Apple mail client aautomatic cerification

You're referring to the automatic certificate verification process in Apple Mail!

When you set up an email account in Apple Mail, the client performs an automatic certificate verification process to ensure that the email server's identity is valid and trustworthy. This process is also known as "server certificate verification" or "SSL/TLS certificate verification".

Here's what happens during this process:

  1. Certificate retrieval: Apple Mail retrieves the email server's SSL/TLS certificate, which contains the server's public key and identity information.
  2. Certificate verification: The client verifies the certificate by checking its validity, ensuring it was issued by a trusted Certificate Authority (CA), and verifying the server's identity matches the expected domain name or IP address.
  3. Certificate chain validation: The client checks the certificate chain, which is a series of certificates that link the server's certificate to a trusted root certificate. This ensures that the certificate is issued by a trusted CA and has not been tampered with.
  4. Trust anchor validation: The client checks if the root certificate is trusted by the operating system or the mail client. If the root certificate is not trusted, the client will not trust the server's certificate.

If the certificate verification process fails, Apple Mail will display an error message indicating that the connection is not secure or that the server's identity cannot be verified. This is a security feature to prevent man-in-the-middle attacks and ensure that your email communications are secure.

To resolve certificate verification issues, you can try the following:

  1. Check the email server's certificate and ensure it is valid and issued by a trusted CA.
  2. Verify that the server's domain name or IP address matches the expected value.
  3. Check the certificate chain and ensure it is valid and trusted.
  4. Update your operating system or mail client to ensure that the root certificate is trusted.
  5. Contact your email provider or system administrator for assistance with certificate issues.