Question about Thunderbird and Yahoo and accounts
Hello. I have been using Thunderbird on my Windows 8 pc for many years. Today, Thunderbird (TB) was acting screwy.
After launching TB, I kept getting multiple pop-up windows asking me to sign into Yahoo. As far as I know, I have no Yahoo account. While this was going on, I was unable to send any emails with TB. Every time I tried, a pop-up window would ask me to sign into my Yahoo account (which doesn't exist as far as I know).
In order to try and resolve this problem, I entered my email address and ISP log-in in the Yahoo pop-up window. I stopped getting pop-ups asking me to sign into Yahoo, and I was now able to use TB and send emails.
I then received one email message from Yahoo telling me "Your Yahoo account [my email address] was used to sign in to a new third party application on thunderbird." I don't understand this: 1) afaik, I have no Yahoo account; 2) I don't know what is meant by "a new third party application".
The email went on: "If this wasn’t you, please use this link to revoke third party access to your account, and change your password. You can also revoke access to thunderbird by going to yahoo.com and navigating to the Recent Activity tab under Account Info."
So now I am even more confused. Is my email account hacked? I do not want unknown third parties to access my email account.
My questions: 1) Why is Yahoo involved with my use of TB? 2) Why does Yahoo seem to think I have a Yahoo account, when I don't think I have one? 3) Has my email on TB been hacked? Do I need to change my password? 4) What does it mean that my "Yahoo account [my email address] was used to sign in to a new third party application on thunderbird." What is a "third party application on TB"?
If anyone can explain this to me, I appreciate it. I guess the good news is TB now appears to work normally and I can use it to send emails, and I no longer get pop-up windows telling me to sign into Yahoo.
Thx. jmp
Chosen solution
Thunderbird program on your computer is what Yahoo are describing as the 'third party application'.
re: I entered my email address and ISP log-in in the Yahoo pop-up window. I stopped getting pop-ups asking me to sign into Yahoo, and I was now able to use TB and send emails.
You signed in and allowed Thunderbird to access the server to download emails.
Your server settings were probably changed to use Authentication Method: OAuth. This would require you to logon to prove you really are you, then a token is stored in Thunderbird and it is used to access server to download emails instead of using the Normal Password. It's all about yahoo insisting that if you want good access then you have to use OAuth setup.
You do not have to have a Yahoo email address in order to have your emails on a Yahoo server. There are several email addresses that use the yahoo server. eg: Verizon, AOL
re :The email went on: "If this wasn’t you, please use this link to revoke third party access to your account, and change your password. You can also revoke access to thunderbird by going to yahoo.com and navigating to the Recent Activity tab under Account Info."
Yes, yahoo (and gmail) often send that out when you allow Thunderbird or any email client to access and download mail. They would like you to revoke it because they want you to use their webmail access by loggin on to via a browser. Do not be worried. You have not been hacked by anything. As you most definately did logon and allowed Thunderbird access then it was obviously you who did it.
My questions: 1) Why is Yahoo involved with my use of TB? - you probably have your emails on a Yahoo server. 2) Why does Yahoo seem to think I have a Yahoo account, when I don't think I have one? - You obviously have an account. 3) Has my email on TB been hacked? Do I need to change my password? NO and NO 4) What does it mean that my "Yahoo account [my email address] was used to sign in to a new third party application on thunderbird." What is a "third party application on TB"? Thunderbird is the third party application. It is a email client program on your computer seeking access to a server to download emails. You entered your email address and password to verify to yahoo that you are you to allow Thunderbird access to the server so it could download your emails.
There is absolutely nothing to be worried about.
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Chosen Solution
Thunderbird program on your computer is what Yahoo are describing as the 'third party application'.
re: I entered my email address and ISP log-in in the Yahoo pop-up window. I stopped getting pop-ups asking me to sign into Yahoo, and I was now able to use TB and send emails.
You signed in and allowed Thunderbird to access the server to download emails.
Your server settings were probably changed to use Authentication Method: OAuth. This would require you to logon to prove you really are you, then a token is stored in Thunderbird and it is used to access server to download emails instead of using the Normal Password. It's all about yahoo insisting that if you want good access then you have to use OAuth setup.
You do not have to have a Yahoo email address in order to have your emails on a Yahoo server. There are several email addresses that use the yahoo server. eg: Verizon, AOL
re :The email went on: "If this wasn’t you, please use this link to revoke third party access to your account, and change your password. You can also revoke access to thunderbird by going to yahoo.com and navigating to the Recent Activity tab under Account Info."
Yes, yahoo (and gmail) often send that out when you allow Thunderbird or any email client to access and download mail. They would like you to revoke it because they want you to use their webmail access by loggin on to via a browser. Do not be worried. You have not been hacked by anything. As you most definately did logon and allowed Thunderbird access then it was obviously you who did it.
My questions: 1) Why is Yahoo involved with my use of TB? - you probably have your emails on a Yahoo server. 2) Why does Yahoo seem to think I have a Yahoo account, when I don't think I have one? - You obviously have an account. 3) Has my email on TB been hacked? Do I need to change my password? NO and NO 4) What does it mean that my "Yahoo account [my email address] was used to sign in to a new third party application on thunderbird." What is a "third party application on TB"? Thunderbird is the third party application. It is a email client program on your computer seeking access to a server to download emails. You entered your email address and password to verify to yahoo that you are you to allow Thunderbird access to the server so it could download your emails.
There is absolutely nothing to be worried about.