A long time ago I set up a bunch of TLDs and started using those to host email addresses. It never occurred to me that if I sold those TLDs, someone could buy one, and if they guessed the email address I used then have access to all of the accounts that used that email address. Duh. I know all of the important accounts (I think), and can close or change them, but what if there are other accounts out there? Someone could just reuse my email x@tld.com if they own tld.com, right?
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Someone could just reuse my email x@tld.com if they own tld.com, right?
Correct. You should also be aware that catch-all mailboxes are a thing, so they don't even need to guess the mailbox / user name, they only need to have control of the domain / MX records.
How can I protect old email accounts when I sell a domain with an MX address?
Realistically, you can't prevent someone from receiving mail that is sent to a domain that they control.
If you have the option of Two-Factor Authentication, then this mitigates the risk somewhat, but many sites do not support this, and will permit password reset / account recovery with just a link that is sent to the registered email address.
... in summary, don't lose control of a domain that you've used to register important accounts or expect to receive sensitive / confidential emails on. Not a great solution to the question unfortunately, but as far as I know, "it is what it is"...
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