Email Sync security - what Alto can access in your mailbox

When you connect your Microsoft 365 mailbox to Alto, Microsoft shows you a screen listing the permissions Alto is asking for. This article explains what those permissions mean, what Alto does with them, and how your data is protected.

For how to set up Email Sync, see Setting up Email Sync.

What access does Alto ask for?

Alto asks for three permissions. These are standard Microsoft permissions that work on behalf of the person who connects their account.

• Read user mail (Mail.Read): lets Alto read the connected user’s mailbox
• Sign in and read user profile (User.Read): lets Alto see basic profile details, such as name and email address
• Maintain access to data you have given it access to (offline_access): lets the connection keep working in the background, so you don’t have to sign in again each time

Why does Alto need to read the mailbox?

Microsoft doesn’t offer a narrower permission that only covers certain folders or conversations. Mail.Read is the smallest permission Microsoft offers for this type of email sync and tracking.

What does Alto actually do with that access?

Alto doesn’t copy or process your whole mailbox. It only acts on emails that belong to conversations it is already tracking.

1. When you send an email from Alto, Alto records a tracking identifier for it
2. When a reply arrives in a connected mailbox, Microsoft tells Alto
3. Alto checks whether the email is part of a tracked conversation
   • If it isn’t, Alto ignores it
   • If it is, Alto adds the email to the Timeline and sends you the relevant alert

What Alto can’t do

• Alto only accesses the mailboxes of users who have connected their Microsoft 365 account themselves
• The access is read-only. Alto can’t send, delete or change emails in your mailbox through Email Sync
• Alto only stores the email content needed to show the Timeline and send notifications

How is the connection kept secure?

• The keys and tokens Alto holds are encrypted when stored
• The tokens Alto uses to talk to Microsoft are short-lived. Alto uses a refresh token to get a new one when needed
• Access to the systems holding these credentials is restricted. Alto engineers can’t get into them by default, and extra access has to go through an internal approval process

Can I disconnect my mailbox?

It isn't currently possible for you to disconnect your mailbox yourself. If you want it disconnected, please raise a ticket with our support team, and they will be happy to arrange this for you.

• Related Help Centre articles that you may find useful.

  Setting up Email Sync