A broken SPF record means there is some issue in it; either it’s misconfigured, incomplete, or exceeds the technical limits. Such an SPF record fails to perform its responsibility of checking if the email sent from your domain is authenticated. This may also disrupt the flow of legitimate emails from your domain, leaving security gaps…
An SPF record includes the servers and IP ranges a domain owner allows to be used to send emails on behalf of their brand. It’s composed of syntaxes, primarily categorized as SPF mechanisms, SPF qualifiers, and SPF modifiers. The combination of these syntaxes lets domain owners clearly convey how they want the receiving servers to…
RFC 5322 includes the syntax for Internet email headers. This means it does not say anything directly about how SPF should be configured and maintained. However, we know SPF works in conjunction with the email headers defined in RFC5322, particularly the ‘MAIL FROM’ and ‘Return-Path’ headers. It’s true that SPF’s job is to verify the…
GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) is the European compliance that came into effect in 2018. It aims to protect the personal data of European residents by helping them with a broader view of how their personal data is collected, processed, and stored by government and private organizations. GDPR is a complicated compliance that requires the…
Having multiple SPF records for a domain results in the PermError, which indicates a fundamental problem with the configurations and violation of the SPF specifications. Moreover, multiple SPF records confuse mail servers, triggering false positives and impacting email engagement rates. SPF requires all mechanisms and qualifiers to be in one TXT record, which shouldn’t exceed…
Integrating wildcard in your SPF record minimizes the risk of impersonation of your domain or subdomain. A wildcard DNS record with * acts as a catch-all for any subdomain that is not explicitly defined in DNS. It basically includes all possible subdomains of a domain. How does wildcarding work in SPF? Wildcarding can simplify SPF…
A typical user receives multiple emails a day, some of which are essential updates or personal messages, while others are marketing emails from various brands. In this crowded inbox, what are the odds that your email will stand out and strike a chord with the recipient? Let’s say it’s quite slim unless you add something…
In today’s digital age, email is the most commonly used mode of communication. It is simple and quick, which is its greatest strength and biggest vulnerability. When emails were introduced, the focus was on functionality rather than security, which left gaps for malicious actors to exploit. As emails became a frequent target for cybercriminals to…
Black Friday sales are the perfect breeding ground for threat actors lurking to exploit excited shoppers. They trick innocent and less tech-savvy people into buying from fake e-commerce websites or sharing login credentials, credit card details, contact details, etc. As per a report, one in three Americans have fallen victim to online holiday scams, with…
SPF works on two core components: soft fail and hard fail. Domain owners should understand the conditions under which each of these mechanisms works perfectly. A mindless implementation of mechanisms leads to poor email deliverability and sender reputation, impacting communication and brand integrity. While the soft fail mechanism is lenient, it leaves a security gap….
