Why am I seeing DMARC errors when sending to Gmail from MXroute?
Summary
What email marketers say11Marketer opinions
Email marketer from Word to the Wise shares that DMARC passes if either SPF or DKIM passes and are aligned. If MXRoute is sending emails that fail both, then Gmail will reject them based on the DMARC policy setup.
Email marketer from Reddit user explains that DMARC errors can occur when MXRoute users forward emails to Gmail because the forwarding breaks SPF and DKIM authentication, leading Gmail to reject the messages based on the sender's DMARC policy.
Email marketer from Postmark notes that forwarding breaks SPF, and if MXroute users are forwarding to Gmail, it will lead to DMARC failures unless ARC is implemented, which MXroute might not be using.
Email marketer from AuthSMTP explains that Sender Rewriting Scheme (SRS) is a mechanism used to rewrite the sender address of forwarded emails, ensuring that SPF authentication doesn't break due to the change in sending server IP. However, if MXroute isn't implementing it correctly or there are other issues with DKIM, DMARC failures can still occur at Gmail.
Email marketer from EasyDMARC explains that DMARC failure reports indicate when an email fails authentication checks. Common causes include forwarding and improper SPF/DKIM setup. If emails are forwarded without proper handling, they can fail DMARC checks at the receiving end.
Email marketer from Stack Overflow explains that when MXRoute forwards emails, it can break SPF and DKIM, leading to DMARC failures at Gmail. They suggest using ARC (Authenticated Received Chain) to preserve authentication results across intermediaries.
Email marketer from Email Geeks shares that MXroute tries to rewrite the return path using Sender Rewriting Scheme (SRS), but doesn't use ARC.
Marketer from Email Geeks explains that it's likely someone using MXroute is forwarding emails to Gmail, confirms they don't use ARC, but attempt to rewrite the return path using SRS.
Email marketer from MXroute Community Forum suggests that the issue is likely due to MXroute's configuration not properly handling forwarded emails, leading to SPF failures and DMARC rejections by Gmail. They recommend checking MXroute's documentation or contacting their support for assistance with configuring SPF and DKIM records correctly.
Email marketer from Mailhardener shares that SPF typically fails after forwarding, as the IP address of the forwarding server isn't authorized in the sender's SPF record. Using ARC is the correct solution.
Marketer from Email Geeks responds that auto forwarding is a common issue and happens frequently.
What the experts say2Expert opinions
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that DMARC passes if either SPF or DKIM passes and are aligned. If MXRoute is sending emails that fail both, then Gmail will reject them based on the DMARC policy setup.
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that when mail is forwarded, the SPF record will no longer align. DMARC will fail unless there are steps in place to resolve.
What the documentation says4Technical articles
Documentation from DMARC.org explains that SPF failures occur when an email is forwarded because the IP address of the forwarding server doesn't match the IP address authorized in the sender's SPF record. This can cause DMARC authentication to fail.
Documentation from RFC describes that SRS (Sender Rewriting Scheme) is designed to rewrite the sender address in forwarded emails to maintain SPF alignment and prevent bounce loops. However, it can still cause DMARC failures if not implemented correctly, particularly if DKIM signatures are not handled.
Documentation from Microsoft Learn describes how SPF, DKIM, and DMARC work together to authenticate email. It emphasizes that forwarded emails often fail SPF checks because the forwarding server isn't authorized in the original sender's SPF record, leading to potential DMARC failures.
Documentation from Google Workspace Admin Help explains that DMARC failures are common when emails are forwarded because the original sender's SPF and DKIM records no longer align with the forwarding server's IP address, causing Gmail to flag the email as unauthenticated.