Configuring Email Settings

Acunetix can be configured to send notifications when events occur that may require your attention, such as the completion of a scan task.

Configure your Mail Server Settings

Enable Email Notifications in Acunetix Standard and Premium to configure your mail server's settings and other notification options.

🔍 Acunetix Online - Information

Acunetix Online uses its own built-in mail server to deliver these notifications, so there is no requirement to configure Main Server Settings.

How to configure mail server settings

To enable notifications in Acunetix Standard and Premium:

  • Select Settings from the side menu.
  • Click the Enable button in the Email Settings panel.

If your mail server allows mail submission without authentication, then you typically only need to specify the mail server name, the port number (default for unauthenticated SMTP connections is port 25), and the "From" email address.

🔍 SMTP Server - Unauthenticated Mail Relay Information

Typically, an unauthenticated mail relay setup would only be possible when the Acunetix scanner is a trusted (and usually whitelisted) entity for the Mail Server. It is uncommon to have such setups these days – they are NOT recommended, and you are strongly discouraged from utilizing such configurations.

A more common and more secure setup is where the SMTP server requires authentication using either SSL or TLS as the secure protocol – you can enable the checkbox labeled "This mail server requires authentication". Acunetix is able to automatically switch between these two protocols, so, even though you can specify which protocol to use, it is normally enough to select "Auto" in the "Security" field.

The authentication process will also require a User Name (typically the same as the "From" email address) and a Password. When done, click the "Save" button at the top of the Email Settings panel. Once the configuration is saved, you can click the "Test Email Settings" button to send a test message. This will be sent to the Email Address of your profile.

🔍 SMTP Server - 2FA or MFA Additional Information

Some online services such Gmail and Microsoft 365 have additional requirements before allowing access to their SMTP service, particularly if you have 2FA or MFA features enabled. For example, to enable the Gmail SMTP service, you would need to enable the "Less Secure App Access" feature.

Selecting which Email Notifications to Deliver

You can select which of these types of Email notifications to deliver:

  • Product Updates
  • Target Notifications
  • Scan Notifications
  • Report Notifications (with or without report attachment)
  • Monthly Status Updates

Some notifications are delivered to the user that requested the task, whereas some notifications are delivered to the Global Administrator (the user that installed Acunetix).

Notification Type

Initiator

Global Admin

Product Updates

no

yes *2

Target Notifications

yes *3

no

Scan Notifications

yes *1

no

Report Notifications

yes *1

no

Monthly Status Updates

no

yes *4

Examples of Email Notifications Sent by Acunetix:

  1. Acunetix completes a Scan with Report (online and on-premises)
  2. A product update is available (on-premises)
  3. An attempt to verify a target failed (online)
  4. Monthly report

🔍 Email Notification Delivery - Additional Information

If the Initiator (the user that requested the task) no longer exists when the task completes, notifications which are scheduled to be sent to the Initiator will be sent to the Global Administrator instead.

Sample Email Notification Messages

Report Notification Example

Monthly Status Updates Example

 

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