{"id":2028,"date":"2021-09-15T07:21:41","date_gmt":"2021-09-15T07:21:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.kdmarc.com\/blog\/?p=2028"},"modified":"2026-04-23T13:03:41","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T07:33:41","slug":"spf-errors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/threatcop.com\/blog\/spf-errors\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Common Mistakes to Avoid While Creating an SPF Record"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>Sender Policy Framework (<\/b><span style=\"color: #183994;\"><a style=\"color: #183994;\" href=\"https:\/\/threatcop.com\/blog\/spf-authentication\/\"><b>SPF<\/b><\/a><\/span><b>)<\/b> <b>is an email authentication system<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that allows you to control which IP addresses are authorized to send emails from your domain. The receiving email servers check the SPF record of all the incoming messages. An email sent from your domain is only authenticated if its IP address is listed in your SPF record.<\/span><\/span><\/p><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 ez-toc-wrap-center counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-light-blue ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #414141;color:#414141\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #414141;color:#414141\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/threatcop.com\/blog\/spf-errors\/#1_Exceeding_the_SPF_10-Lookup_Limit\" >#1 Exceeding the SPF 10-Lookup Limit<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/threatcop.com\/blog\/spf-errors\/#Book_a_Free_Demo_Call_with_Our_People_Security_Expert\" >Book a Free Demo Call with Our People Security Expert<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/threatcop.com\/blog\/spf-errors\/#Enter_your_details\" >Enter your details<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/threatcop.com\/blog\/spf-errors\/#2_Multiple_SPF_Record\" >#2 Multiple SPF Record<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/threatcop.com\/blog\/spf-errors\/#3_Syntax_Errors\" >#3 Syntax Errors<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/threatcop.com\/blog\/spf-errors\/#4_Overlooking_Domains_That_Do_Not_Send_Emails\" >#4 Overlooking Domains That Do Not Send Emails&nbsp;<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This simple and straightforward standard significantly helps in improving email authentication and reducing spam and phishing attacks. However, SPF also has some limitations that can make it a little difficult to implement correctly. So, here are the <\/span><b>4 common mistakes people make while implementing SPF<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that you should avoid at all costs.&nbsp;<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\">\n      @media print, screen and (max-width: 63.99875em){\n      .tnp-submit\n      width: 48%;\n      }\n      .wp-block-tnp-minimal{\n      padding: 20px;\n      }\n      .blog_para\n      margin-top: 4px !important;\n      line-height: 25px !important;\n      font-size: 15px !important;\n      }\n\n      }\n      .blog_para{\n      font-family: jost,sans-serif;\n      margin-top: 14px;\n      margin-bottom: 30px;\n      color: #fff;\n      font-size: 15px !important;\n      color: black !important;\n\n      }\n\n      .wp-block-tnp-minimal{\n      padding:20px;\n      border: 1px solid grey;\n      }\n\n      .tnp-submit a{\n        background: #1d58c7!important;\n    border-radius: 5px!important;\n    text-transform: inherit!important;\n    padding: 8px 25px!important;\n    font-weight: 600!important;\n    color: #fff!important;\n    width: 30%!important;\n    border: none;\n      }\n\n      .blog_get{\n      font-size: 24px !important;\n      font-weight: 700;\n      padding-bottom: 0px;\n    font-family: 'Poppins' !important;\n      margin-bottom: 0px;\n      margin-top: 0px;\n      margin-bottom: 0px !important;\n      color: white;\n          line-height: 30px;\n          color: white;\n      }\n      .row{\n             display: flex;\n    flex-wrap: wrap;\n    flex-direction: row;\n    padding: 25px 0px 25px 36px;\n    align-items: center;\n\n      }\n\n.colLeft{\n         flex-basis:50%;\n    -webkit-box-flex: 0;\n    flex-grow: 0;\n    max-width: 50%;\n    color: white;\n}\n    \n .colRight{\n       flex-basis: 45%;\n    -webkit-box-flex: 0;\n    flex-grow: 0;\n    max-width: 50%;\n }\n\n.tnp-subscription-minimal{\n    float: right;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div style=\"max-width: 741px; margin: 0 auto; background-image: url('https:\/\/awareness.threatcop.ai\/marketing\/linkedinlowerbanner.webp'); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: cover; background-position: center; \">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"colLeft\">\n<p class=\"blog_get\" style=\"font-family: 'Poppins' !important; color: white !important\">Subscribe to Our Newsletter On Linkedin<\/p>\n<p class=\"blog_para\" style=\"font-size: 16px;font-family: 'Poppins' !important; color: white !important; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 28px;line-height: 25px;\">Sign up to Stay Tuned with the Latest Cyber Security News and Updates<\/p>\n\n<div>\n<div class=\"tnp\" style=\"margin-bottom: 10px;\">\n            <form action=\"https:\/\/threatcop.com\/newsletter-thank-you\" method=\"get\" target=\"_blank\">\n<div class=\"tnp-submit\">\n                  <a class=\"libutton\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/build-relation\/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7062043746430783488\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Subscribe<\/a><\/div>\n<\/form><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"colRight\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"tnp tnp-subscription-minimal \">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/awareness.threatcop.ai\/marketing\/newsletter-icon.webp\" class=\"img-fluid\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_Exceeding_the_SPF_10-Lookup_Limit\"><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>#1 Exceeding the SPF 10-Lookup Limit<\/b><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For checking whether or not an email passes SPF authentication, the receiving mail servers may have to make multiple DNS lookups. However, to protect the receiving mail servers against denial of service attacks, <\/span><b>these servers are not permitted to make more than 10 domain lookups<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> while evaluating the SPF record for an incoming email.