I'm dealing with an issue where Microsoft's SPF record, specifically spf.protection.outlook.com, is causing us to hit the limit of DNS lookups. I've been getting emails rejected from clients because of this 'too many lookups' error. When I checked both dnschecker.org and easydmarc.com, they confirmed that Microsoft has 11 lookups linked to their SPF record. Although we utilize SPF flattening to manage other services, it seems not to be sufficient for these lookups. Is there any way to address this issue without compromising our current setup?
3 Answers
Remember that the SPF limit affects DNS lookups only, so the IP addresses themselves won’t affect you. If you're using DMARCly for flattening, that’s good, but you might need to dig into why all those entries are being counted as separate lookups. It’s essential to ensure that your other services don't add unnecessary complexity to your SPF record.
The SPF lookup limit exists primarily to mitigate the risk of denial of service through excessive DNS queries. Although you need those IPs from spf.protection.outlook.com, you should ensure that your own SPF record is as clean as possible. Since the IPs are associated with Microsoft, you won't be able to change those, but consolidating your other records can help alleviate lookup issues. Check out the explanation I linked for more insight!
To tackle the 11 lookups from Microsoft's SPF record, you'll need to assess your current setup. The challenge arises because you can't modify Microsoft's SPF record directly. Consider reviewing your own records; too many entries could be contributing to the issue. Your marketing team might have overloaded the SPF with too many services. Have a look at the link I shared for a deeper dive into the issue. Also, look into most recent SPF flattening solutions to manage your entries more efficiently!
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