Hello:

I have been using [Pegasus Mail v4.73] under [Wine] in a Linux box for over 10 years without any issues other than maybe a PEBKAC once in a blue moon.

I have had a free email account at [gmx.net] for more or less the same time, same PMail version, same OS progressive releases, same box.

Up to this morning, I had never had any issues retrieving or sending email via POP3 / SMTP or reviewing the SPAM folder via IMAP.

As always with [PMail], a fast, smooth and uneventful retrieval.

This morning I was not able to retrieve mail from my [gmx.net] account (always with selective download, arguably PMail's best feature) or see my folders via IMAP.

The PMail POP3 Network protocol error pop-up says this:
"The host claims that either the user name or password you have supplied is invalid".

I checked and they are as always and was able to log into the [gmx.net] webmail page and review my emails without any problem.

Just in case, I changed my PW adding a special character to the string, checked it worked with webmail access and tried again with [PMail], but that was also a no-go.

This is what the [gmx.net] server says:

[code]
18:39:00.318: --- 2 Dec 2025, 18:39:00.318 ---
18:39:00.318: Connect to 'pop.gmx.net', timeout 150 seconds.
18:39:01.814: [] SSL/TLS session established
18:39:01.814: [] ECDHE-RSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384, TLSv1.2, Kx=ECDH, Au=RSA, Enc=AESGCM(256), Mac=AEAD
18:39:01.814: [] Peer's certificate name is '/C=DE/ST=Rheinland-Pfalz/L=Montabaur/O=1&1 Mail & Media GmbH/CN=mail.gmx.net'.
18:39:02.087: >> +OK POP server ready H migmx111 1MA4Kg-1vF1lE34g6-00BXHq
18:39:02.087: << USER 14067985
18:39:02.321: >> +OK password required for user "14067985"
<< 0016 PASS XXXXXXXXX
18:39:02.578: >> -ERR authentication failed
--- and after a short while ---
18:56:10.381: << RSET<cr><lf>
18:56:10.383: 26: SSL_read returned zero (socket was closed)
18:56:10.384: >>
18:56:10.384: [] OpenSSL secure session normally terminated.
18:56:10.385: --- Connection closed at 2 Dec 2025, 18:56:10.385. ---
18:56:10.386:
[/code]

It would seem that it is not a UserID ( ie: "14067985" ) problem as it gets an OK from the server.

The problem comes right after that. (ie: -ERR authentication failed)

This worked perfectly well yesterday, why not today?
Could it be that something has changed on that side?

I can wait and see if it fixes itself because it there's a glitch with the [gmx.net] servers (it is not a critical account) or contact them using Google translate as everything is in German, but it is not an easy task.

Unfortunately, creating a session log gave me the same output I posted above, so it has not been of any help.

I'd appreciate any input the list can give me.

Thanks in advance.

Best,

S.

One of our forum members with a GMX account reported this exact same failure to me earlier today off-forum. I hope we'll hear from him.

As for me, I currently have a GMX account that is still authenticating fine but I'm now nervous about it eventually failing as well. My research on the issue has revealed two things that I didn't know.

1. GMX has a 2 factor authentication option.
2. GMX offers application passwords for third party email clients.

This makes me wonder if GMX has started requiring the use of an application password. I was not able to find anything definitive on this though. We know that Microsoft and Google (Gmail) did this long ago so I guess we should not be surprised if GMX has made this move although I struggle understanding making such a change without notifications and support pages.

I feel pretty confident that it is being caused by something at GMX and not within Pegasus Mail. If/when I experience the issue I will try the application password route if another solution has not been presented. This is the URL to the relevant GMX support page.
https://support.gmx.com/security/2fa/application-specific-passwords.html

Hello:

Thanks for such a fast reply.
Much appreciated.
On 2 Dec 2025 at 23:31, PMAIL COMMUNITY wrote:

... members with a GMX account reported this exact same failure to me earlier today off-forum.

I was sure that it would come up in the forum. 8^)

... hope we'll hear from him.

Yes, it is a problem of sorts.
No access to POP3, SMTP or IMAP and only webmail.
I abhorr webmail, always have.

... have a GMX account that is still authenticating fine but I'm
now nervous about it eventually failing ...

I am sure that it is not a PMail issue, it is on their end of the
transaction.

GMX has a 2 factor authentication option.

