What are MTA-STS reports and why am I getting them from Google?
Summary
What email marketers say7Marketer opinions
Marketer from Email Geeks suggests that signing up for a list that uses SocketLabs will generate reports more frequently, mentioning they get reports from them daily.
Marketer from Email Geeks mentions that currently, IPv6 for Gmail reporting is broken.
Marketer from Email Geeks explains that they send TLSRPT reports every day and have been doing so for a while, noting that Google has been doing them too but with some recent bugs. Further clarifying that TLSRPT are distinct from MTA-STS reports.
Email marketer from Namecheap explains MTA-STS is a mechanism to help protect email communications from man-in-the-middle attacks and ensure the authenticity of email servers. If you are getting reports it is likely because you've set this up and are receiving feedback on its operation.
Marketer from Email Geeks shares that they get daily MTA-STS reports for their personal domain since configuring MTA-STS.
Email marketer from Valimail explains that MTA-STS and TLS reporting are separate but related mechanisms. MTA-STS helps prevent man-in-the-middle attacks by requiring TLS encryption, while TLS reporting provides feedback on TLS connection failures.
Email marketer from EmailSecurityGuru says If you own a domain and send emails, you may receive TLS reports (TLS-RPT) from different organizations. These reports will provide you insights on the emails that are failed to deliver after STARTTLS. They also notify the cause of failure, which includes TLS version issues, certificate issues, or unsupported encryption algorithms.
What the experts say2Expert opinions
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that TLS reporting helps senders and receivers discover and fix TLS related configuration errors. Google, among others, might be sending these reports because they are trying to alert you to a problem with your email server's TLS setup when interacting with Gmail.
Expert from Spam Resource highlights that TLS reporting is crucial for gaining visibility into email delivery issues related to TLS encryption. Receiving these reports from Google indicates they are encountering TLS connection problems when attempting to deliver emails to your domain, suggesting a need to investigate your TLS configuration.
What the documentation says3Technical articles
Documentation from Red Hat explains MTA-STS is an internet standard that allows mail service providers (MSPs) to declare their support for TLS encryption and authentication in a way that prevents active attackers from subverting TLS.
Documentation from Google explains that MTA-STS (Mail Transfer Agent Strict Transport Security) helps secure email by requiring authentication and encryption during email transmission. Google sends reports to domain owners about potential MTA-STS issues to improve email security.
Documentation from Microsoft explains that SMTP TLS Reporting provides insights into TLS connection failures, helping identify and resolve email delivery issues. It enables domain owners to monitor TLS usage and improve email security. Though this is not MTA-STS specifically, it serves a similar function.