How A Robust SPF Checker Can Ensure That Yours Or Your Business’s Domain Remain Protected
Organizations use SPF (Sender Policy Framework) records to make sure malicious actors don’t send spoof emails using their domain name. SPF records contain a list of systems authorized to send emails on behalf of the organization. It guarantees that the emails are delivered correctly, and malicious actors have not performed any forgery. However, before deploying the records, an SPF record check is necessary using an SPF checker to ensure the accuracy of the information therein. It can also be performed along with a robust tool that can perform DKIM record check + DMARC record check as well. Users must keep in mind that although the SPF record syntax would remain more or less the same for any domain, the process will differ from service to service that handles yours or your business’s domain, such as it would differ for SPF record check Google – G Suite from checking SPF records in your GoDaddy’s account.
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The Need For An SPF Checker
Even though technically skilled workers can create SPF records in the organization, they are still prone to manual errors, which might eventually cause financial, reputational, and other losses. SPF checker applications are also required due to the reasons mentioned below.
- SPF records are published in the organization’s DNS server, and checkers ensure that they are deployed correctly in the servers.
- SPF checking also identifies any general discrepancies or errors in the SPF records.
- It will also prevent errors related to formatting and value in the SPF records, which might cause authentication failure and email deliverability issues at the receiver end.
What Do SPF Checkers Look For In An SPF Record
The SPF record checker looks for the following information in an SPF record.
Existence Of An SPF Record
SPF records are deployed in DNS servers. Checker applications will look for the availability of SPF records in those servers in the first place.
Usage Of Uppercase
SPF records must be written in lowercase. However, if any uppercase letters are unintentionally used, the SPF checker will identify it and perform necessary corrections.
Multiple Records In DNS
Only one SPF record is required in each domain, and if there is more than one SPF record of the same version, the checker will treat it as a mistake and alert the administrators.
Maximum Lookups
When performing validations using SPF checker, it verifies that only a maximum of 10 nested DNS lookups is used.
Multiple Fallback Scenarios
Additionally, a maximum of one fallback will be checked in each SPF record by the SPF checker application.
PTR Mechanism Used
PTR is the opposite of an A-record and is a deprecated mechanism. Therefore many SPF checker applications will reject the validation of such records and create alerts.
Unknown Elements
An SPF record contains only specific and relevant components in it. If anything other than SPF-related entities is found, the checker application will reject them.
The Use Of ‘+All’ Mechanism
The ‘+all’ mechanism stipulates that the organization allows all systems to send emails on behalf of the organization. The SPF checker cross-checks the specifications and generally allows it depending on the situation.
Invalid Macro
The checkers also look for the macros used and identify invalid macros.
Missing Termination
SPF records are supposed to have a default fallback mechanism along with an all or redirect modifier. The SPF checker application will check for them and ensure such information is present in the record.
The Use Of DNS Type SPF
The SPF records are deployed in a DNS type SPF, and generally, they need to be present as a DNS text type resource record. The SPF checker also checks for such requirements.
How Does The SPF Checker Software Work?
Generally, the SPF records checker works using the following steps.
- SPF records are initially created by administrators as per the required format and then deployed by network administrators in the DNS servers.
- Once the relevant industry-related SPF checker application is selected, it will initially look at the DNS server for the SPF record’s availability.
- After the initial search, the SPF records will individually be checked as per the above-given specifications for details such as mechanisms used, terminations, and other criteria.
- After the search and lookups, the users will be notified of any irregularities found by the SPF checker application.
- If possible and allowed by the administrator, a robust SPF checker application will rectify the mistakes found.
- Also, many customized SPF checker applications are used by individual organizations. Even manual checking is done to ensure the SPF record’s maximum accuracy.
The SPF checker application plays a vital role in ensuring email deliverability and protecting the organization’s reputation by preventing malicious actors from forging emails using its domain name. With the proliferation of newer technologies, the future will witness further sophisticated applications in the market, which will ease the checking process, and reduce manual interventions to a minimum. However, for today’s times, SPF is a must-have protocol that must be enabled for your domain through SPF records.
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