Have you experienced any issues with email deliverability, such as emails not reaching their intended recipients or being flagged as spam?
Do you have an email security policy in place?
Do you have a process in place to monitor your email reputation and make necessary updates to your DNS records?
In this post, we explore the various DNS records related to email deliverability and security, and how they function to improve your email reputation and protect your domain from email fraud.
What is DNS?
DNS (Domain Name System) is an essential component of the internet infrastructure that helps translate human-readable domain names into machine-readable IP addresses. But DNS does more than that, and one of its critical functions is managing various types of DNS records that control how email is delivered and protect against security threats like email spoofing and email fraud.
MX Records
MX (Mail Exchange) records are essential for email deliverability because they ensure that email messages are delivered to the correct mail servers. If a domain doesn’t have an MX record or has an invalid MX record, email messages will bounce back or be rejected, and your reputation as a sender may suffer.
SPF Records
SPF (Sender Policy Framework) is a DNS record that specifies which mail servers are authorised to send an email on behalf of a domain. SPF works by adding a list of IP addresses or domain names that are allowed to send email messages for a domain, and any email message that comes from an unauthorized IP address or domain is flagged as potentially fraudulent.
SPF is an effective way to prevent email spoofing, where a fraudster sends an email message that appears to come from a legitimate sender’s domain. With an SPF record in place, email receivers can verify the authenticity of the email sender, and any message that fails SPF checks can be rejected or marked as spam.
DKIM Records
DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) is another DNS record that helps prevent email fraud by adding a digital signature to each outgoing email message. The signature is created by a private key that only the domain owner has access to, and it is stored in the DKIM record.
When an email message arrives at the recipient’s mail server, the server checks the DKIM signature against the public key stored in the domain’s DKIM record. If the signature is valid, the message is considered authentic, and the receiver can trust that it hasn’t been tampered with in transit.
DMARC Records
DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance) is a DNS record that helps domain owners manage their email reputation and protect their domain from email spoofing. DMARC works by combining SPF and DKIM checks and adding an extra layer of policy enforcement.
With a DMARC record in place, domain owners can specify what actions to take when an incoming email message fails SPF or DKIM checks. They can choose to reject, quarantine, or monitor suspicious messages, and they can receive detailed reports of email activity for their domain.
Email Reputation Monitoring
In conclusion, when your domain’s DNS configuration is set up correctly with MX, SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records, your email reputation will improve, prevent email spoofing, and ensure that your email messages are delivered to the right recipients. Make sure to keep your DNS records updated and monitor your email reputation regularly to maintain a secure and reliable email system.
Email Health Tool
Now that you know that DNS records are essential for email deliverability and security, and how they play a critical role in protecting your domain from email fraud, why not spend a few minutes checking your email health at MxToolBox.com? If you need assistance with your DNS setup, KeyTech can assist you with a DNS audit to resolve any invalid records and other issues that might be affecting your email deliverability.