Is anyone using SPF DNS records yet?
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Printed Date: 01 April 2026 at 2:39am
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Topic: Is anyone using SPF DNS records yet?
Posted By: dpyers
Subject: Is anyone using SPF DNS records yet?
Date Posted: 01 August 2004 at 7:51pm
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SPF = Sender Policy Framework - It's a DNS record to allow SMTP receivers to verify email envelope sender address (preventing domain spoofing and phishing), and can distinguish legitimate mail from spam before any message data is transmitted. Microsoft - being Microsoft - wanted to do something different called Sender-ID - aka "Caller ID For Email"s. Apparently someone got to them because they decided to work with the SPF folk (pobox.com) to implement the functionality. Bottom line is that MS will implement it for Hotmail within the next 30-60 days and I'm trying to figure out If I'll be able to send to Hotmail accounts if I don't have an SPF record in the domain DNS. I've been told that many hosts will implement the check in such a fashion that If an incoming email fails the SPF check, it'll be passed to a blacklist checker and only be delivered if it passes that (like it works now). But I haven't been able to find anything saying that's the process Hotmail will use. Also trying to figure out what this means for the iis smtp server set-up on my local pc. If anyone has any info about the details behind the Hotmail or local iis smtp server setup, could you please post the info and/or links? Thanks EDIT: SPF Guidelines/wizard at http://spf.pobox.com - http://spf.pobox.com ------------- 
Lead me not into temptation... I know the short cut, follow me. |
Replies:
Posted By: the boss
Date Posted: 02 August 2004 at 5:08am
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best would be to just send the mail to junk folder with a warnbing header that this mail didnt complied with SPF standards and might not be legimate ------------- http://www.web2messenger.com/theboss"> 
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Posted By: huwnet
Date Posted: 02 August 2004 at 5:39am
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does the ms dns server actually support these records? What about the main dns server, bind. |
Posted By: huwnet
Date Posted: 02 August 2004 at 5:50am
| I am going to contact my host about these records. |
Posted By: Semikolon
Date Posted: 02 August 2004 at 6:40am
| new records mean that DNS, SMTP, POP3 and IMAP servers have to be updated right? Damn, everything before 1st October? Damn someone have peed their pants now.. doubt all hosts manage to do it |
Posted By: dpyers
Date Posted: 02 August 2004 at 8:15am
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What I've need able to find out is that initially, Hotmail will check for the SPF record. If it finds one, it'll assume the email is ok. If it doesn't find one, it'll check it against their spam list. Won't be until sometime later ture that they actually block email without an SPF record. This has actually been in the works for quite some time now although I don't know where the October 1st date came from. Couldn't find any RFC covering it although itwill probably become a formal internet standard within the next 12-24 months. I was also able to confirm that people using "localhost" as the smtp server for domains with shared ip's, or who use smtp from their local pc's, will be screwed. Going to need to use a mail server specified in the mx records for some domain in order for people to get the email. That's good thing though - it'll stop the spammers/hackers who grab peoples machines and use them to send spam. It would be a good idea to start converting any code using localhost/127.0.0.1 to the appropriate mail server for your domains. -------------
Lead me not into temptation... I know the short cut, follow me. |
Posted By: Semikolon
Date Posted: 02 August 2004 at 8:47am
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I don't even use localhost for development, and at least, I don't send emails outside my local network with my own SMTP server. but if I use the current version of Win2003, will my own emails be blocked or whatever when SPF is added in the next service pack or whatever if I run in workgroup mode and without a DNS server? |
Posted By: dpyers
Date Posted: 02 August 2004 at 9:09am
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It looks like you'll be able to toggle spf off/on on your own servers, also allow/deny a list of ips/domains. Probably be different for every web/mail server. Here's the info on SPF http://spf.pobox.com - http://spf.pobox.com -------------
Lead me not into temptation... I know the short cut, follow me. |