&nbsp;<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once you go over your DNS lookup limit, the domain validation or authentication may break, allowing threat actors to spoof or misuse your domain. This means that <\/span><b>once the limit has been exceeded, every email that requires a DNS lookup won&#8217;t achieve the complete result<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. You may even have many emails that fail to deliver without giving you any warning.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<!DOCTYPE html>\n<html lang=\"en\">\n\n<head>\n    <meta charset=\"UTF-8\">\n    <meta http-equiv=\"X-UA-Compatible\" content=\"IE=edge\">\n    <meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0\">\n    <title>Document<\/title>\n<\/head>\n\n<style>\n    .interestedBtn {\n        width: 80% !important;\n        box-sizing: border-box !important;\n        display: inline-block !important;\n        padding: 11px !important;\n        border: 1px !important;\n        border-color: #ddd !important;\n        margin-top: 10px !important;\n        background-color: #183e8b !important;\n        background-image: none !important;\n        text-shadow: none !important;\n        color: #fff !important;\n        font-size: 14px !important;\n        line-height: 20px !important;\n        border-radius: 5px !important;\n        margin: 0 !important;\n        cursor: pointer !important;\n        box-shadow: 0px 4.66px 22.99px 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.10);;\n    }\n\n\n        .formSec .formSecTwo{\n            padding-top: 15px !important;\n            margin-bottom: 30px !important;\n        }\n\n\n    .tnp-email {\n        width: 80% !important;\n        box-sizing: border-box;\n        padding: 8px 10px;\n        display: inline-block;\n        border: 1px solid #ced4da;\n        background: #fff;\n        color: #000 !important;\n        font-size: 13px;\n        line-height: 20px;\n        border-radius: 2px;\n        padding-right: 30px;\n        margin-bottom: 0px;\n    }\n\n    .formSec {\n        border: 1px solid #ced4da;\n        float: left !important;\n        width: 55% !important;\n    }\n\n    .mainBox {\n       \/* border: 1px solid #183e8b;*\/\n         background: white;\n        max-width: 600px !important;\n        margin: 0 auto !important;\n        padding: 20px !important;\n        font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif !important;\n    }\n\n    .boxDiv {\n        display: flex !important;\n    }\n\n    .boxConsult {\n        float: left !important;\n        width: 45% !important;\n        padding: 10px !important;\n    }\n\n    .formSecTwo {\n        text-align:center !important;\n        width: 100% !important;\n    }\n\n    .formHeading {\n        font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\n        margin-top: 0px;\n        font-weight: 700;\n        line-height: 25px;\n        font-size: 18px !important;\n        \n       margin-bottom: 60px !important;\n       color: #000!important;\n          margin-top: 5px !important;\n    }\n\n    .fieldHeading {\n        margin: 0 !important;\n        font-size: 13px !important;\n        text-align: left !important;\n        margin: 0px 39px 2px 93px !important;\n        font-weight: 500 !important;\n    }\n\n    .image {\n        max-width:90% !important;\n        height: auto !important;\n    }\n\n     .email-icon {\n            position: absolute;\n            right: 50px;\n             top: 20px;\n            transform: translateY(-50%);\n            pointer-events: none; \n        }\n\n          .email-container{\n             position: relative;\n         \n        }\n       \n\n        .email-icon img{\n                 width: 15px;\n        }\n\n\n         input::placeholder {\n            color:#495057;\n        }\n\n\n     ::placeholder {\n        color: #495057;\n    }\n\n        ::-ms-input-placeholder { \n          color:#495057;\n        }\n\n\n        input:-webkit-autofill {\n            background-color: transparent !important;\n            -webkit-box-shadow: 0 0 0px 1000px white inset !important; \n            box-shadow: 0 0 0px 1000px white inset !important;\n            color: #495057 !important; \n        }\n\n        \n        input {\n            color:#495057 !important;\n        }\n\n\n    @media screen and (max-width: 480px) {\n        .boxDiv {\n            display: block !important;\n            padding: 15px !important;\n         \n        }\n\n        .image{\n        width: 80% !important;\n         margin-bottom: 14px;\n        }\n        .fieldHeading {\n            text-align: left !important;\n            margin: unset !important;\n        }\n\n        .boxConsult {\n            width: unset !important;\n            float: none !important;\n        }\n\n        .mainBox {\n            border: unset !important;\n        }\n\n        .formSec {\n            float: unset !important;\n            width: 