Google & Yahoo Email Policy Change

As of February 2024, Gmail and Yahoo will require a published Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance (DMARC) record for anyone sending emails to an Gmail or Yahoo email address.

Authentication plays a pivotal role in ensuring the successful delivery of your emails through our mail platforms. Think of it as a digital license plate. It serves as a traceable identifier, signaling to your recipient’s internet service provider that you are a legitimate sender. By doing so, it enhances the chances of your email landing safely in their inbox

Understanding DKIM: Enhancing Email Security

DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) serves as a crucial sender identification mechanism, safeguarding both email senders and recipients from spam, forgery, and phishing attempts. Here’s how it works:

1. Digital Signature: DKIM adds an encrypted digital signature to the email headers. This signature acts as a seal of authenticity, ensuring that the email’s content remains unaltered during transmission.
2. Public Key Cryptography: The signature is secured using public key cryptography, making it virtually impossible for malicious actors to tamper with the email.
3. Verification: When an email reaches the recipient’s server, it checks for a valid DKIM signature. If confirmed, the server knows that the email and its attachments have not been modified en route.

Remember, this process occurs behind the scenes and is typically invisible to end users, including the intended recipients.

What is SPF?

SPF (Sender Policy Framework) is an essential email authentication standard designed to prevent spammers from sending messages that appear to come from a spoofed domain. It serves two critical purposes:

1. Forgery Detection: SPF reviews the email’s listed return-path address (also known as the Mail From or bounce address). By doing so, it ensures that the sender’s domain is authorized to originate emails.
2. Delivery Assurance: When an email cannot be delivered to its intended recipient due to multiple attempts or delays, a notification of failure is typically sent to the return-path address.

In summary, SPF helps validate the authenticity of email senders and ensures proper email delivery.

What is DMARC?

DMARC is an email authentication protocol designed to give domain owners the ability to protect their domain from unauthorized use, commonly known as email spoofing. Here’s how it works:

1. Verification Mechanisms:
   • DMARC builds upon existing email authentication methods, including:
     • DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM): Ensures the integrity of email content by adding an encrypted digital signature.
     • Sender Policy Framework (SPF): Validates the sender’s IP address against authorized servers.
   • When an email arrives, DMARC checks both DKIM and SPF to verify the authenticity of the sender.
2. Policy Enforcement:
   • If either DKIM or SPF fails, DMARC instructs the receiving server on how to handle messages from your domain.
   • By implementing DMARC, you can protect your brand, enhance security, and increase visibility into your email program.
3. Benefits of DMARC:
   • Reputation: Publishing a DMARC record protects your brand by preventing unauthorized users from sending emails using your domain.
   • Security: DMARC ensures consistent handling of unauthenticated messages, making the entire email ecosystem more secure.
   • Visibility: DMARC reports provide insights into who is sending email from your domain

All clients who are hosting their domains and/or emails with us will already have their domains configured correctly, but if you have any questions don’t hesitate to contact us.

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