Cannot send to gmail addresses

[#1]

I don't pretend to understand all the messages in this thread, but I know that I used to be able to send emails to .gmail addresses, and now I can't, and it's something to do with MX records.

@JulianPentland to be clear, it is not an MX record problem. It is the fact that you are sending from a domain email address and that domain has neither an SPF record or DKIM signing.

To explain without trying to go into too much technical details. SPF & DKIM are methods that have been designed to attempt to mitigate the increasing numbers of spam and spoofed emails by providing a level of 'authentication'. Neither of these standards are mandatory and,  if not present, should not stop emails being received. However, google have unilaterly decided that email to their free (but not paid) accounts MUST have either SPF or DKIM authentication , otherwise they are rejected!. They started to insist on this some months ago and have gradually been rolling it out across their accounts. This explains why you used to be able to send but mail is now being rejected.

So, SPF requires adding a TXT record to a domains DNS which defines which servers are permitted to send email for that domain. I'm afraid the user accessible Plusnet DNS control panel does not have any facilities to do this, in fact the legacy brands such as freenetname have little or no DNS record change support.

A workaround for Plusnet hosted domains was put in place which involved the user creating a 'dummy' MX record (which the DNS control panel DOES support), this was then processed by an internal script to create a fixed SPF (TXT) record which defined the Plusnet mail servers as permitted for that domain. AIUI this facility is not possible for legacy (freenetname/maaf) hosted domains.

In reality , if you wish to continue using your domain to send emails, you probably need to consider transferring the hosting to a provider who can support SPF & DKIM.

Having said that, you MIGHT try sending to a googlemail address instead of gmail i.e if sending to fred@gmail.com , try using fred@googlemail.com. AIUI address@googlemail and address@gmail both refer to the same google account, however there is some evidence that emails are routed differently and MAY not be subject to the same level of checking.

Hope that helps explain...

[#2]

Hello,

I am seeing the same issue when sending to gmail addresses only - I can send to other addresses just fine.

I have a free web domain that was transferred to Plusnet when they bought Madasafish and when I use that account to send emails to anything ending in gmail.com, I get the "unauthenticated sender" type response from gmail.

Will it be possible for the Plusnet team to add the MX record to my account after I provide them with the email address (I have a second inbox on this domain name which is probably affected too)?

[#3]

@RichardWattCove I have a free web domain that was transferred to Plusnet when they bought Madasafish and when I use that account to send emails to anything ending in gmail.com, I get the "unauthenticated sender" type response from gmail.

Is it hosted via a Madasafish account or a Plusnet account ?

As I said above

A workaround for Plusnet hosted domains was put in place which involved the user creating a 'dummy' MX record (which the DNS control panel DOES support), this was then processed by an internal script to create a fixed SPF (TXT) record which defined the Plusnet mail servers as permitted for that domain. AIUI this facility is not possible for legacy (freenetname/maaf) hosted domains.

Will it be possible for the Plusnet team to add the MX record to my account after I provide them with the email address (I have a second inbox on this domain name which is probably affected too)?

Its the domain that's affected not individual mailboxes

You could try

Having said that, you MIGHT try sending to a googlemail address instead of gmail i.e if sending to fred@gmail.com , try using fred@googlemail.com. AIUI address@googlemail and address@gmail both refer to the same google account, however there is some evidence that emails are routed differently and MAY not be subject to the same level of checking.

[#4]

@MisterW It was originally provided by Madasafish as part of their "JustMail" package, so I'm assuming that it would have been hosted by Madasfish, who have since been bought by Plusnet.

I can certainly try the googlemail.com route instead and see if that works.

[#5]

@RichardWattCove if you still login via the Madasafish portal as opposed to the PLusnet one (https://www.plus.net/member-centre/login) then AIUI there's no facility to add the dummy MX record.

I would suggest you start thinking about transferring your domain to another host that can provide SPF & DKIM support. Whilst at the moment its only google ( and microsoft?) that are insisting on these standards, others are going to go that way sooner or later.

[#6]

@MisterW I'm accessing it from my Mozilla Thunderbird "Supernova" (version 115) email program with 2 accounts set up:

• Madasfish - uses the Madasafish POP3 & SMTP servers and login.
• My Domain - uses the POP3 & SMTP servers and login provided by Madasafish for my domain.

