SMU now requires authorization for campus partners who wish to send emails impersonating an smu.edu domain. This requirement helps us prevent malicious senders from spoofing SMU addresses while attempting to send phishing emails or malware to our campus or outside entities.
Due to recent changes, some senders may be encountering delivery issues that did not occur previously. It is likely that previously unauthorized senders’ messages are now being quarantined as a result.
If you manage a relationship with a marketing partner, please inquire about the availability of DKIM signing for their inbound email. This is a process where the sender provides DNS records, which OIT then publishes in order to authorize their inbound email. Note that partners who work with multiple groups at SMU may be required to provide multiple sets of DNS records.
Alternatively, SMU organizations may decide to allow their business partners to send email with a non-SMU domain. Senders who do not impersonate smu.edu domains should not require additional authorization. In either case, we recommend that testing and validation be done well before any planned message delivery.
We in OIT are happy to help with reviewing and implementing requirements for email impersonation and authorization. If you wish to authorize a sender, please open a ticket with the IT Help Desk and provide the following information:
- Name of the partner organization
- Full sending email address(es), e.g., noreply@smu.edu
- If possible, please provide a copy of a message sample, preferably as an attachment
- Any documentation that the partner can provide for setting up authorization (DKIM/DMARC)
If you have any questions or need assistance, please feel free to contact the IT Help Desk at 214-768-HELP (4357) or email help@smu.edu.
