Authentication-Results Registration Update for SPF Results
draft-kucherawy-authres-spf-erratum-02

Abstract

This memo updates the registry of authentication method results in Authentication-Results: message header fields, correcting a discontinuity between the original registry creation and the SPF specification.

This memo updates RFC5451.

Status of this Memo

This Internet-Draft is submitted in full conformance with the provisions of BCP 78 and BCP 79.

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This Internet-Draft will expire on August 14, 2012.

Copyright Notice

Copyright (c) 2012 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the document authors. All rights reserved.

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Table of Contents

• 1. Introduction
• 2. Keywords
• 3. New 'fail' definition
• 4. IANA Considerations
• 4.1. Addition of 'Status' Columns
• 4.2. Update to Result Names
• 5. Security Considerations
• 6. References
• 6.1. Normative References
• 6.2. Informative References
• Appendix A. Examples in RFC5451
• Appendix B. Acknowledgements
• Author's Address

1. Introduction

[AUTHRES] defined a new header field for electronic mail messages that presents the results of a message authentication effort in a machine-readable format. That Request For Comments created a registry of results for a few message authentication mechanisms, one of which was the Sender Policy Framework [SPF]. The registry contains one entry that is inconsistent with the latter specification, which was noted in an erratum filed with the RFC Editor. This memo updates the IANA registries accordingly.

2. Keywords

The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT", "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL" in this document are to be interpreted as described in [KEYWORDS].

3. New 'fail' definition

The new "fail" result, replacing the existing "hardfail" result for [SPF] (and thus also for [SENDER-ID]) has the same definition for "hardfail" that was used in Section 2.4.2 of [AUTHRES], namely:

• This client is explicitly not authorized to inject or relay mail using the sender's DNS domain.

4. IANA Considerations

This section enumerates requested actions of IANA, per [IANA].

4.1. Addition of 'Status' Columns

IANA is requested to amend the Email Authentication Methods and Email Authentication Result Names registries, both in the Email Authentication Parameters group, by adding to each a column called "Status" that will indicate for each entry its current standards status. Legal values for these columns are:

active:

The entry is in current use.

deprecated:

The entry is no longer in current use.

New registrations to either table MUST specify one of these values.

All exisitng entries, except as specified below, are to be noted as "active" as of publication of this memo.

4.2. Update to Result Names

[AUTHRES] listed "hardfail" as the result to be used when a message fails an [SPF] evaluation. However, this latter specification used the string "fail" to denote such failures.

Therefore, IANA is requested to mark "hardfail" in the Email Authentication Result Names registry as "deprecated", and amend the "fail" entry as follows:

Code:

fail

Defined:

[AUTHRES]

Auth Method:

spf, sender-id

Meaning:

[this memo] Section 3

Status:

active

5. Security Considerations

This memo corrects a registry error. It is possible that older implementations will not recognize or use the corrected entry. Thus, implementers are advised to support both result strings for some period of time. However, it is known that some implementations are already using the SPF-defined result string.

6. References

6.1. Normative References

6.2. Informative References

Appendix A. Examples in RFC5451

It should be noted that this update also applies to the examples in [AUTHRES], specifically the one in Appendix B.5. The error there is not corrected by this update, which only deals with the normative portions of that specification and the related IANA registrations. However, it is assumed one could easily see what needs to be corrected there.

Corrected examples will be included in a full update to [AUTHRES] at some future time.

Appendix B. Acknowledgements

The author wishes to acknowledge the following for their review and constructive criticism of this proposal: S. Moonesamy, Scott Kitterman.

Author's Address