Shopify Inc.
SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR FACILITATING AUTHENTICATION OF EMAILS SENT BY 3RD PARTIES

Abstract:

A company may authorize a 3.sup.rd party to send emails on behalf of the company's domain. The emails are sent by the 3.sup.rd party, but the "From" portion of the email header is populated with the company's email address/domain. Methods are disclosed that, in some embodiments, enable email authentication (e.g. SPF record checks and/or DKIM verification) for emails sent by the 3.sup.rd party on behalf of a company's domain. In some embodiments, a trusted entity is enlisted to communicate with the 3.sup.rd party and the company. The trusted entity has the proper permissions to request changes in the DNS records of the company. The trusted entity receives the request from the 3.sup.rd party to add email authentication information to the DNS record. The trusted entity confirms that the 3.sup.rd party is authorized by the company and then adds the information to the DNS record.