HT204145: If you think your Apple ID has been compromised

Learn about If you think your Apple ID has been compromised
berttak

Q: AppleID security using POP3/IMAP

I am assessing whether to use my iCloud.com me.com email address with POP3/IMAP on various different computers I use.  I think there are a number of very good arguments for using iCloud.com email as a primary e-mail account (as opposed to a free service like gmail), and I would like to do so.

 

I think that Apple would also like users to do so.

 

However, there is a possible sticking point for me. I use third-party e-mail clients (e.g. Thunderbird, Outlook, or other) for desktop access.  To me, it looks like I would need to configure my third party email client to use my icloud username and icloud password to access Apple's POP3/IMAP servers to sync iCloud email.  Is that correct?

 

I have concerns about this, because it means my iCloud password will be stored on my local email client (Thunderbird, Outlook  or other), and could potentially be open as a security risk.  If the email client were somehow compromised for example, a third party could obtain the iCloud password and use it access other iCloud services not related to email (device backup, device location, credit card billing, notes, etc...).

 

How can I set up a third party client to use my iCloud.com / me.com email address with POP3/IMAP without exposing my iCloud password in a potentially insecure environment?

 

It seems like a bad idea to use the same password for iCloud e-mail access, particularly from non-apple devices and software, as the password that is used for all other things iCloud.

 

Even if it were possible, I'm non-plussed with the idea of using two-party authentication every single time I access my e-mail.

 

Should I set up a second iCloud account for e-mail only (not used for device backup)?  Or is it possible to establish a secondary iCloud email under my primary iCloud account that uses a different password for email only, which does not give access to device backup / billing etc...

 

Thanks,

 

Bert

iPhone 6s Plus, Other OS, Windows, various tablets, other dev

Posted on Sep 17, 2016 8:10 PM