Part 4 - Improve deliverability: Essential technical setup

Throughout this series I have shared tips and tools you can use to help enhance your email deliverability. In this final instalment, I would like to take you on a journey 'behind-the-scenes' and discuss some of the technical set-up associated with deliverability.

When it comes to sending bills or marketing via email, they are rarely sent from the same domain/server where the 'FROM' and 'reply-to' addresses exist.

Consider the common scenario where company X utilizes the services of an email service provider (ESP). The IP address of the server that attempts to deliver the emails is owned and operated by the ESP, with no administrative link back to the company whose emails are being sent to outside mail exchangers.

To use an analogy, the company is using a third party courier to deliver its correspondence and it may be an unknown entity to the recipient. It is therefore necessary to use technology to prove that the courier has permission to send the package.

In the world of email, there are two accepted methods of proving that this relationship exists: SPF and DKIM.

Sender Policy Framework (SPF)

SMTP, the protocol for email, was designed so that any computer can send an email to any other computer on the Internet. While this created an open, easy-to-use system, it also relies on the sender to be honest enough not to send a mail claiming to be from somewhere else.

As we know this is not the case and spam is almost always sent from one party pretending (or spoofing) to be someone else.

SPF was designed as an anti-forgery system and provides a way for a receiving email server to verify that the sending mail server has permission to send the email.

When selecting an ESP, it is very likely that they will send emails from their servers using your FROM address. It is for this reason that you MUST give the ESP permission to send emails using your FROM address (and domain name).

This is achieved by a simple DNS entry on your domain which lists the approved senders of your emails, including your internal mail servers.

While SPF deals with the permission to send emails from an ESP on behalf of a domain, there is a second level of authentication that deals with the ownership of the actual email message.

DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM)

A common problem with nefarious email senders is that details of emails, such as the FROM address and entire contents of emails are often forged so that they appear to be generated and sent from a legitimate source.

DKIM controls this problem by making use of sophisticated cryptographic techniques in order to create a unique signature for every sent email.

In the courier analogy above, this is the same as the physical package being stamped with a keyword that only the actual sender could have possibly known, verifying that they are the actual sender and not a third party.

While DKIM signs the email going out; a DNS entry must be made on the FROM address domain in order to allow the receiving mail server to verify that the signature has been created from a trusted source. An ESP will assist with generating keys, as well as the required DNS entry.

The two methods described cater for the delivery of the message, but do not provide information on who is TRYING to spoof emails, nor do they allow a directive to the receiving mail server on what to do if they encounter spoofed or forged messages.

Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance (DMARC)

Allows the domain owner the ability to be notified when forged messages are being sent to ISPs. This identifies campaigns in the email environment that are acting against the reputation and best interests of the company. Reporting is available in simple formats which can be evaluated in the case of spoofed or forged emails being sent out.

In addition to reporting, DMARC also allows the domain owner to instruct the ISPs on how to deal with a message that has been forged. This may be as liberal as allowing the messages into the inbox, or in the case of companies who are targeted in spam and phishing campaigns to instruct the ISP to delete any emails that do not have a valid DKIM signature.

In our example, SPF and DKIM acting as the mechanisms to authenticate emails equate to the security practices that can be used in the real world, such as ID badges to help prove association and stamps or barcodes to prove authenticity.

DMARC is the last link to the chain and can be compared with a receptionist who is responsible for receiving and distributing all incoming packages. By having a prior knowledge and relationship with the senders of packages and a list of defined rules on what to do when packages are not delivered from a courier with a suitable ID. This also includes packages that don’t have the correct packing slip - this person could take action depending on the circumstance.

Thanks for joining me on this exciting journey of email deliverability. I hope that you have found the deliverability blog series interesting and useful!

If you haven’t had a chance to download our new deliverability white paper '7 steps to better email deliverability', then you can do so now, simply click here.

Alex Papadopulos
striata.com