academia.edu

academia.edu · Last checked 2026-10-04 02:18 UTC

academia.edu

Good, with 2 things to fix

academia.edu scored 84/100 (grade B). The main issues are DMARC alignment: SPF alignment is unlikely for third-party senders and DKIM key shorter than 2048 bits. Detected senders: Google Workspace, Mailchimp and Zendesk.

Checked 2026-10-04 02:18 UTC · fresh check

2 passed2 need attention0 failing4 for informationDetected senders: Google Workspace, Mailchimp, Zendesk

All checks

MXCan servers find your inbox?No issues foundPass

Nothing to report.

SPFWho may send as you?No issues foundPass

Nothing to report.

DKIMAre your emails signed?DKIM key shorter than 2048 bitsNeeds attention
  • Warning: DKIM key shorter than 2048 bits

    google (1024-bit), k1 (1024-bit), default (1024-bit) uses an RSA key below 2048 bits. Short keys can be factored and some receivers treat them as weak. Rotate to a 2048-bit key at your sending provider.

  • Pass: DKIM key published

    academia.edu publishes a DKIM key under google, k1, default.

DMARCWhat happens to fakes?DMARC policy is quarantine; consider rejectInfo
  • Info: DMARC policy is quarantine; consider reject

    Failing mail goes to spam rather than being refused. When reports show no legitimate failures, reject gives the strongest protection.

    How to fix this
  • Info: DMARC uses strict alignment

    With adkim=s or aspf=s the DKIM d= domain or the bounce domain must equal the From domain exactly; a subdomain is not enough. Third-party senders that sign or bounce from a subdomain (or their own domain) will then fail DMARC unless they are configured to use your exact domain.

AlignmentDoes it match your From?SPF alignment is unlikely for third-party sendersNeeds attention
  • Warning: SPF alignment is unlikely for third-party senders

    This is a heuristic. Your SPF record authorizes servers.mcsv.net, mail.zendesk.com, and such providers normally bounce from their own Return-Path domain or from a subdomain of yours. With aspf=s the Return-Path domain must equal academia.edu exactly, so SPF will not align for mail they send and DMARC depends on DKIM alone. Make sure each provider signs with DKIM as academia.edu.

BIMICan inboxes show your logo?No BIMI recordInfo
  • Info: No BIMI record

    No BIMI record at default._bimi.academia.edu. BIMI is optional: it shows your logo next to your mail in supporting inboxes once DMARC is enforced.

    How to fix this
MTA-STSIs mail to you encrypted?No MTA-STS recordInfo
  • Info: No MTA-STS record

    No MTA-STS record at _mta-sts.academia.edu. MTA-STS (RFC 8461) makes sending servers require TLS and a valid certificate when delivering to you, which blocks downgrade attacks.

    How to fix this
TLS-RPTWill you hear about failures?No TLS-RPT recordInfo
  • Info: No TLS-RPT record

    No TLS reporting record at _smtp._tls.academia.edu. TLS-RPT (RFC 8460) tells senders where to send daily reports about failed encrypted deliveries to you.

    How to fix this

How to fix it

Strengthen the DMARC policyTXT

Rejects mail that fails DMARC, the strongest protection against spoofing.

TypeTXT
Name / Host
_dmarc.academia.edu

Some DNS providers want just “_dmarc” here.

Value
v=DMARC1; p=reject; rua=mailto:e2a4c-8143@rua.dmarc.emailanalyst.com,mailto:1sjkpqdg@ag.dmarcian.com; adkim=s; aspf=s
Replaces
v=DMARC1; p=quarantine; ruf=mailto:e2a4c-8143@ruf.dmarc.emailanalyst.com,mailto:yuri+dmarc.aedufr@academia.edu; rua=mailto:e2a4c-8143@rua.dmarc.emailanalyst.com,mailto:1sjkpqdg@ag.dmarcian.com; fo=1; adkim=s; aspf=s

Publish the MTA-STS recordTXT

Tells sending servers that academia.edu publishes an MTA-STS policy at https://mta-sts.academia.edu/.well-known/mta-sts.txt. Change the id whenever the policy file changes.

TypeTXT
Name / Host
_mta-sts.academia.edu

Some DNS providers want just “_mta-sts” here.

Value
v=STSv1; id=202610040218

Host the MTA-STS policy filepolicy-file

Serve this file over HTTPS with a valid certificate for mta-sts.academia.edu. It lists your MX hosts and starts in testing mode; switch to mode: enforce once TLS-RPT reports show no failures.

Location
https://mta-sts.academia.edu/.well-known/mta-sts.txt
Contents
version: STSv1
mode: testing
mx: aspmx.l.google.com
mx: alt1.aspmx.l.google.com
mx: aspmx3.googlemail.com
max_age: 604800

Set up a TLS report addressinstruction

Sending servers will report TLS failures when delivering to academia.edu, which you need before enforcing MTA-STS. The address must accept TLS reports; a DMARC report address does not necessarily do so.

Applies to: _smtp._tls.academia.edu

  1. Pick an address that will receive TLS reports: a mailbox you read (for example tls-reports@academia.edu, created first) or a TLS reporting service. 2. Publish a TXT record at _smtp._tls.academia.edu with the value v=TLSRPTv1; rua=mailto:<that address>.

Prepare BIMIinstruction

BIMI shows your logo next to messages in supporting inboxes, but only for mail that passes DMARC under an enforced policy.

Applies to: default._bimi.academia.edu

  1. Enforce DMARC first: p=quarantine or p=reject at 100% (no pct below 100). 2. Convert your logo to an SVG Tiny PS file and host it over HTTPS, for example https://academia.edu/bimi/logo.svg. 3. For Gmail and Apple Mail, obtain a VMC or CMC certificate for the logo. 4. Publish a TXT record at default._bimi.academia.edu with v=BIMI1, l= set to the logo URL and a= set to the certificate URL.