Outgoing email - had to change authentication & port this morning

[RobHig]

This morning I was unable to send email out Verizon, receiving an error message,
"Can't connect to SMTP server: outgoing.verizon.net:587".
I receive email from pop.rcn.com, but send through outgoing.verizon.net.

I am posting this not because I am an expert on the subject, but in case it results from what I imagine may be recent changes on Verizon servers affecting others like me, and the post or more knowledgeable replies may help them adjust their settings.

In the settings terminology of my Sylpheed email client, in Account Preferences, I had:
"Send Authentication" = "SMTP Authentication"
"Authentication method" = "Automatic" (same result if set to "CRAM-MD5"),
and in SSL, "Send SMTP" = "Don't use SSL", with SMTP port = 587.

CRAM-MD5 should transmit the login password securely without SSL, but not so much PLAIN or LOGIN, as I understand things.

What now works for me is to set:
"Authentication method"  = "PLAIN"
"Send SMTP" = "Use SSL for SMTP connection", with SMTP port = 465.

Perhaps CRAM-MD5 is no longer supported or is being phased out by Verizon?

----- Edit:

I  now see that the recommended outgoing server is smtp.verizon.net, as shown on

http://my.verizon.com/central/vzc.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=vzc_help_announcement&id=email_13_01_...

and with that server set as the SMTP server, "Authentication method" = "Automatic" works (and CRAM-MD5 does not).  The instructions given in that link (SMTP server = smtp.verizon.net, use SSL, port=465) may help anyone using outgoing.verizon.net who becomes unable to send.

[RobHig]

The link I added to the above post did not survive an edit.  The intended link to Verizon's announcement of "Important Changes to your Verizon Email Account" is:

http://my.verizon.com/central/vzc.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=vzc_help_announcement&id=email_13_01_...