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This tutorial explains how to configure SMTP authentication works, how to confirm it is enabled, and how to properly configure your email clients to ensure secure, reliable email sending.
SMTP authentication is a critical email security feature that ensures only authorized users can send messages through your domain’s mail server. Without SMTP authentication enabled, your server could be exploited by spammers or malicious users attempting to relay email without permission. This can lead to blacklisting, reduced email deliverability, and damage to your domain’s sender reputation.
When hosting your website and email services with Hosted.com®, SMTP authentication is managed through cPanel. By default, Hosted.com® servers require authentication for outgoing mail, but it is important to understand how to verify and correctly configure these settings in your email applications.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
How to Configure SMTP Authentication in cPanel
1. Login to the Hosted.com® Dashboard.
2. From your dashboard, click the Manage Services dropdown menu.
3. Choose your active hosting plan and click Manage next to your domain.
4. Click Login to cPanel.
5. In cPanel, click Email Accounts.
6. Locate the email address you want to configure.
7. Click Connect Devices.
8. Review the mail client configuration details.
You will see:
- Outgoing Mail Server (SMTP).
- Recommended port numbers (465 for SSL, 587 for TLS).
- Confirmation that authentication is required.
Hosted.com® servers require authentication for all outbound email.
Configure Your Email Client
When setting up email in desktop or mobile applications:
- Outgoing Server: mail.yourdomain.com.
- Port: 465 (SSL) or 587 (TLS).
- Authentication: Required.
- Username: Full email address.
- Password: Email account password.
- Encryption: SSL or TLS.
Save the settings and send a test email to confirm functionality.
Additional Information
- SMTP authentication protects your domain from being used as an open relay, which is a common target for spammers seeking unsecured mail servers.
- Using encrypted ports, like SSL or TLS, ensures that your login credentials are transmitted securely and cannot be intercepted easily.
- If authentication credentials are entered incorrectly multiple times, your IP address may be temporarily blocked as part of the server’s automated security protection.
- Weak or reused passwords significantly increase the risk of compromised email accounts, which can result in spam being sent without your knowledge.
- If you experience consistent authentication failures, resetting the email password in cPanel often resolves configuration mismatches.
- Proper SMTP authentication configuration improves overall email deliverability and reduces the likelihood of your messages being marked as spam.
Login to Hosted.com® Account
1. Go to the Hosted.com® website Account Login page.
2. Enter your Email and Password and click the Sign In button.
3. You will see the Hosted.com® Dashboard, displaying the Manage Account menu on the left and your Account Information, Account Overview and Open Support Tickets on the right.
Login to cPanel from your Hosted.com® Dashboard
4. Click on Manage Services to view the sub-dropdown menu and select the hosting package for the domain you want to work with – in our example we are using WordPress Hosting.
5. Click the Manage button to the right of the domain name you want to access.
6. The display will now show Product Information, Quick Manage, Resource Usage and Site Statistics for that domain name.
7. Under Product Information, scroll down to Control Panel, which will display cPanel to the right, and click on the Login button.
8. The cPanel Dashboard will now be displa