I think you're right about moving the domain to another host - it's nice to know these big American companies are now finally (pretending to) care about dealing with spammers (/sarcasm). It's only taken them over 20 years to do it.

[#7]

There's not a lot you can do about the Madasafish native email account, although I think that does have SPF (but not sure about DKIM ?) .

Its the hosted domain that's the problem. If you use multiple mailboxes then have a look at https://www.mythic-beasts.com/hosting, the 'mail only' costs £20/yr (paid annually) , has similar storage limits and allows unlimited email addresses for a domain. As an added bonus you can also have multiple domains...

[#8]

I've had identical problems sending or forarding emails to gmail. I have my own domain (.org.uk) hosted by Fasthosts and I have recently been working them to resolve my gmail bounces. Adding the txt record to my DNS settings didn't resolve the issue. They have made some further changes and have added DMARC and DKIM records to my domain.

Unfortunately this didn't resolve the issue and the latest is they have said:

It appears that there might be an issue with your email address being blacklisted. A blacklist is essentially a list of email addresses known for sending spam, and if your address is on it, Gmail may automatically reject your emails.

https://support.google.com/mail/thread/224032449/emails-sent-to-gmail-addresses-failed-delivery?hl=e...

To address this issue, I recommend reaching out to Gmail's support. This error is not specific to Fasthosts, as users on different platforms have encountered similar problems and bounce-back messages. By contacting Gmail directly, you can inquire about the blacklisting status and take appropriate steps to resolve it.

I have no idea why my email address would be blacklisted. I have another domain (.org) which hasn't been used for email which is showing the same problem but the TXT/DRMAC/DKIM changes haven't been made which may explain the problem.

I have no idea how to check if my email is blacklisted or how to go about getting it removed if it is. Frustrating to say the least!

[#9]

@KevH what is the exact error message in the bounce ?

[#10]

Here's gmail's response to an email I send to my gmail account from PN via my domain address:

Final-recipient: rfc822; <my gmail address>@gmail.com
Diagnostic-Code: smtp; 550-5.7.26 This mail has been blocked because the sender is unauthenticated.

After posting my message I did do some searching for how to authenticate to gmail and I found myself at gmail's postmaster tools.  After submitting a request to unblock my address (https://postmaster.google.com/managedomains?pli=1). I've got a string to apply as a txt setting my domain's DNS entry to prove my ownership of my domain:

"google-site-verification=<long string>"

I've applied it but so far it hasn't validated so perhaps I need to try it again in the morning. That said, a similar ownership/validation string for Protonmail (to allow me to send emails from proton via my domain address) won't validate either - something I'm waiting for Fastohosts to resolve,

. 

[#11]

@KevH 

Diagnostic-Code: smtp; 550-5.7.26

That is lack of SPF/DKIM or DMARC policy

Googles own help confirms it https://support.google.com/a/answer/3726730?hl=en.

Have you checked your SPF & DKIM settings for your domain ?

Are you sending email via the Plusnet servers and if so have Fasthosts added the correct SPF record ?

[#12]

I can't see where to add or check my SPF and DKIM settings in the DNS settings for Fasthosts. I'll have to raise this in my ticket with them.

I am sending my emails via plusnet's servers. If I post using my plusnet email address and don't use my domain name there are no problems sending to google.

[#13]

I am sending my emails via plusnet's servers.

Ah! That's what I suspected.. Fasthosts will almost certainly have added their standard SPF record which is wrong if you are using PN servers

The SPF record defines which servers are authorised to send for your domain, you need an SPF record which defines the Plusnet servers.

As for DKIM , it won't work through the Plusnet servers but shouldn't be necessary as long as the SPF is correct.

Your SPF record needs to be like this

v=spf1 a mx include:_spf-internal.plus.net include:_spf-internal2.plus.net ~all

You also need to delete any DKIM keys from your dns 

You should be able to change DNS records yourself , see here https://support.rocketspark.com/hc/en-us/articles/115010277407-How-to-change-your-DNS-settings-in-Fa...

[#14]

I added that SFP record as a TXT note in the DNS record months ago when that fix was proposed here. Didn't work.

[#15]

The host field should be your domain name not Gmail

You might find this useful https://www.mimecast.com/content/how-to-create-an-spf-txt-record/#:~:text=An%20SPF%20record%20is%20a....