Why Emails Pass SPF and DKIM But Still Fail DMARC: Alignment Explained
Emails can pass both SPF and DKIM authentication checks and still fail DMARC due to a concept called alignment, which requires that at least one authenticated domain matches the visible From address. SPF authenticates the Return-Path envelope sender, while DKIM authenticates the domain in its d= tag — neither of which necessarily matches the From header recipients see. DMARC, defined under RFC 7489, mandates that at least one of these authenticated domains aligns with the From domain before a message is considered compliant. Common failure scenarios include email service providers signing messages under their own domain rather than the sender's, and email forwarding that breaks SPF checks and corrupts DKIM signatures. The fix typically involves configuring a custom Return-Path or an aligned DKIM signature through the sending platform so that at least one mechanism aligns with the sender's actual domain.
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