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How to verify that SSL for IMAP/SMTP works and a proper SSL certificate is in use

Credit Robert Asibekov

IMAP via SSL using port 993

    connect to a mail server usinusing openssl:
    1
     
    1
    openssl
    s_client
    -showcerts -connect mail.example.com:993 -servername mail.example.com
    • Check output and make sure that a valid certificate is shown:


    Server certificate
    subject=/OU=Domain Control Validated/OU=PositiveSSL/CN=mail.example.com
    issuer=/C=GB/ST=Greater Manchester/L=Salford/O=COMODO CA Limited/CN=PositiveSSL CA 2

      Make sure that you received IMAP server response:

      * OK [CAPABILITY IMAP4rev1 UIDPLUS CHILDREN NAMESPACE THREAD=ORDEREDSUBJECT THREAD=REFERENCES SORT QUOTA AUTH=CRAM-MD5 AUTH=PLAIN IDLE ACL ACL2=UNION] Courier-IMAP ready. Copyright 1998-2004 Double Precision, Inc. See COPYING for distribution information.

      SMTP via TLS/StartTLS using port 25 or 587

        Connect to a mail server using openssl:
        openssl s_client -starttls smtp -showcerts -connect mail.example.com:25 -servername mail.example.com
          Check output and make sure that a valid certificate is shown:
          Server certificate
          subject=/OU=Domain Control Validated/OU=PositiveSSL/CN=mail.example.com
          issuer=/C=GB/ST=Greater Manchester/L=Salford/O=COMODO CA Limited/CN=PositiveSSL CA 2
            Make sure that you received SMTP server response:
            250 DSN