SPF(supported)
DKIM(recommended)

This article covers the SPF and DKIM authentication processes for MPMail and how they are managed in Valimail. While only one of the two authentication methods is required for an email to pass DMARC, our recommendation is to configure both whenever possible.

Configuring DKIM authentication for your MPMail emails

Enabling DKIM Checking for inbound mail

In the MPMail control panel, enter the domain in the scope selector, and go to Security Settings, Email Authentication and Enable 'Activate DKIM validation for incoming emails'

Logging of inbound email filtered by DKIM

Messages for which the DKIM signature does not match the corresponding entry in DNS will be quarantined. In the spam report and in the control panel, the affected emails are marked as spam and can be delivered as required.

In the MPMail Control Panel email details, in the Reason field, you will see 'dkim failure' if DKIM applies to a specific email.

Enabling DKIM Signing for outbound mail

To setup DKIM Signing, you must use a CNAME record to refer to the public key in Manage Protect's DNS:

Set the following CNAME record in the corresponding DNS zone of your domain and any alias domain(s) that relay outbound via MPmail:

Add two new CNAME records:
1. Enter hostname hse1._domainkey.DOMAIN.TLD
  (Enter your actual domain for DOMAIN.TLD)
2. Point to hse1._domainkey.hornetsecurity.com
3. Save the record
4. Enter hostname hse2._domainkey.DOMAIN.TLD
  (Enter your actual domain for DOMAIN.TLD)
5. Point to hse2._domainkey.hornetsecurity.com
6. Save the record

In the MPMail control panel, enter the domain in the scope selector, and go to Security Settings, Email Authentication. Confirm that the DKIM status for the domain has been checked successfully. The MPmail control panel only updates DNS every 24 hours, so you may need to wait for this to check successfully.

If so, you can enable 'Activate DKIM signature for outgoing emails'

Once activated, your outbound email will have a DKIM signature appended in the header as it passes through our relays. The ‘h’ tag will contain the following list of headers. These elements must remain unchanged while the email is in transit otherwise the DKIM signature will fail authentication.

You can also find the instructions on how to set up DKIM and SPF for MPMail, here.

Add an MPMail DKIM key in Valimail

You can find more detailed information on how to add a DKIM key in Valimail, here:

Add a DKIM key in Valimail

Configuring SPF authentication for your MPMail emails

Once you establish that MPMail is an authorized sender for your domain, you will need to add the service in your Enabled Senders.

You will find more detailed information on how to add a service for your domain in Valimail, here:

Enabling a sender for SPF in Valimail

Note: We encourage you to use the comment section for any useful information about your sending service, such as the name of the service owner, change request ticket numbers, etc.