Using our Email Authentication Checker is simple:

1. Enter your domain name in the input field (e.g., example.com)
2. Click the "Validate" button
3. Review the comprehensive results across multiple tabs:
   • Results: Overview of all authentication protocols
   • SPF Details: In-depth analysis of your SPF record
   • DMARC: Analysis of your DMARC policy
   • DKIM: Check DKIM record configuration
   • Exposure Check: Review potential security issues
4. Follow the personalized recommendations to improve your email security

Email authentication is crucial for several reasons:

• Prevents Email Spoofing: Authentication protocols make it difficult for attackers to send emails that appear to come from your domain.
• Improves Deliverability: Properly authenticated emails are less likely to be flagged as spam or rejected by receiving servers.
• Protects Brand Reputation: Prevents malicious actors from damaging your brand's reputation through phishing or spam campaigns.
• Increases Trust: Recipients can be confident that emails from your domain are legitimate.
• Compliance: Many industries require proper email authentication as part of security standards.

Without proper email authentication, your domain is vulnerable to being impersonated in phishing attacks, which can lead to data breaches, financial losses, and reputational damage.

Sender Policy Framework (SPF) is an email authentication method designed to detect forged sender addresses during the delivery of email.

Here's how SPF works:

1. The domain owner publishes an SPF record in their Domain Name System (DNS) zone. This record specifies which mail servers are authorized to send email on behalf of that domain.
2. When a receiving mail server gets an email, it checks the domain in the "From" address.
3. The receiving server then looks up the SPF record for that domain in DNS.
4. The receiving server verifies whether the sending server's IP address is listed in the SPF record as an authorized sender.
5. Based on this check and the SPF policy, the email is either accepted, flagged, or rejected.

A properly configured SPF record helps prevent email spoofing and improves deliverability by clearly identifying which servers are authorized to send email from your domain.

DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) is an email authentication method that adds a digital signature to email messages, allowing receiving servers to verify that the message was not altered in transit.

Here's why DKIM is important:

• Message Integrity: DKIM ensures that the content of the email hasn't been modified during transit.
• Sender Authentication: It provides cryptographic proof that an email was sent by the domain it claims to be from.
• Improved Deliverability: Emails with valid DKIM signatures are less likely to be marked as spam.
• Complementary Security: While SPF verifies the sending server, DKIM verifies the message itself, providing an additional layer of security.

How DKIM works:

1. The domain owner generates a public-private key pair and publishes the public key in their DNS records.
2. When an email is sent, the sending server uses the private key to create a digital signature of the email's contents.
3. This signature is added to the email headers.
4. When the receiving server gets the email, it retrieves the public key from the sender's DNS records.
5. The public key is used to verify the signature, confirming the email wasn't altered in transit.

Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance (DMARC) is an email authentication protocol that builds upon SPF and DKIM. It tells receiving mail servers what to do with messages that fail SPF and/or DKIM checks and provides a reporting mechanism for domain owners.

Here's how DMARC works with SPF and DKIM:

1. DMARC requires that a message passes at least one of these authentication methods (SPF or DKIM) and that the authenticated domain aligns with the domain in the From header.
2. It provides a policy mechanism telling receiving servers how to handle emails that fail authentication (reject, quarantine, or none/monitor).
3. It includes a reporting feature that allows domain owners to receive feedback about emails sent using their domain.

DMARC policies include:

• None (p=none): Monitor mode - take no action on messages that fail DMARC, but send reports to the domain owner.
• Quarantine (p=quarantine): Place messages that fail DMARC in spam or junk folders.
• Reject (p=reject): Reject messages that fail DMARC entirely.

By implementing DMARC along with SPF and DKIM, you create a comprehensive email authentication system that significantly reduces the risk of email-based attacks and improves deliverability.

If your domain is failing the IP exposure check, it means your SPF record is directly exposing your server's IP addresses, which creates security risks. This typically happens when you include direct IP addresses in your SPF record rather than using service macros.

Common reasons for failing the IP exposure check:

• Using ip4: or ip6: mechanisms that directly list your server IP addresses
• Including internal IP addresses that should not be publicly visible
• Failing to use service provider macros (like include:_spf.google.com) which hide actual IPs

Why this is a security risk:

• Exposes your email infrastructure to potential attackers
• Makes it easier for malicious actors to target your servers
• Reveals information about your network topology
• Can expose internal IP addresses that should remain private

To fix this issue, modify your SPF record to use service macros (include: mechanism) rather than direct IP addresses when possible, or use third-party email delivery services that handle this for you.

Implementing DKIM for your domain involves several steps:

1. Generate DKIM Keys:
   • If you use an email service provider (ESP) like Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, or Mailchimp, they typically provide tools to generate DKIM keys.
   • If you manage your own mail server, you can use tools like OpenDKIM to generate the key pair.
2. Add the Public Key to DNS:
   • Create a TXT record for a specific selector (e.g., selector1._domainkey.yourdomain.com)
   • Add the public key to this TXT record in the proper format
   • The format typically looks like: v=DKIM1; k=rsa; p=MIIBIjANBgkqhkiG9w0BA...
3. Configure Your Email System:
   • Configure your mail server or ESP to sign outgoing emails using the private key
   • Specify the correct selector name that matches your DNS record
4. Test Your Configuration:
   • Send a test email to a DKIM verification service
   • Check that the DKIM signature is valid
   • You can use our Email Authentication Checker to verify your DKIM setup

For specific email providers:

• Google Workspace: Go to Admin console > Apps > Google Workspace > Gmail > Authenticate email
• Microsoft 365: Use the Exchange admin center under Mail flow > DKIM
• AWS SES: Use the AWS console or API to generate and manage DKIM settings

Remember that DKIM keys should be rotated periodically (typically every 6-12 months) to maintain security.