Telecom warns some Yahoo Xtra mail users will lose access until they change their security settings today

UPDATE / March 17: Some of the hundreds of thousands who use Telecom's Yahoo Xtra email service will lose access today until they change their security settings. More details below.

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March 13: Some Xtra email users may need to change their email account settings before they can access their email accounts on “third party” email clients, such as Microsoft Outlook, as Yahoo and Telecom apply an additional encryption setting to Yahoo Xtra email - used by hundreds of thousands of Kiwis.

The change kicks in on Monday.

In an initiative that kicked off in January, Yahoo, the US company that hosts Xtra mail, is making SSL (secure sockets layer) the default mode for its email service. SSL is an encryption technology that makes an email message a lot harder to intercept when you're using wi-fi, or a message is in transit over the internet. 

Although a logistical headache, the shift to SSL should go along way to preventing the security problems that have plagued Yahoo Xtra Mail.However, Telecom Retail CEO Chris Quin warns that as with any webmail system from Yahoo Mail to Gmail or Hotmail, SSL adds privacy but “these security updates will not prevent the ongoing circulation of spam. Nor will it prevent Kiwis from clicking suspicious links contained in emails which can perpetuate spammers’ activity.”

And industry experts tell NBR that user information harvested in earlier raids on Yahoo Xtra before the security tightening could still be exploited in future attacks.

How to regain access
To regain access, Xtra customers can either follow the step-by-step instructions on Telecom’s website or call the dedicated helpdesk so that a customer care agent can walk them through the changes required. Customers will also be able to access their email account by visiting the Yahoo Xtra Webmail home page at www.xtramail.co.nz, the company says.

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 mandatory 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.

Mr 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.”

Mr Quin said customers can visit www.telecom.co.nz/SSL for detailed instructions on making the setting change, or they can call 0800 268 268 to have a Telecom customer care agent walk them through the change.

He 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.”

To maintain a secure online profile, Telecom also advises users to regularly update account settings with a strong, difficult-to-predict password, and never to use the same password for their online banking, their email and their social media profiles.

For more information on the SSL update, Xtra users can go to www.telecom.co.nz/ssl or for more helpful information for staying safe online is available at www.telecom.co.nz/techinasec or via Netsafe at www.netsafe.org.nz