Setting Up SSL For NNTP Newsreaders
NNTPjunkie provides additional privacy and security for your newsgroup usage with NNTP+SSL. NNTP+SSL (secure socket layers) allows you to connect to NNTPjunkie's servers with a few settings changes in your newsreader for the ultimate in secure connectivity.

To utilize NNTP+SSL, most newsreaders will require you to change your port number and indicate you require a secure connection. All newsreaders using NNTP+SSL will need to be changed to use either Port 563 or Port 443. Below are some commonly-used newsreaders and their setups.

Outlook Express
Go to "Tools > Accounts", select "news.nntpjunkie.com" from your list of news servers, anc click the "Properties" button. Select the "Advanced: tab, checkmark the option titled "This Server Requires a Secure Connection (SSL)", and make sure that the port number is set to 563 or 443. Unlike other newsreaders, Outlook Express erroneously insists on a certificate signed by someone on its (Microsoft) affiliate list. The main purpose of the SSL certificate is to allow the newsreader to decipher the SSL data stream. The level of security to prevent eavesdropping is exactly the same whether the key is signed or not. If you do not install our certificate on your system, you will receive a message from Outlook Express each time you begin a new session with NNTPjunkie via SSL saying: "The server you are connected to is using a security certificate that could not be verified. A certificate chain processed, but terminated in a root certificate which is not trusted by the trust provider. Do you want to continue using this server?". To have the server become permanently trusted by Outlook, our certificate must be imported into your Windows certificate store. Follow the instructions below and you will no longer receive the warning message:

1) Open Internet Explorer and in the address bar type:

https://news.nntpjunkie.com

You will see the following screen:

Please select "View Certificate". This is very important! Do not select "Yes". You will then see:

Click "Install Certificate", then "Ok". You will now see:

Click "Next". You will then see:

Click "Next". You'll now see:

Click "Finish", and click "Yes" in answer to the "Do you want to install this certificate" question. You'll receive a confirmation stating that the "import was successful", and at this point you can now close the Certificate Dialog box and connect to our NNTP servers via SSL with no further prompts.

Agent
Go to "Tools > Servers and Accounts", select news.nntpjunkie.com from your list of news servers, and checkmark the option titled "This Server Requires a Secure Connection (SSL)". Go to the "Advanced Settings" area and verify that the port number is set to 563 or 443.

Thunderbird
After changing your port number to 563 or 443, go to "Tools > Account Settings", select news.nntpjunkie.com and checkmark the option titled "Use Secure Connection (SSL)."

Other Newsreaders
Some newsreaders, including Xnews, do not have SSL native support. To utilize SSL with NNTP newsreaders that do not have SSL native support, you'll need to connect first with Stunnel. First you'll need to download and install the most current exe file from stunnel.org. After installing the file, go the directory on your computer where it's been installed and open the config (CONF) file and add the following lines:

Save that file and then start the Stunnel program. When connecting with Stunnel, please change the news server address in your reader to 127.0.0.1 (instead of news.nntpjunkie.com).