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This article explains what an SPF record is; why its important and how to set it up.
What is an SPF record?
SPF stands for Sender Policy Framework. It is an open standard used to help the fight against spam. SPF allows the domain owner to specify which mail servers will be used when they send emails from that domain.
In other words it's carrying around your drivers license and your registration details. So if someone did a check on your license or your registration they will be linked. It means that if someone else drove your car or you drove someone else's car they would know.
This information is published in the Domain Name System (DNS) which is the online library of all the machines connected to the internet. A little like the DVLA or DMV databases.
Why is it important?
During an SPF check, email providers verify the SPF record by looking up the domain name listed in the “envelope from” address in the DNS. If the IP address sending email on behalf of the “envelope from” domain isn’t listed in that SPF record, the message fails SPF authentication.
An SPF protected domain is less attractive to phishers, and is therefore less likely to be blocklisted by spam filters, ensuring legitimate email from that domain is delivered. In other words, you are more likely to end up in the inbox.
The technical bit
How to set up SPF records for Vuture
You should ensure there is an SPF record for each sending domain used by Vuture.
SPF records are TXT DNS records that need to be published in public DNS. Your IT department should be able to help you create or modify these DNS records. If Vuture owns or manages any of your sending domains we will set up these records for you.
If you already have an SPF record
We have a single central domain that includes all our sending IP addresses: To use this add the following SPF include to your existing record:
include:spf.vx-email.com
Please contact Vuture support if you need assistance for checking your SPF record
Example SPF records
Here are some examples of what your SPF record might look like after adding the Vuture entry, if you have an existing record:
v=spf1 include:_netblocks.mimecast.com include:spf.vx-email.com ~all
v=spf1 include:spf.postini.com include:spf.vx-email.com ~all
v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com include:spf.vx-email.com ~all
If you don't already have an SPF record
If you don't have an existing SPF record, e.g. because you set up a new sending domain for Vuture then please create the following DNS record:
v=spf1 include:spf.vx-email.com ~all
Checking SPF records
Kitterman's SPF Record Testing Tools are very useful:
http://www.kitterman.com/spf/validate.html
SPF FAQ
1. Does my domain already have an SPF record? What is it? Is it valid?
Enter the sending domain you want to check here and the tool will tell you if an SPF record already exists and if it is valid.
2. Is this SPF record valid - syntactically correct?
Use this tool to check the format of a proposed SPF record change before applying it.
3. Test an SPF record
This allows more complex testing and requires the IP address, EHLO of your Vuture email server. The Vuture technical team would typically use this to verify any SPF change you plan to make or have made.
4. How many SPF records should you have
You should only ever have 1 SPF TXT record.
5. Where can I read about the origins of SPF
Please read RFC 4408, this is a technical document that is obsolete and the SPF protocol has been updated in RFC 7208.
References
http://www.openspf.org/SPF_Record_Syntax
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sender_Policy_Framework
https://support.google.com/postini/answer/132370?hl=en
http://www.kitterman.com/spf/validate.html
https://wordtothewise.com/2014/06/authenticating-spf
