SPF Test
Mimecast DMARC Analyzer enables organizations to easily implement DMARC authentication to build on the security features of SPF tests.
Mimecast DMARC Analyzer enables organizations to easily implement DMARC authentication to build on the security features of SPF tests.
Sender Policy Framework (SPF) is a technique for preventing spam, spoofing and other email attacks. The SPF email authentication protocol makes it possible for email senders to provide a list of the mail servers that are authorized to send mail for a given domain. The list is kept in an SPF record in the domain's DNS. When a mail server receives an email, it can perform an SPF test to see whether the IP address in the email's header matches an IP address in the domain's SPF record. If an SPF check results in no matches, the email is not authenticated and may be blocked.
While an SPF test offers some protection against email spoofing, it is not infallible. An SPF test doesn't work on forwarded messages, and an SPF test can't spot email where scammers are simply spoofing the "from" address in the header – the part that's most visible to users. Additionally, keeping SPF records up to date is critical for an SPF test to work, but this task can be complicated and burdensome as organizations change ISPs over time.
These limitations in the SPF test have caused many organizations to turn to DMARC, or Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance. This protocol builds on the SPF test as well as the DKIM protocol, requiring that any email pass one or both authentication methods. DMARC provides instructions for how to process email that doesn't authenticate.
While DMARC is a huge step up in the fight against spam and email spoofing, it can be difficult to implement and hard to manage on an ongoing basis. That's why so many companies today are turning to Mimecast DMARC Analyzer to simplify deployment and management of the DMARC protocol.
Mimecast DMARC Analyzer enables organizations to quickly and easily implement DMARC authentication to build on the security features of SPF tests. As a completely cloud-based solution, DMARC Analyzer is easy and cost-effective to deploy, and significantly reduces the time, cost and effort of managing DMARC as well.
Unlike other DMARC solutions that require a significant investment in professional services for implementation and management, DMARC Analyzer is designed to be easy to use, with self-service email intelligence tools for simplified DMARC deployment.
DMARC Analyzer also provides:
Mimecast DMARC Analyzer provides a collection of self-service email intelligence tools that help to implement DMARC authentication more quickly and easily. With DMARC Analyzer, email administrators can:
In addition to DMARC Analyzer, Mimecast provides a suite of email security solutions that address a wide range of threats.
Sender Policy Framework (SPF) is a technique for authenticating email that can help to prevent spammers and attackers from sending messages on behalf of the domain. SPF allows the domain owner to publish a list of authorized mail servers in the DNS record.
When a mail server receives a message, it can perform an SPF test to see if the IP address in the email header matches an address in the domain's DNS. If the IP address is match, the email authenticates and is sent onto the intended recipient. If the email does not authenticate, the email may be blocked.
An SPF record check is a tool for determining whether an SPF record is valid. An SPF record checker or SPF validator looks up and displays the SPF record and runs tests on it to see if there are any errors in the format or data that could impact successful mail delivery.
