If the issue were widespread then there would be 100's of reports on here.
Some key questions...
- Is Plusnet your ISP? - Accessing legacy mailboxes from third party connections has its own spectrum of considerations.
- Have you left Plusnet recently? - When leaving Plusnet, you can no longer retain use of Plusnet's email services
- Are you connecting within the UK? - Accessing mail from non-UK locations has a separate consideration
If none of the above apply, then there is the possibility that...
- You have some connection issue which your email application is masking (reporting) as a username / password error - however you advise that https://webmail.plus.net will not let you log on - exactly what error message do you see?
- Your email accounts have been hacked and Plusnet security has taken measures to protect the mailboxes and the mail service from abuse
Reset email password
If you are not able to login to the email address using webmail, then it is likely that your email address has been identified as being compromised and has had its password changed. Where email address passwords have been changed to protect the integrity of the service, the Plusnet account password is left unchanged.
Which ISP are you with, Plusnet or one of the other / legacy vISPs?
Plusnet / Force9 / FreeOnline users can only change the password on the DEFAULT email address by changing the password on the user ACCOUNT through the user portal. You can change the password on a secondary mailbox using the Manage My Mail options in the user portal.
Brightview users (Madasafish / FreeNetName / GlobalNet / IC24 / ICScotland / Dialstart / Totalise) logging into webmail should use their full email address. Use the MAAF user portal to update the password on the default email address (change the account password) and use this MAAF guide to change the password on a secondary mailbox address. If you cannot recall the account password, you will need to contact support ... because the account password change process sends an email to the mailbox you cannot now access.
DO NOT USE THE SAME PASSWORD AGAIN for that would allow the continued exploitation of the account. The new password should be cryptic and not one used before.
Note that changing the account password will change the password used for logging on to the relevant user portal. If your email service is NOT a retained legacy service (one associated with a retired internet service account), then the password required by the router to connect to the internet will be changed too. If the router is a Hub Zero or a Hub One supplied by Plusnet it should update automatically. If not, you will need to log into the router, drop the connection, change the password yourself and reconnect.
On the assumption that the email address password has been compromised, I strongly recommend that wherever you have used that email address / password combination as access credentials to services such as Amazon, Netflix, eBay etc., that you also change the passwords on those service as well.
Which email brand are you with?
Superusers are not staff, but they do have a direct line of communication into the business in order to raise issues, concerns and feedback from the community.
