How do I fix an unauthenticated traffic limit error?

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    To help protect our customers from spam and scams, we need to ensure they're sending emails from an authenticated Telstra or BigPond email address.

    You could be affected if you're using email software like Outlook and haven't set it up to send correctly authenticated email. If that happens, you'll see an email referring to "Reference: 451-4.5.3. OB315 Unauthenticated traffic limit met."

    To fix the issue, follow these steps to update your security settings for each device that you use to check and send emails:

    To ensure Apple Mail on Mac is sending correctly authenticated email:

    1. Open Apple Mail
    2. Select Mail, then Settings
    3. Select Accounts 
    4. Choose Server Settings
    5. Unselect Automatically manage connection settings in the 'Outgoing Mail Server (SMTP)' section
    6. Ensure Authentication is set to 'Password'
    7. Select Save to keep your changes.

    Diagram illustrating steps 1 to 4 listed above to update your Apple Mail security settings on Mac

    Diagram illustrating steps 5 to 7 listed above to update your Apple Mail security settings on Mac

    For more information, visit Apple's guide to changing server settings in Mail on Mac.

    To ensure Apple Mail on iOS is sending correctly authenticated email:

    1. Go to the Settings menu and open Mail
    2. Select Accounts and choose your BigPond account
    3. Select Outgoing Server to open a window with your current settings
    4. Ensure Use SSL is switched on, showing green
    5. Set Authentication to Password.

    Diagram illustrating steps listed above to update your Apple Mail security settings on iOS

    To ensure Outlook 2016 is sending correctly authenticated email:

    1. Open Outlook 2016
    2. Select File
    3. Choose Info
    4. Select Server Settings
    5. Select the Outgoing Server tab
    6. Ensure My Outgoing Server (SMTP) requires authentication is ticked
    7. Make sure Use same settings as my incoming mail server is selected
    8. Select OK to confirm the change.

    Diagram illustrating steps listed above to update your Outlook 2016 security settings

    For more information, visit Microsoft's guide to change or update email account settings in Outlook for Windows.

    To ensure Outlook 2013 is sending correctly authenticated email:

    1. Open Outlook 2013
    2. Select File
    3. Choose Info
    4. Select More Settings
    5. Select the Outgoing Server tab
    6. Ensure My Outgoing Server (SMTP) requires authentication is ticked
    7. Make sure Use same settings as my incoming mail server is selected
    8. Select OK to confirm the change.

    Diagram illustrating steps listed above to update your Outlook 2013 security settings

    For more information, visit Microsoft's guide to change or update email account settings in Outlook for Windows.

    To ensure Outlook 2010 is sending correctly authenticated email:

    1. Open Outlook 2010
    2. Select File
    3. Choose Info
    4. Select More Settings
    5. Select the Outgoing Server tab
    6. Ensure My Outgoing Server (SMTP) requires authentication is ticked
    7. Make sure Use same settings as my incoming mail server is selected
    8. Select OK to confirm the change.

    Diagram illustrating steps listed above to update your Outlook 2010 security settings

    For more information, visit Microsoft's guide to change or update email account settings in Outlook for Windows.

    To ensure Outlook 2007 is sending correctly authenticated email:

    1. Open Microsoft Outlook 2007
    2. Open the Tools menu, then select Account Settings
    3. Select More Settings
    4. Select the Outgoing Server tab
    5. Ensure My Outgoing Server (SMTP) requires authentication is ticked
    6. Make sure Use same settings as my incoming mail server is also selected
    7. Select OK to confirm the change.

    Diagram illustrating steps listed above to update your Outlook 2007 security settings

    For more information, visit Microsoft's guide to change or update email account settings in Outlook for Windows.

    If this happens when you're sending email from a phone or device, see our information on setting up email on a phone or tablet.

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