100% !important;\n        }\n\n        .formSecTwo {\n            text-align: center !important;\n        }\n\n        .tnp-email {\n            width: 90% !important;\n        }\n\n        .formHeading {\n            margin-bottom: unset !important;\n        }\n\n         .email-icon {\n            position: absolute;\n            right: 25px;\n            top: 58%;\n            transform: translateY(-50%);\n            pointer-events: none; \/* Make sure the icon doesn't block clicking on the input *\/\n        }\n       \n        .email-container{\n             position: relative;\n        }\n\n    }\n<\/style>\n\n<body>\n\n    <div class=\"mainBox\" box-sizing:=\"\" border-box;=\"\">\n\n        <div class=\"boxDiv\">\n\n            <div class=\"boxConsult\">\n                <div>\n                    <h3 class=\"formHeading\" style=\" font-size: 16px !important;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Book_a_Free_Demo_Call_with_Our_People_Security_Expert\"><\/span>\n                        Book a Free Demo Call with Our People Security Expert<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n                <\/div>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/awareness.threatcop.ai\/threatcop_blog\/form.svg\" class=\"image\">\n            <\/div>\n\n            <div class=\"formSec\">\n                <div class=\" formSecTwo\">\n                    <h4 style=\"margin-top: 0; font-size: 16px !important;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Enter_your_details\"><\/span>Enter your details<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n                    <div class=\"tnp tnp-subscription-minimal\">\n                        <form action=\"https:\/\/threatcop.com\/thankyou-blog\" method=\"get\" target=\"_blank\">\n                            <div class=\"email-container\" style=\"margin-bottom:20px;\">\n\n                                <input class=\"tnp-email\" type=\"text\" required=\"\" name=\"FullName\" value=\"\"\n                                    placeholder=\"Full Name\">\n                                    <span class=\"email-icon\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/awareness.threatcop.ai\/threatcop_blog\/icon01.svg\" class=\"img-fluid\" \/><\/span>\n                            <\/div>\n\n                            <div class=\"email-container\" style=\"margin-bottom:20px;\">\n                               \n                                <input class=\"tnp-email\" type=\"email\" required=\"\" name=\"email\" value=\"\"\n                                    placeholder=\"Corporate Email Id\">\n                                     <span class=\"email-icon\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/awareness.threatcop.ai\/threatcop_blog\/icon02.svg\" class=\"img-fluid\" \/><\/span>\n                            <\/div>\n\n                            <div class=\"email-container\" style=\"margin-bottom:20px;\">\n                               \n                                <input class=\"tnp-email\" type=\"text\" required=\"\" name=\"CompanyName\" value=\"\"\n                                    placeholder=\"Company Name\">\n                                    <span class=\"email-icon\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/awareness.threatcop.ai\/threatcop_blog\/icon03.svg\" class=\"img-fluid\" \/><\/span>\n\n                            <\/div>\n\n                            <div class=\"email-container\">\n                               \n                                <input class=\"tnp-email\" type=\"number\" required=\"\" name=\"Phone\" value=\"\"\n                                    placeholder=\"Phone No.\"><br>\n                                    <span class=\"email-icon\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/awareness.threatcop.ai\/threatcop_blog\/icon04.svg\" class=\"img-fluid\" \/><\/span>\n                            <\/div>\n                            <input type=\"hidden\" name=\"BlogForm\" value=\"BlogForm\"><br>\n                            <input class=\"tnp-submit interestedBtn\" name=\"submit\" type=\"submit\"\n                                value=\"SUBMIT\">\n\n                        <\/form>\n                    <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n<\/body>\n\n<\/html>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Exceeding the SPF 10-lookup limit is one of the most serious mistakes you can make while creating an SPF record, affecting your domain\u2019s reputation and deliverability. <\/span><b>SPF flattening offers the most effective solution to the problems caused by the SPF lookup limit<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Flattening refers to the replacement of all the domains in your SPF record with their respective IP addresses. This eliminates the need for DNS lookups.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"color: #183994;\"><a style=\"color: #183994;\" href=\"https:\/\/threatcop.com\/tdmarc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><b>TDMARC<\/b><\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is an expertly designed email domain security tool that comes with an <\/span><b>Automatic Flattening feature<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that automatically flattens your SPF record, eliminating any effort on your part.