--- title: "Managing relaying in application emails | AutoSPF" description: "Over the past few years, there has been a significant evolvement in email relay controls, especially in how application-generated emails are handled." image: "https://autospf.com/og/blog/managing-relaying-in-application-emails.png" canonical: "https://autospf.com/blog/managing-relaying-in-application-emails/" --- Quick Answer Over the past few years, there has been a significant evolvement in email relay controls, especially in how application-generated emails are handled. The reason why this evolution carved its way is the urgent need to upgrade security, deliverability, and compliance with modern email standards. When email was in its nascent phase, the concept of open relays prevailed. Share [ ](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fautospf.com%2Fblog%2Fmanaging-relaying-in-application-emails%2F "Share on LinkedIn") [ ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Managing%20relaying%20in%20application%20emails&url=https%3A%2F%2Fautospf.com%2Fblog%2Fmanaging-relaying-in-application-emails%2F "Share on X/Twitter") [ ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fautospf.com%2Fblog%2Fmanaging-relaying-in-application-emails%2F "Share on Facebook") [ ](https://reddit.com/submit?url=https%3A%2F%2Fautospf.com%2Fblog%2Fmanaging-relaying-in-application-emails%2F&title=Managing%20relaying%20in%20application%20emails "Share on Reddit") [ ](mailto:?subject=Managing%20relaying%20in%20application%20emails&body=Check out this article: https%3A%2F%2Fautospf.com%2Fblog%2Fmanaging-relaying-in-application-emails%2F "Share via Email") ![application emails](https://media.mailhop.org/autospf/images/2025/03/spf-record-tester-6369.jpg) Over the past few years, there has been a significant evolvement in email relay controls, especially in how application-generated emails are handled. The reason why this evolution carved its way is the urgent need to upgrade security, deliverability, and compliance with modern email standards. When email was in its nascent phase, the concept of open relays prevailed. These servers would accept and forward emails from any sender, making them easy targets for [threat actors](https://thehackernews.com/2024/07/tag-100-new-threat-actor-uses-open.html). Application emails, like password resets or order confirmations, often relied on these open relays, which lacked proper authentication mechanisms. However, over the past few years, the digital landscape has become more vulnerable to [cyberattacks](https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/security/us-officials-urge-americans-use-encrypted-apps-cyberattack-rcna182694). Also, the advent of [generative AI](https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/generative-ai) has enabled [malicious actors](https://cybernews.com/news/malicious-actors-leak-us-criminal-database/) to develop flawless codes and content. _Now, there are hardly any mistakes or tonality issues in emails; earlier, these were considered the red flags that often prevented targeted recipients from falling into the trap_. As more and more instances of email abuse have started surfacing, major email providers have blocked open relays. Earlier, it was possible to control which application-generated emails were being sent by your company’s domain. This flexibility made it easier to control what data goes out, cushioning the [brand’s integrity](https://www.channelsight.com/blog/brand-integrity). But now the scenario has changed. Applications are evolving, making it hard for [CISOs](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cisos-connect-research-report-on-cybersecurity-debt-exposes-widespread-vulnerabilities-302396997.html) to hold control over outgoing emails and the data embedded in them. If you are concerned about how application modernization messes up your grip on your organization’semail identity, you’re not alone. ![phishing email](https://media.mailhop.org/autospf/images/2025/03/spf-validator-7984.jpg) ## Controls that offered protection in the past Deploying the following measures helped teams manage application-based messages- ### DMARC In the past, DMARC has played a crucial role in preventing the abuse of application-generated emails by enforcing strict policies. It aligned results with SPF and [DKIM](/10-reasons-for-regular-spf-record-checks-in-cybersecurity/dkim-record-check/), and enabled domain owners to specify how unauthorized messages should be handled. This mitigated the risk of recipients engaging with a potential [phishing email](https://thehackernews.com/2024/07/proofpoint-email-routing-flaw-exploited.html) sent