Office 365: Behind the scenes email upgrade could mess with forwarding
Microsoft will soon use SRS to rewrite forwarded emails
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
Microsoftis currently working on a new update that will change the way in which emails are forwarded in bothOffice 365andExchange Online.
Currently messages forwarded using the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) or mailbox forwarding are rewritten so that they come from the forwarding mailbox.
However, Microsoft is currently working on a new email upgrade that will see messages that are autoforwarded (or redirected) in Office 365 rewritten using the Sender Rewriting Scheme (SRS).
According to anew postin theMicrosoft 365 Roadmap, the reason for this change is to consolidate the rewriting behavior for all forwarded or relayed messages in Exchange Online.
Sender Rewriting Scheme
In a recentsupport document, Microsoft explained that SRS functionality was added to Office 365 to resolve a problem in which autoforwarding is incompatible with theSender Policy Framework(SPF).
This new SRS feature rewrites the P1 From address (also known as the Envelope From address) for all applicable messages that are sent externally from Office 365. As a result of this change, deliverability of messages that pass SPF checks when they arrive from the original sender but then fail SPF at the final external destination after they are forwarded has been improved.
Still though, due to changes in behavior, disruptions may occur. For instance, forwarded messages will no longer be rewritten when sent to a customer’son-premises servers.
Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter
Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed!
Microsoft will begin using SRS to rewrite all messages forwarded using SMTP or mailbox forwarding beginning in October, so if you’re forwarded emails don’t arrive at their final destination at that time, this could be the reason why.
After working with the TechRadar Pro team for the last several years, Anthony is now the security and networking editor at Tom’s Guide where he covers everything from data breaches and ransomware gangs to the best way to cover your whole home or business with Wi-Fi. When not writing, you can find him tinkering with PCs and game consoles, managing cables and upgrading his smart home.
7 myths about email security everyone should stop believing
Best Usenet client of 2024
From Dishonored to Mafia: Definitive Edition, some of my favorite games are free right now for Amazon Prime members
