but look for options like:
- SSL/TLS
- STARTTLS
- Encryption Method
- Enable the Strongest Option: Choose the option that offers the highest level of security. STARTTLS is generally preferred if your email provider supports it, followed by SSL/TLS.
Example (Thunderbird):
Edit > Account Settings > [Your Email Account] > Server Settings.
Ensure "Connection Security" is set to TLS or STARTTLS.Step 2: Verify Your Email Provider Supports Encryption
Not all email providers offer encryption, though most do these days. Check their documentation.
- Search Online: “[Your Email Provider] email security” is a good starting point for your search.
- Check Their Help Pages: Look for information about SSL/TLS or STARTTLS support.
Step 3: Test Your Connection
There are online tools to check if your email connection is encrypted.
- Use an SSL Checker: Websites like SSL Shopper can test your connection.
- Enter Your Email Server Details: You’ll need to know your incoming (IMAP or POP3) and outgoing (SMTP) server addresses. These are usually found in your email client settings (see Step 1).
- Check the Results: The checker will tell you if encryption is enabled and what type of certificate is being used. A valid certificate indicates a secure connection.
Step 4: Ignore Avast’s Incorrect Warnings (Carefully)
If your email client settings are correct, your provider supports encryption, and the SSL checker confirms it’s working, you can safely ignore Avast’s warning.
- Understand the Risk: While ignoring the warning is okay in this case, always be cautious about suspicious emails or links.
- Keep Software Updated: Make sure your email client and operating system are up to date with the latest security patches.
Step 5: Consider a Different Email Client
If Avast consistently gives you false warnings, or if it interferes with your ability to configure encryption properly, consider switching to a different email client.
Troubleshooting
- Incorrect Server Settings: Double-check that your incoming and outgoing server addresses are correct.
- Firewall Issues: Your firewall might be blocking the connection on the necessary ports (usually 993 for IMAP/SSL, 110 for POP3, and 587 or 465 for SMTP).
- Contact Your Email Provider: If you’re still having trouble, contact your email provider’s support team.