Clarification: VPN does NOT need to be used for email access via Webmail at webmail.umbc.edu.
Starting Friday, June 8th if you have not migrated your email to Gmail@UMBC, and are sending email from outside of the United States, you will first need to login to our virtual private network (VPN) vpn.umbc.edu. Once you have successfully logged into the VPN you will be able to connect to our Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) servers from your email client and send your messages.
NOTE: If you don’t login to the VPN while outside the United States you will NOT be able to send any emails. If you have already migrated to Gmail@UMBC you don’t need to worry about using the VPN, just login like you normally would at gmail.umbc.edu
Why is this being done?
UMBC will begin blocking access to our SMTP servers from outside the United States. We are implementing this solution to address the recent attacks by spammers that have caused issues with email delivery over the past two weekends.
How do I migrate my email to Gmail@UMBC?
Migrating to Gmail@UMBC is easy. Please see our knowledge base article on how to migrate:
https://wiki.umbc.edu/x/EgfSAQ