Plesk e-mail security
Foreword
This article explains how you can increase email security in Plesk by configuring SPF, DKIM and DMARC. You will learn step by step how to activate the corresponding security mechanisms in Plesk.
Prerequisites
- Server with Plesk Control Panel
- Access to the DNS zone of the domain
Alternatively, you can also use creoline Mail Protection to secure your mail traffic. You can find more information on this in the article E-Mail Protection
Security settings for incoming mails
Log in to the Plesk Control Panel to activate the checks. Our help center article Login to Plesk Control Panel shows you how to log in to your Plesk Control Panel.
After logging into the Plesk Control Panel, navigate to Tools & Settings → Mail Server Settings and select the menu item to open the mail server settings.
In the mail server settings you will then find the items "DMARC, DKIM spam protection and SPF spam protection". Check the boxes for Incoming emails in the above points and then save the settings using the "Save" button.
Security settings for outgoing mails
To secure outgoing mails in Plesk, settings in the Plesk panel or in the DNS are required, depending on the security mechanism. General information on the topic of DNS entries can be found in our Help Center article DNS entries.
SPF
SPF (Sender Policy Framework) is a method to prevent forgery of sender addresses. SPF can be used in mail servers to check whether an incoming email from your domain originates from a host that has been authorized by the administrator of the domain.
You can find out how to set up SPF for your domain in our Help Center article Configure SPF.
DKIM
DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) is a method that uses encryption authentication to link the identity of a domain name to an outgoing message and to validate the identity of the domain name of an incoming message.
You can find out how to enable DKIM in Plesk for outgoing emails in our Help Center article Plesk: Enable DKIM.
DMARC
DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance) is a technology that extends the functions of the SPF and DKIM methods. A so-called DMARC policy defines how the recipient should handle email messages depending on the results of the DKIM and SPF checks.
You can find out how to set up and configure DMARC for your domain in our Help Center article Configure DMARC.