How to fix compauth failure in email headers due to domain alignment issues?
Summary
What email marketers say8Marketer opinions
Email marketer from Reddit explains that if you're using multiple sending services, delegating subdomains for SPF can help manage authentication. Create a subdomain for each service and configure SPF records accordingly. This can prevent conflicts and improve alignment, reducing `compauth=fail` errors.
Email marketer from EmailonAcid provides that consistently using the same `From` domain across all your email campaigns is crucial for building a positive sender reputation. Inconsistent domains can trigger spam filters and cause authentication failures, leading to `compauth=fail` errors. They suggest to standardize your `From` domain.
Email marketer from EasyDMARC shares that to troubleshoot DMARC failures related to alignment, you need to analyze your DMARC reports. These reports show which emails are failing authentication and why. Look for discrepancies between the `From` domain and the domains used for SPF and DKIM. Adjust your DNS records and sending practices to ensure alignment.
Email marketer from Mailjet shares that a correctly configured DKIM signature requires that the domain used for signing matches the domain in the `From` header. If these domains do not match, DMARC may fail, and you may see `compauth=fail` errors. Ensuring that the DKIM signature is valid and aligned is key.
Email marketer from Gmass states that monitoring your sender reputation is essential for identifying deliverability issues. A poor sender reputation can lead to authentication failures and `compauth=fail` errors. They advise to use tools like Google Postmaster Tools to monitor your domain's reputation and take corrective actions.
Email marketer from StackOverflow shares that a small DKIM key size (e.g., less than 1024 bits) can cause authentication failures. Ensure your DKIM key is at least 2048 bits for better security and alignment. An insufficient key size can lead to `compauth=fail` errors.
Email marketer from Litmus shares information about email authentication. They explain to test your email authentication setup (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) before sending campaigns to ensure proper configuration. This can help identify and fix alignment issues that could cause `compauth=fail` errors. They suggest using email testing tools to validate your setup.
Email marketer from Neil Patel Blog explains that DMARC alignment is crucial for passing authentication checks. If the domain in the `From:` header does not match the domain used for SPF or DKIM, DMARC will fail, leading to deliverability issues and `compauth=fail` errors. Ensuring proper alignment between these domains is essential.
What the experts say7Expert opinions
Expert from Email Geeks explains that Microsoft is parsing the domains separately due to non-alignment, leading to authentication failures. He suggests adding DKIM from the `doroteadesign.com.ar` domain and DMARC from the same domain to resolve this.
Expert from Spam Resource explains that to fix `compauth=fail`, ensure the domains used for SPF and DKIM are aligned with the `From` header. This means the `MAIL FROM` for SPF and the signing domain for DKIM must match the `From` domain. If they don't match, authentication will fail.
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that while alignment is critical, sender reputation also plays a role. Even with perfect alignment, a poor sender reputation can lead to deliverability issues. Maintaining a good sender reputation helps ensure that emails are not marked as spam, improving overall authentication results.
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that identifying the cause of DMARC failures, which contributes to `compauth=fail`, requires examining DMARC reports. These reports highlight whether SPF and DKIM are passing and aligned. Look for patterns and common issues, like misconfigured SPF records or DKIM signatures, to pinpoint the root cause.
Expert from Email Geeks advises to speak with the email vendor about adding the domain or a subdomain to the `smtp.mailfrom`.
Expert from Email Geeks suggests the provider should sign on the user's behalf with a branded DKIM, in addition to one of their own.
Expert from Email Geeks points out that even if DKIM is published, the headers shared do not show that the message was signed by that key, as indicated by `dkim=none` in the `Authentication-Results` header.
What the documentation says5Technical articles
Documentation from AuthSMTP explains common SPF issues, specifically that using a third-party sending service can cause alignment problems if SPF is not configured correctly. The `MAIL FROM` domain used by the sending service needs to be authorized in your SPF record. Incorrect SPF configuration can lead to authentication failures and `compauth=fail` errors.
Documentation from RFC explains about DMARC policies to be enforced. They explain that setting a restrictive DMARC policy (e.g., `p=reject`) without proper alignment can result in legitimate emails being blocked. Gradually implement DMARC policies, starting with `p=none` to monitor results before enforcing stricter policies to avoid `compauth=fail` errors and lost emails.
Documentation from dmarcian explains that for SPF alignment to pass, the domain used in the `MAIL FROM` or `Return-Path` must match the domain in the `From` header. If these domains don't align, SPF authentication will fail and can contribute to composite authentication failures. They advise to ensure that your sending infrastructure is correctly configured to use aligned domains.
Documentation from Microsoft Learn explains that the `Authentication-Results` header provides details about the authentication checks performed on an email. A `compauth=fail` result indicates a composite authentication failure, which means the email failed multiple authentication checks, often due to domain alignment issues. This requires investigation of SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records.
Documentation from Google explains that DMARC implementation requires careful planning and monitoring. They advise to start with a `p=none` policy to collect data and identify alignment issues before enforcing stricter policies. Monitor DMARC reports and adjust your configuration as needed to avoid `compauth=fail` errors and ensure legitimate emails are delivered.