Advantages of using SSL email?

[orthohin]

Hi,

I have a shared hosting account and using IMAP for email. I was wondering what the advantages of using SSL would be? Any downside?

Thanks.

[adrianc]

SSL provides encryption of email at the application/transport layer. It doesn't fundamentally change how email works - it just means that the IMAP, POP3 or SMTP packets can't be 'opened' by a person-in-the-middle. You don't gain or lose any functionality by using SSL.

Adrian

Spoiler

With apologies to any network engineers who are screaming "That's not how the ISO model works"