SPF: Invalid policy syntax

What this means

Your SPF record has an invalid policy syntax. This may be caused by the presence of incorrect symbols or typographical errors.

Why this is a problem

An invalid policy syntax will cause processing of your SPF record to fail.

Email delivery which relies on passing SPF checks may not be delivered successfully to intended recipients.

In addition, this could increase the chances of spoofing emails being sent from your domain.

How to check if the problem is there

Check your SPF record carefully, specifically the beginning and the end, to ensure that it is formatted correctly and that there are no incorrect characters.

You might want to use the following online tools to check for this issue:

• National Cyber Security Centre’s (NCSC) check your email security tool
• Hardenize’s domain report tool

How to fix this

Amend your SPF record so that it is formatted correctly and only contains valid characters and statements.

Pay particular attention to special characters which may have been modified if you have copied and pasted the record from elsewhere.