Is Microsoft’s SNDS network re-attestation email legitimate?
Asked by
CedarFox42
I received an unusually formatted email claiming that I need to re-attest our network access for Microsoft's Smart Network Data Services (SNDS). The message passed SPF and DKIM, and the link points to Microsoft's aka.ms domain and displays our actual mail server IP address. Has anyone else received this notification, and is it legitimate? Also, the message refers to the year 0001, which seems odd—what does that date mean?
Answers
Check the full authentication results, especially whether DKIM was aligned and whether DMARC passed. One report indicated SPF and DMARC passed while DKIM was aligned but not authenticated, suggesting the message may have originated from Microsoft’s notification infrastructure even if the email itself was poorly configured.
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Several people received the same message with SPF and DMARC passing. That makes ordinary spoofing less likely, although authentication alone doesn’t prove the message content was well written or intentionally sent. The formatting looks like a Microsoft notification template that was published incorrectly.
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The aka.ms link appears to lead to Microsoft’s legitimate SNDS re-attestation page, and SNDS is a real Microsoft service used for mail-delivery reputation. Still, it’s safest to open the SNDS site independently rather than relying on the email link, then check whether the listed IP and requested action appear in your account.
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The year 0001 is probably a bad or missing date value in Microsoft’s message template or backend data, not a meaningful deadline. I would treat the date as a software or formatting error and confirm the request directly through the SNDS portal before taking action.
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