IronSights

Network & infrastructure

MTA-STS

An email security standard that lets domains publish a policy requiring TLS-encrypted SMTP connections for incoming email, preventing downgrade attacks that could expose email content in transit.

Also known asMTA STSMail Transfer Agent Strict Transport SecuritySMTP MTA Strict Transport Security

In plain English

MTA-STS is a newer email security standard that complements SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. Where those three focus on verifying who sent an email, MTA-STS ensures that email travelling between mail servers is encrypted — preventing a network attacker from intercepting messages in transit by stripping the encryption.

Keep learning

More terms in the IronSights Glossary.