On Thursday 10 Dec 2015 06:51:45 Alan McKinnon wrote: > On 10/12/2015 02:08, walt wrote: > > On Tue, 8 Dec 2015 19:00:20 +0200 > > > > Alan McKinnon <alan.mckin...@gmail.com> wrote: > >> Allow me to translate the Google-speak: > >> > >> "less secure mail app" really means "a really shitty auth method that > >> isn't our (Google's) auth method". So click the (rather well-hidden) > >> button in Gmail's interface and go back to the really shitty auth > >> method we all used just fine for 10+ years already. > > > > Sounds like it's still grumpy Scotsman day. > > > > This is a test email to discover if you really have a gmail account, > > and, if so, how often you check it for new email. > > > > I'll be happy to explain the origin of "grumpy Scotsman" if this test > > succeeds. > > Hello walt, > > Yes it's me and this is a valid account, it's in constant use.
OK, this must be a good 2FA then? ;-) Walt's test worked for me too. I wouldn't say that the old auth method is sh*tty as Alan asserts, but Google in their wisdom wanted to deal with all sort of new apps authenticating with user credentials into their mail servers, without revealing to intermediaries (e.g. ISPs, hackers, app server admins) the Google user credentials. They could have done this by adding CRAM, SCRAM, et al. in their POP3/IMAP4/SMTP authentication, rather than keeping AUTH=PLAIN, but instead they chose to follow MSoft's embrace-extend-extinguish strategy by creating their own tokenising standard over https. In other words, using time honoured mail client protocols alone is not good enough for Google and you have to use a browser as well. Of course, we all know how <aheam!> secure browsers are. The world is changing from classic mail clients and protocols to mobile apps, mobile apps running on (proxy) servers in foreign countries and an awful lot of bad code, which can be exploited. There may be cleverer ways to resolve this problem, while still adhering to mail protocols, but Google has decided to move us all to a protocol (http) where they reign supreme. -- Regards, Mick
signature.asc
Description: This is a digitally signed message part.