&nbsp;<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_Multiple_SPF_Record\"><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>#2 Multiple SPF Record<\/b><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In case you are wondering how many SPF records you can have on a single domain,<\/span><b> the only correct answer is \u2018ONE\u2019<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. If your domain has more than one SPF record, no one can tell which one will be used by the receiving mail servers to check for SPF authentication. It can also keep some of your legitimate emails from being delivered, adversely affecting your domain\u2019s <\/span><span style=\"color: #183994;\"><a style=\"color: #183994;\" href=\"https:\/\/threatcop.com\/blog\/increase-domain-reputation-and-email-deliverability\/\"><strong>email deliverability<\/strong><\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"color: #183994;\"><strong> rate<\/strong><\/span>.&nbsp;<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"480\" height=\"270\" src=\"https:\/\/threatcop.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/giphy-1.gif\" alt=\"Only One SPF Record for a Domain\" class=\"wp-image-9612\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">Make sure that a DNS query of type TXT results in just one TXT record that begins with v=spf1. In case you have to add more services to your SPF record, make sure you add them to the existing record instead of creating a new one.&nbsp;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\"><br><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_Syntax_Errors\"><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>#3 Syntax Errors<\/b><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">In order to ensure that your SPF record works properly, it is essential to make sure that it is constructed correctly. There are several common syntax errors that can cause your emails to fail SPF authentication, preventing them from being delivered.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">Here is an example of proper SPF syntax:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>v=spf1 a mx ip4:192.168.0.1\/16 include:returnpath.com include:tdmarc.com ~all<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">Here is a list of some of the most common syntax errors to keep in mind:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There should be <\/span><b>no extra spaces<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> before the beginning of the string (v=spf1)<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There should be <\/span><b>no<\/b> <b>extra spaces <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">after the string\u2019s end (~all)<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Make sure there are <\/span><b>no misspellings<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in any of the record\u2019s mechanisms like include, ip4, etc.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Make sure there are <\/span><b>no misspellings <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">in any of the referenced domains<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>Remove any uppercase characters<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> from the ip6 or ip4 mechanisms<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>Eliminate any extra special characters<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> like dashes before the hard fail mechanism. For instance, replace &#8211;all with \u2013all.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Make sure there is <\/span><b>only one space and no commas<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in between each mechanism<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Make sure your string <\/span><b>starts with v=spf1<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> instead of any other mechanisms such as ip4<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4_Overlooking_Domains_That_Do_Not_Send_Emails\"><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>#4 Overlooking Domains That Do Not Send Emails&nbsp;<\/b><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Most people simply protect their active mail sending domains with SPF and don\u2019t bother putting all that effort into creating an SPF record for non-mail sending domains. Cybercriminals often spoof non-mail sending domains to get around an organization\u2019s defenses. If you have one or more domains that do not send any emails,<\/span><b> the best thing you can do is publish null SPF records for them<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.&nbsp;<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">Publishing a null SPF record (&#8220;v=spf1 -all&#8221;) for any domain clearly declares that this domain does not send any emails. For example, if your domain example.com is not used to send any emails, you can publish the following SPF record for it:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>&#8220;v=spf1 a:mail.example.com -all&#8221;<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">Keep these common SPF errors in mind while creating an SPF record for your domain to ensure proper email security.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b><i>Are there any other SPF mistakes you would like to add to the list? Leave a comment!<\/i><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sender Policy Framework (SPF) is an email authentication system that allows you to control which IP addresses are authorized to send emails from your domain. The receiving email servers check the SPF record of all the incoming messages. An email sent from your domain is only authenticated if its IP address is listed in your [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7310,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2028","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dmarc"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Avoid These 4 SPF Record Mistakes for Secure Email<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"SPF has some limitations that can make it a little difficult to implement correctly. 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