Title: SMTP password improves security problem
Last modified: May 23, 2018

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# SMTP password improves security problem

 *  [MeOnline](https://wordpress.org/support/users/webber2012/)
 * (@webber2012)
 * [7 years, 11 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/smtp-password-improves-security-problem/)
 * In setting at SMTP password, the following recommendation is made:
    — The password
   is stored in plain text. We highly recommend you setup your password in your 
   WordPress configuration file for improved security; to do this add the lines 
   below to your wp-config.php file.
 * define( ‘WPMS_ON’, true );
    define( ‘WPMS_SMTP_PASS’, ‘your_password’ ); —
 * Security is vital, but when I add this code to wp-config.php and try to send 
   a test mail it does not work because there is an authentication error.
    But without
   the code added to wp-config.php – sending test mails works fine.
 * Part of the log below:
 * SERVER -> CLIENT: 535 Incorrect authentication data
    SMTP ERROR: Password command
   failed: 535 Incorrect authentication data SMTP Error: Could not authenticate.
   CLIENT -> SERVER: QUIT SERVER -> CLIENT: 221 [http://www.hostname.com](http://www.hostname.com)
   closing connection Connection: closed SMTP connect() failed. [https://github.com/PHPMailer/PHPMailer/wiki/Troubleshooting](https://github.com/PHPMailer/PHPMailer/wiki/Troubleshooting)

Viewing 1 replies (of 1 total)

 *  Plugin Author [Slava Abakumov](https://wordpress.org/support/users/slaffik/)
 * (@slaffik)
 * [7 years, 11 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/smtp-password-improves-security-problem/#post-10393204)
 * Hey [@webber2012](https://wordpress.org/support/users/webber2012/),
 * Make sure that you are using the correct quotes when defining constants. It should
   be single quote `'` or `"`.
    Next, please try to save in plugin settings any 
   text in a password field (like `123`) with constants being off `define( 'WPMS_ON',
   false );`, and after saving turn it on again and test.

Viewing 1 replies (of 1 total)

The topic ‘SMTP password improves security problem’ is closed to new replies.

 * ![](https://ps.w.org/wp-mail-smtp/assets/icon-256x256.png?rev=1755440)
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## Tags

 * [problem](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/problem/)
 * [smtp password](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/smtp-password/)

 * 1 reply
 * 2 participants
 * Last reply from: [Slava Abakumov](https://wordpress.org/support/users/slaffik/)
 * Last activity: [7 years, 11 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/smtp-password-improves-security-problem/#post-10393204)
 * Status: not resolved