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Unauthenticated email and SPF
Unauthenticated email and SPF
Garrett Saundry avatar
Written by Garrett Saundry
Updated over a week ago

Issue

A bounceback message is received after sending email. The bounceback references SMTP 550-5.7.26 this mail is unauthenticated.


Cause

Email addressed from your domain is originating from an source that has not been authorized. Receiving mail service providers have begun to check that emails addressed from your domain (e.g. [email protected]) are only originating from approved sources. This check is becoming industry standard as part of the effort to combat email spoofing, spamming, phishing and fraud.

This check is done by comparing the IP address of the your email service against the list of approved sources which are published as an SPF record in your domain's DNS records.


Solution

Ensure that all legitimate sources of email for your domain are defined in your DNS SPF TXT record.

If Webnames.ca's mail service is the only source of legitimate mail for your domain, the value v=spf1 a:spf10.webnames.ca -all is the correct value for your SPF record.

If you have additional providers that you use to send out email from, use a tool such as the one found at https://mxtoolbox.com/SPFRecordGenerator.aspx to create a record that is right for you.


Updating your DNS records

Updating your domain's DNS records first starts by determining who hosts these records in the first place. If you are unsure who hosts your DNS records, perform a WHOIS search of your domain via the button below.

Scroll through the results until you reach the list of three name servers assigned to your domain. These servers are where your DNS records reside. Contact the service provider associated with these name servers for assistance.

If Webnames.ca is your DNS provider, your DNS record interface is located in one of two places, depending on whether the domain also is associated with our Website Hosting.


For domains with Webnames Website Hosting:

Visit your list of domains that have Website Hosting:

Click on the Manage button beneath the Web Hosting heading of the applicable domain name.

On the subsequent page, scroll down to the Hosting Logins section and click the Login button in Hosting Control Panel.

In the Hosting Control Panel, locate and click on DNS Settings in the main center panel.

Add or update your DNS TXT Record

If Webnames.ca's mail service is the only source of legitimate mail for your domain, the value v=spf1 a:spf10.webnames.ca -all is the correct value for your SPF record.

If you have additional sources, use a tool such as the one found at https://mxtoolbox.com/SPFRecordGenerator.aspx to create a record that is right for you.

Click OK, and wait up to six hours for this change to propagate across the internet.


For domains without Webnames Website Hosting:

Click on the Manage button beneath the DNS heading of the applicable domain name.

On the DNS Hosting tab, scroll down to the TXT records section of the page.

Add or update your DNS TXT Record

If Webnames.ca's mail service is the only source of legitimate mail for your domain, the value v=spf1 a:spf10.webnames.ca -all is the correct value for your SPF record.

If you have additional sources, use a tool such as the one found at https://mxtoolbox.com/SPFRecordGenerator.aspx to create a record that is right for you.

Click Apply at the bottom of the page, and wait up to six hours for this change to propagate across the internet.

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