SMTP setup with Microsoft 365 MFA enabled

[MarcusInfobyte]

Hi there.

My question is as the Subject says, what are the plans for future SMTP with Microsoft 365 where MFA is enforced?
We have a client where we want to set this up, but as far as I can tell the only real solution is Direct send or SMTP relay, and we dont want to use this for this particular client.
So, are there any plans whatsoever to support MFA for the SMTP setup/process, APP passwords are being pushed out and is not a viable solution for example.

[Sneha_01]

Hi @MarcusInfobyte,

Welcome to HP Support Community.

Thank you for posting your query, I will be glad to help you.

As of my last update in January 2022, Microsoft hasn't provided a direct solution for enabling MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication) for SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) connections in Microsoft 365 environments. However, there are some workarounds and best practices you can consider:

App Passwords: While you mentioned that app passwords are not a viable solution, they are currently one of the most common workarounds for enabling SMTP with MFA. These are unique passwords generated for specific applications or devices that don't support modern authentication protocols like OAuth 2.0. Despite their use, Microsoft does encourage moving away from app passwords due to security concerns.

SMTP Relay: SMTP relay allows devices and applications to send emails through Microsoft 365. You can configure SMTP relay to use MFA-enabled accounts. This involves setting up a connector in Exchange Online and configuring the device or application to use SMTP relay with the appropriate credentials.

Direct Send: Direct Send is an alternative to SMTP relay where devices and applications send emails directly to the recipient's email server. However, using Direct Send with MFA-enabled accounts might not be straightforward and could potentially involve additional security measures.

I hope this helps.

Take care and have a good day.

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Rachel571

HP Support