What is an SPF Record
What is it and why would I use one?
SPF is short for sender policy framework. It is a small text file that tells ISPs who you are, and what domains you will send legitimate email from.
You publish this file on your DNS server and more and more frequently, an incomplete or inaccurate SPF Record will cause your emails to be blocked by the recipients Internet Service Provider (ISP).
Your SPF record should include information about your domain and the domains of any third-party e-mail service providers you use.
How does it work?
Anytime an e-mail is sent, the receiver’s mail server checks the domain name of the servers sending the message (hidden in the message headers). If it matches any of the domains listed in the sender’s SPF record, the mail is authenticated and delivered to the receiver. If there is no match with the published SPF record or the SPF record doesn’t exist, the mail fails authentication and is not delivered.
Why do I need to know this?
SPF records are increasingly being used as a filter for e-mail. That means that failing to put one on your domains (or that of your clients) can result in email being sent directly to the spam bin, bounced back or even deleted.
How does SPF work?
When an e-mail is sent out, the e-mail message has an envelope, a header, and the body.
There are three identities on the envelope:
1. “HELO” identity, which names the mailserver (MTA) that is sending the message
2. “MAIL FROM” identity, which is the sending e-mail address (also the email address where error message will be sent if the mail delivery should fail).
3. “RCPT TO” identity, which is the message’s recipient address.
These identities are used during the transport of the message and are generally discarded upon delivery. That is why you only see the message header and message body when you receive an email.
SPF checks the HELO and MAIL FROM identities on the envelope. It compares the sending mail server’s IP address to the list of IP addresses that are authorized to send email for that domain. The list of authorized email-sending IP addresses is stored in the domain’s SPF record, which is included in the domain’s DNS records.
In other words, if the message comes from an unknown server, or a mailserver that is not listed in the SPF record, it can be considered as fake, and the receiving mail server will handle the “fake” according to its settings.
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