I believe that is for portable thinguies.
ie: smartphones and such but cannot say for sure.
I don't speak German.

That said, I seem to recall (?) having seen that [gmx.net] 2FA page at least a
couple of years ago, so it is not precisely a new thing.
You have to click on something for it to be used with your account.
I never did.

... Microsoft and Google (Gmail) did this long ago ...

Fortunately, I have no contact with those people.

... not be surprised if GMX has made this move although I struggle
understanding making such a change ...

Probably did not have the traction they expected and after two years
decided on the manu militari approach.

... confident that it is being caused by something at GMX
and not within Pegasus Mail.

I agree.

If / when I experience the issue I will try the application
password route if another solution has not been presented.

I'd appreciate it if you could keep this thread live with whatever
data or solution the forum member with the same problem finds out
about.

Like I mentioned, I don't speak German.

Thanks in advance.

Best,

S.

Hello:
@Brian Fluet -> Update

As mentioned in my OP, my [gmx.net] account (based in Germany?) was having the problem described.
But I also have a [gmx.com] account (based in US?) which I use less than the first one.
Neither are critical but necessary as they each has an individual use case, different from my daily email activity.
Seeing that your account was [gmx.com] I checked mine and can confirm that it also suffers from the same problem.
So we can be certain that there is a common thread here.
The thing now is to see how to unravel it.
Best,

S.

@sawbona, are you saying that your gmx.com and gmx.net both fail to authenticate via POP3?

It is morning here in the Eastern U.S. I just sat down at my PC fully expecting to see authentication failures but all remains well. This is like sitting on pins and needles waiting for it for fail. Have you considered enabling 2fa and then creating an app password for PMail? Admittedly, 2fa may make it more tedious to connect to their webmail but I assume that access is rare when PMail is working.

Hello:

... morning here in the Eastern U.S ...

Ahh ...
A unknown petit détail which did not cross our mind.
And not taken into a account.

It turns out that I am located on the other end of the American continent: ~ 35.6000° S.
ie: quite obviously not within US or Germany's borders.

... your gmx.com and gmx.net both fail to authenticate via POP3?

Yes.
I get the same printout in the logs.

... considered enabling 2fa and then creating an app password for PMail?

No.
It is not to clear to me why I should have to do it or if it would solve the problem at hand.

From what I have read, it seems to be aimed at or requires the use of a smartphone.
I do not use my phone to access any email account, much less banking services.
Basic common sense. As always, YMMV.

... more tedious to connect to their webmail ...

I almost never use webmail in those [gmx] accounts.
I resort to IMAP with [PMail] for looking at the SPAM folder.
An arrangement that has been working properly for many years.
Up to now.

Q: where is the forum member with the same problem located?

Just to check on what was going on, I tried to sign up to a [gmx.co.uk] account:

We’re very sorry – we can’t sign you up
Important Information:
Your IP address suggests you are trying to sign up in a country where GMX registration is no longer possible. Unfortunately, this means we can’t create an account for you.

Then I tried to sign up to a [gmx.com] account:

We’re very sorry – we can’t sign you up
Important Information:
Your IP address suggests you are trying to sign up in a country where GMX registration is no longer possible. Unfortunately, this means we can’t create an account for you.

I also tried [gmx.net] with the same result.

Evidently, what is happening here is that [gmx.###] has decided to restrict POP3/SMTP/IMAP access to anyone with an IP address outside the country where their servers are located and I do not know if this would get solved by using their 2FA app.

This is a very bad turn of events and their doing it without any previous warning and/or explanations on how to solve the severe problem it has caused only makes things worse.

See this post from two years ago.

Same here. I had it as my primary email, but this 2 factor auth is bollocks, just a way to
collect more data about you... prevent anonymous usage obviously.
I guess the CIA figured out that Snowden and Satoshi Nakamoto were once a GMX users.
They now request you to use Google authenticator to log in, so they can tie your email to a google account, geolocation and a phone number.
Goodbye GMX, its been nice....

ie: a google account, geolocation, phone number and all your metadata, harvested 24/7 by your _smart_phone.

I'd think that that the time has come to ditch my GMX accounts.
I did worry a bit when I a few years ago I realised that that they were everywhere ...

If you have any further news on this matter, I'd appreciate reading about them.

Best,

S.

Hello:

No joy ...
... activating 2FA and following all steps ...
... still can't access my mail (POP3 & IMAP) on GMX.com servers.

