Ensuring secure transmission of information over the internet requires the use of the Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol. SendGrid, a well-known email service hosted on the cloud, relies on TLS to guarantee the safety and security of emails sent from your application. However, sticking to outdated TLS versions can expose you to potential security threats. Therefore, it is crucial to verify that you are using the most recent TLS version. This article will provide a step-by-step guide on how to achieve this.
Why is TLS important?
TLS is the successor protocol to Secure Sockets Layer (SSL). It provides secure communication between web browsers and servers on the internet. It does this by encrypting the data that is being transmitted, thus preventing unauthorized access or tampering with the data.
What you’ll need
- A SendGrid Account
- cURL utility
If you don’t have a SendGrid account yet, you can sign up here. The cURL utility is a command-line tool commonly available on Unix-based systems, including Linux and macOS, and it’s also available for Windows.
Checking SendGrid’s TLS version
To check the TLS version that your SendGrid’s SMTP server is using, you need to use the following cURL command:
curl -v --tlsv1.2 smtp://smtp.sendgrid.net:587
In the command above, the -v flag makes the operation more talkative, and –tlsv1.2 specifies the TLS version to use. If your SendGrid SMTP server is using TLS v1.2, you should see a response similar to the following:
* Connected to smtp.sendgrid.net (169.45.89.187) port 587 (#0)
* ALPN, offering h2
* ALPN, offering http/1.1
In the case you’re using an older TLS version, you may want to upgrade to improve the security of your email communications.
Wrapping Up
Ensuring that you’re using the latest TLS version for email communication is a crucial aspect of maintaining a secure environment. Always remember to check your TLS version regularly. Stay safe!