Google, Yahoo & AOL Announce further protection updates!

New Authentication Standards Starting from 1st February 2024

From now on, Google, Yahoo and AOL are making changes that will require all email senders, both large and small, to comply with new email authentication standards and other controls for email to get delivered.

What does this mean for regular sender?

For regular senders, this means that you will need to ensure that your email authentication protocols are DMARC compliant. This involves publishing a DMARC policy via DNS records across all your organisation’s domains and ensuring that your sending sources are correctly authenticated and aligned. By being DMARC compliant, you can help ensure that your emails are delivered to the intended recipients and that your data is protected.

What does this mean for the bulk senders?

If you are sending over 5000 emails a day into Google, Yahoo and AOL mailboxes, you will need to meet a minimum set of email authentication standards along with other controls for email to get delivered.

You must also include a one-click unsubscribe link in your email and honour requests within two days.

Google, Yahoo and AOL will also begin enforcing a spam rate threshold that senders must stay under to ensure Gmail and Yahoo recipients aren't being sent spam. Google are making their updates as of 1st February 2024, and Yahoo and AOL are soon to follow.

What is DMARC compliant?

Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) are the standards that Google, Yahoo and AOL are asking you to meet to be able to send email to their users. They are email authentication protocols, also known as being DMARC compliant. To be DMARC compliant, means that you are publishing a DMARC policy via DNS records across all your organisation’s domains and that your sending sources are correctly authenticated and aligned.

DMARC removes guesswork from the receiver’s handling of these failed messages, limiting or eliminating the user’s exposure to potentially fraudulent and harmful messages.

• More information from Google >
• More information from Yahoo >
• More information from Barracuda >

What are the DNS changes?

Firstly you may be asking what is a DNS? This stands for Domain Name System (DNS), in which various information is stored to translate domain names into IP addresses. This is so that humans can access information online through domain names, but web browsers can still interact through IP addresses (Internet Protocol).

For all senders:

• Use SPF for email authentication

OR

• Set up DKIM for message integrity
• Have valid PTR records for each sender IP
• Require TLS encryption
• Keep the spam rate threshold < 0.1% and not reach 0.3%+
• Do not impersonate Gmail
  
  

For senders of over 5,000 messages per day to Google, Yahoo and AOL recipients:

• Use SPF for email authentication

AND

• Set up DKIM for message integrity
• Have valid PTR records for each sender IP
• Require TLS encryption
• Keep the spam rate threshold < 0.1% and not reach 0.3%+
• Do not impersonate Gmail
• Must have DMARC policy
• Must pass DMARC alignment
• Include easy one-click unsubscribe
  
  

These requirements will affect every organisation sending email to recipients hosted by Google, Yahoo, and AOL, which total over two billion mailboxes worldwide. Failure to comply with these requirements may result in your messages being rejected or marked as spam by your intended recipient.

What are we going to do?

If we have access to your DNS or domain management, then we will have reviewed your settings to ensure everything is in order. If we do not have access, then your dedicated Account Manager will be in touch with you to advise on the next steps.

What do you need to do?

Good news…you don’t need to do anything! Either we have ensured that your settings are already up-to-date, or your Account Manager will be discussing our recommendations with you.

Have you received a bounce back notification?

If you receive a bounce back email from Gmail, Yahoo or AOL, then please contact our Technical Support team and we will raise a ticket to investigate further. Or if you are not a client of ours and would like to learn more about how we can support you, please get in touch.

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