on your behalf. _DMARC’s deployment ensured that only authenticated application-generated emails from legitimate sources land in the inboxes of recipients, effectively safeguarding communications and reputation_. ### Outbound filters Outbound [email filters](https://perception-point.io/guides/email-security/understanding-email-filtering-types-techniques-and-tools/) were used to evaluate outgoing messages for characteristics that are generally considered [red flags](https://money.usnews.com/investing/news/articles/2025-03-07/fed-expected-to-cut-rates-in-june-as-jobs-data-raises-potential-red-flags). These included suspicious keywords, excessive links, or atypical sending patterns. ### Access control restrictions It was applied to restrict control over which applications and systems can use SMTP relays. ## Application modernization The following application upgradations have posed a significant threat to application-generated emails’ security- ### 1\. Migration to cloud _More and more applications are migrating to the cloud, mainly because of scalability opportunities and cost reduction_. However, there is no provision for secure SMTP relay in the cloud. Using old on-premises SMTP relays might seem like an easy way to manage [DMARC](https://dmarcreport.com/) and outbound email filtering. However, allowing these relays to handle emails from external [cloud environments](https://www.akamai.com/glossary/what-are-cloud-environment-types) is risky because it can turn them into ‘open relays,’ which are vulnerable to abuse. Additionally, SMTP relays are becoming outdated. ![outbound email filtering](https://media.mailhop.org/autospf/images/2025/03/spf-flattening-7812.jpg) ### 2\. Email service providers Email service providers emphasize using [SPF](/blog/what-is-spf-email-a-guide-to-sender-validation-technology/), DKIM, and DMARC, but they require their customers to share an extensive list of authorized senders through an [SPF record](/spf-record-checker/create-spf-record/). An SPF record is updated on your domain’s DNS and is available for [public access](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public%5Faccess), allowing threat actors to retrieve it to intercept or modify. ### 3\. SaaS In the [SaaS](https://www.techtarget.com/searchcloudcomputing/definition/Software-as-a-Service#:~:text=Software%20as%20a%20service%20%28SaaS,provider%20to%20host%20the%20application.) model, applications are outsourced to [third-party vendors](https://www.upguard.com/blog/third-party-vendor), focusing more on product development and differentiation; [email security](/) is not on their focus sheet. Often, SaaS providers can’t send DMARC-compliant emails. It becomes challenging to subject [unauthorized emails](https://news.trendmicro.com/2023/12/05/unauthorized-log-in-attempt-notification-email/) to a ‘quarantine’ or ‘reject’ policy. Just like the [email service providers](https://www.activecampaign.com/glossary/email-service-provider)’ case, this setup would also require authorizing an extensive range of IPs and mailing servers, which is a vulnerability in itself. ## Topics [ DKIM ](/tags/dkim/)[ DMARC ](/tags/dmarc/)[ email security ](/tags/email-security/)[ SPF ](/tags/spf/)[ SPF record ](/tags/spf-record/) ![Brad Slavin](https://media.mailhop.org/autospf/images/authors/brad-slavin.jpg) [ Brad Slavin ](/authors/brad-slavin/) General Manager Founder and General Manager of DuoCircle. Product strategy and commercial lead for AutoSPF's 2,000+ customer base. [LinkedIn Profile →](https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradslavin) ## Ready to get started? Try AutoSPF free — no credit card required. [ Book a Demo ](/book-a-demo/) ## Related Articles [ Intermediate 3m 3 points to consider before setting your SPF record to -all (HardFail) May 22, 2025 ](/blog/3-points-to-consider-before-setting-your-spf-record-hardfail/)[ Intermediate 5m Are Your SPF and DKIM Identifiers Aligned? Jul 18, 2024 ](/blog/are-your-spf-and-dkim-identifiers-aligned/)[ Intermediate 6m Automated Solutions for Preventing Email Spoofing May 7, 2026 ](/blog/automated-solutions-for-preventing-email-spoofing/)[ Intermediate 7m AutoSPF Explains: The Definitive Guide to Adding an SPF Record to Cloudflare Jan 7, 2026 ](/blog/autospf-definitive-guide-adding-spf-record-cloudflare/) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138897474","name":"AutoSPF","url":"https://autospf.com","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://autospf.com/images/autospf-logo.png"},"description":"Automatic SPF flattening and email authentication management. 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