Using cPanel to manage a domain's SPF, DKIM and DMARC records Print

cPanel provides several tools to help manage and troubleshoot issues related to Sender Policy Framework (SPF), DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM), and Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance (DMARC). These email authentication methods help improve email deliverability and protect against spoofing. Here’s how you can review and repair issues with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC through cPanel:

SPF (Sender Policy Framework)

• Tool in cPanel: Email Deliverability
• Purpose: SPF is used to specify which mail servers are allowed to send email on behalf of your domain. This helps prevent spammers from using your domain to send unauthorized emails.
• How to Use:
  • Log into cPanel and navigate to the "Email Deliverability" section.
  • Here, cPanel will display any issues with your domain's SPF records. If the system detects problems, such as a missing SPF record, it will offer options to repair or improve the record.
  • You can use cPanel’s suggestions to automatically add or update the SPF record in your domain’s DNS settings.

DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail)

• Tool in cPanel: Email Deliverability
• Purpose: DKIM adds a digital signature to the headers of email messages. This signature can be verified by recipients to confirm that the email was sent from an authorized mail server and has not been altered.
• How to Use:
  • Also found under the "Email Deliverability" section, cPanel checks if your domain has a proper DKIM record.
  • If your DKIM record is missing or incorrect, cPanel provides an option to automatically generate and install a correct DKIM record in your DNS.
  • This ensures that outgoing emails from your server can be authenticated by recipient servers using the DKIM standard.

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

• Tool in cPanel: Email Deliverability
• Purpose: DMARC uses SPF and DKIM records to provide further instructions to recipient mail servers on how to handle emails that do not authenticate. It also reports back to the sender about emails that pass or fail DMARC evaluation.
• How to Use:
  • In the "Email Deliverability" section, cPanel will analyze your DMARC settings.
  • If there are any recommendations or if a DMARC record is missing, cPanel can help you create or edit the DMARC record. This includes setting policies like none, quarantine, or reject for how recipient servers should handle emails that fail SPF and DKIM checks.
  • You can update your DMARC record directly through cPanel, which simplifies creating the correct entries with the right policies and reporting URLs.

General Steps in cPanel

1. Login to cPanel: Use your credentials to log into the cPanel dashboard.
2. Navigate to Email Deliverability: This tool is specifically designed to identify and fix common issues with email settings on your domains.
3. Review Problems and Recommendations: cPanel will list any detected issues with your SPF, DKIM, or DMARC records along with straightforward options to fix them.
4. Apply Fixes: You can usually apply recommended fixes with just a few clicks, and cPanel will automatically update your DNS records appropriately.

These tools are particularly useful for non-technical users, as they provide a user-friendly interface to manage complex DNS records and email authentication methods, thereby enhancing the security and reliability of email communications from your domains.