Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP)

20th February 2020 | Cybrary Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP)


Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) is a standard email protocol, first widely deployed in the 1980s, that stores email messages on a mail server, but allows the end user to view and manipulate the messages as though they were stored locally on the end user’s computing device.  This can help employees at a business to organize messages into specific folders, let clients know which email have been read, flagged for urgency, or follow-up and save draft messages on the server.

Source: TechTarget

Additional Reading:  Where does IMAP Security Fall Short?

What should an SMB Owner do with IMAP?

Many businesses have left IMAP for webmail services such as GSuite and O365 because they generally are far more secure than IMAP.  They provide encrypted access, two-factor authentication, and robust services that have far exceeded the capabilities of IMAP.  If your business is still relying on IMAP, get off of it today!

To learn more about IMAP, watch this short 3 minute video:

Are you doing enough to protect your business?

Sign up with CyberHoot today and sleep better knowing your

employees are cyber trained and on guard!


Sign Up Today!

Latest Blogs

Stay sharp with the latest security insights

Discover and share the latest cybersecurity trends, tips and best practices – alongside new threats to watch out for.

Klopatra: New Android Trojan Drains Bank Accounts via Hidden VNC

Klopatra: New Android Trojan Drains Bank Accounts via Hidden VNC

Newly discovered Android banking Remote Access Trojan (RAT), dubbed Klopatra, has compromised more than 3,000...

Read more
When One Password Ends It All

When One Password Ends It All

In June 2025, KNP Logistics Group, a transport company in the UK with 500 trucks and nearly two centuries of...

Read more
Automated Vulnerability Scanning and Penetration Testing Boost Cyber Resilience

Automated Vulnerability Scanning and Penetration Testing Boost Cyber Resilience

Vulnerability scanning and it's human led partner penetration testing (aka "pentesting") are excellent and...

Read more