How to resolve Proofpoint identifying authenticated emails as spoofed?
Summary
What email marketers say13Marketer opinions
Marketer from Email Geeks explains that Proofpoint has a built-in anti-spoof engine that doesn't solely rely on DMARC and may need to be tweaked.
Email marketer from Email Marketing Community explains that if SPF records have recently been updated, DNS propagation delays can cause Proofpoint to incorrectly flag emails. Allow sufficient time for DNS changes to propagate.
Email marketer from StackExchange suggests checking Proofpoint's internal spoofing rules to see if they are being triggered. Adjusting these rules or adding exceptions might resolve the issue.
Email marketer from Email Marketing Consulting explains maintaining a clean and engaged email list can significantly improve sender reputation and reduce the likelihood of being flagged as a source of spoofed emails. Regularly remove inactive or invalid addresses.
Marketer from Email Geeks notes that sometimes mail coming from outside the system needs to be added.
Email marketer from Email Deliverability Blog shares setting up feedback loops (FBLs) with ISPs and services like Proofpoint can provide valuable data on why emails are being flagged as spam or spoofed, allowing for targeted remediation efforts.
Email marketer from Security Forums shares that adding the sending domain or IP address to Proofpoint's allow list can prevent legitimate emails from being flagged as spoofed.
Email marketer from Domain Forums shares that ensuring proper reverse DNS (PTR) records are configured for sending IP addresses can improve email deliverability and reduce the likelihood of Proofpoint flagging emails as spoofed.
Marketer from Email Geeks suggests sharing a header to find clues if Proofpoint is in use and that it's sometimes necessary to add an exception to the spam rule.
Email marketer from Reddit shares that incorrect Proofpoint configuration can cause it to misidentify legitimate emails as spoofed. Reviewing and correcting the configuration settings is crucial.
Email marketer from IT Admin Forums suggests checking Proofpoint's logs to understand why specific emails are being flagged as spoofed. The logs provide detailed information about the checks performed.
Email marketer from Cloud Security Blog suggests that using a reputable sender reputation service can help improve email deliverability and reduce the chances of Proofpoint identifying legitimate emails as spoofed due to poor sender reputation scores.
Marketer from Email Geeks shares that the Proofpoint log search will tell if the email hit their internal spoof rules.
What the experts say2Expert opinions
Expert from Spam Resource explains that sometimes Proofpoint uses third party blocklists and the IP or domain may be listed on one of these. Checking blocklists and delisting accordingly might help with delivery to Proofpoint protected domains.
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that Proofpoint can sometimes flag emails as spoofed if they contain URLs with a poor reputation, even if the email itself is authenticated. Checking and improving the reputation of URLs included in the email can help.
What the documentation says6Technical articles
Documentation from Proofpoint explains that Smart Banners are used to warn the recipient, and can be configured to show warning messages for emails that fail authentication checks, including spoofing. Modifying these banners or the conditions under which they appear can help address false positives.
Documentation from IETF details Sender ID, which can sometimes interact with SPF and impact how Proofpoint assesses email authentication. Understanding Sender ID and its interaction with SPF is beneficial.
Documentation from DMARC.org explains that a strict DMARC policy (p=reject) can cause Proofpoint to aggressively filter emails. Consider using a less strict policy (p=quarantine) or creating exceptions within Proofpoint.
Documentation from Microsoft Learn explains that even with correct SPF records, Proofpoint might flag emails if the SPF record is not properly interpreted due to forwarding or other intermediary servers. Check the hop path of the email.
Documentation from RFC Editor explains the standard mechanisms for reporting authentication failures using DMARC. Reviewing aggregate reports from Proofpoint can provide insights into why emails are failing authentication checks.
Documentation from Proofpoint Support explains that administrators can adjust the anti-spoofing settings within the Proofpoint platform to fine-tune how it identifies and handles potential spoofing attempts. This includes creating exceptions or modifying the sensitivity of the anti-spoofing engine.