Not surprised.
Q: you have a [gmx.com] account and are located within US borders?
ie: your iP address us a US based address?

Maybe it takes some time ...

Could be, I could well be wrong in my diagnostic.
But if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck ...

Please keep this thread up to date in case there is a suitable solution.
Or not.

Best,

S.

This is an absurd situation. I hate it for you guys. There should be an uproar that an internet search should find, but I don't find anything. I wish I had some advice for you.

Hello:

... an absurd situation.

Yes, I agree.
It is, though, a sign of the times we are living in.
Today, surveilance and 24/7 metadata harvesting is the norm.
And it will get worse.

... should be an uproar ...

There will be no such thing, not even an inkling.
Makes sense: on all accounts, it is a free* service from GMX and it is offered according to their rules.
Which rather unfortunately, in this specific case, are not at all clear.
Quite the opposite.

*not really. Using this free GMX service and accepting the fine print, you become the product.

... an internet search should find ...

Nah ! 8^°
The time of the clean internet search is long gone.
Search results are not real, not by any metric.
They are filtered, tailored and vetted by the operators of the search engines.

I saw something like this coming a very long time ago when the original ftpsearch server was acquired (stock, lock and barrel) and then promptly put down permanently.

It was an incredible source of information, data and software.
But you could not have any of that, could you?

@Brian
Thank you so much for your time. I am already on the path to finding another pair of free email purveyors to host these two accounts which, like I mentioned, are not critical but necessary to me.

My main account is a paid one, with reasonable rates, works as expected.
That said, it is nothing out of the ordinary.

@euler
Please keep us up to date on whatever you achieve or decide to do.
It will be valuable information for everyone here at the PMail community.

Best,

A.

I just contacted GMX reporting the problem via https://www.gmx.com/company/contact/?utm_referrer=www.gmx.com
I hope they get back to me with a solution or resolve the problem on their end. Since some users have problems and others don't (nothing new), it's very likely that it's a problem located on one or more of their servers.

BTW, it won't hurt if you people let them know you're not happy. ;-)

Just found one tip, beside the using the SSL-ports, it could help to use the full Emailadress as login instead of the user customer number. Unfortunately partly the US-Providers have international email services on their blacklist.

Hello:

Seeing very strange results with gmx.com

Tried sending email from gmx.com account to guam.net account, and then from guam.net account to gmx.com account.

Looked at stunnel log file, and found no errors, so expected to receive both emails?

But only the gmx.com to guam.net came thru?

Logged into the gmx.com account via web, and found inbox empty?
Also, found it was showing about 6 alias email addresses that I had never setup, and the default one was not my address?? Deleted all the unknown alias accounts.

Then tried to send a message from my gmx.com account to my guam.net account.
It shows sending, but then shows a message that mail could not be sent, but no reason?

So, something seems really wrong with gmx.com.

Know Guam.net tries to send mail for 72 hours, so might at some point get a bounced message.

Only created a gmx.com account for testing from earlier messages, and it seemed find then. It checks the email with my primary and gmail checks, and has giving no errors. But have never used it for real messaging.

Very Strange.

FWIW, I can not send email from my gmx.com address to my rr.com address. All indications are that the message was sent successfully and no rejection notices are received, but the email never arrives in my rr.com inbox. Very strange indeed!

Just did a first step test, and this first part did work?
Logged into the web gmx.com and sent a test email to my guam.net and gmail.com account, and both went thru fine. Saw the sending 3 2 1 messages and then got success message. Before got 3 2 1 and then an message that mail not sent?

Will now try sending message from Pegasus to gmx via guam.net and gmail.com. See if those now go thru.

sent test emails from Pegasus using both guam.net and gmail.com to the gmx address.

But after long time, the gmx via browser is still showing inbox as empty?

So, something is definitely broken with gmx??

My guam.net ISP has sometimes had SMTP server not working, but contacting them, they generally just restart it, and it starts working fine for months.

Strange thing is no error messages with connection logs.

Hopefully, someone will get answer, or it will just start working again.

Hello:

I hope they find their way.

Does anyone know of a way to identify the IP address of the GMX POP3 server being contacted? I ask because I wonder if hitting a different server would make any difference. I know that it did for me with SMTP when the one I hit by default got blacklisted by Spamhaus. To test this we need to identify the IP address of one that is a problem and one that is working.