From 162e420a1f63cd8ecce437f49ada02c37fe9debb Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Linus Rath <139418639+rathlinus@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Tue, 21 Jul 2026 23:03:34 +0200
Subject: [PATCH] fix: stop HELO spf=none from downgrading a MAIL FROM spf=pass
 #650

---
 lib/__tests__/email-headers.test.ts | 29 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 lib/email-headers.ts                | 27 ++++++++++++++-------------
 2 files changed, 43 insertions(+), 13 deletions(-)

diff --git a/lib/__tests__/email-headers.test.ts b/lib/__tests__/email-headers.test.ts
index 34625699..874f5e6b 100644
--- a/lib/__tests__/email-headers.test.ts
+++ b/lib/__tests__/email-headers.test.ts
@@ -83,6 +83,35 @@ describe('parseAuthenticationResults', () => {
     const result = parseAuthenticationResults(header);
     expect(result.spf?.domain).toBe('example.com');
   });
+
+  it('does not let a HELO `none` downgrade a MAIL FROM `pass` (#650)', () => {
+    const header =
+      'mail.haxalot.com; spf=none (mail.haxalot.com: no SPF records found for postmaster@out-23.smtp.github.com) smtp.helo=out-23.smtp.github.com; spf=pass (mail.haxalot.com: domain of noreply@github.com designates 192.30.252.206 as permitted sender) smtp.mailfrom=noreply@github.com';
+    const result = parseAuthenticationResults(header);
+    expect(result.spf?.result).toBe('pass');
+    expect(result.spf?.domain).toBe('noreply@github.com');
+    expect(result.spf?.all).toHaveLength(2);
+  });
+
+  it('does not let a HELO `neutral` downgrade a MAIL FROM `pass`', () => {
+    const header = 'spf=neutral smtp.helo=mail.example.com; spf=pass smtp.mailfrom=example.com';
+    const result = parseAuthenticationResults(header);
+    expect(result.spf?.result).toBe('pass');
+  });
+
+  it('still escalates a HELO hard fail over a MAIL FROM pass', () => {
+    const header = 'spf=fail smtp.helo=mail.spoof.com; spf=pass smtp.mailfrom=example.com';
+    const result = parseAuthenticationResults(header);
+    expect(result.spf?.result).toBe('fail');
+    expect(result.spf?.domain).toBe('mail.spoof.com');
+  });
+
+  it('keeps MAIL FROM `none` as the headline even when HELO passes', () => {
+    const header = 'spf=pass smtp.helo=mail.example.com; spf=none smtp.mailfrom=example.com';
+    const result = parseAuthenticationResults(header);
+    expect(result.spf?.result).toBe('none');
+    expect(result.spf?.domain).toBe('example.com');
+  });
 });
 
 describe('isAuthenticationSpoofed', () => {
diff --git a/lib/email-headers.ts b/lib/email-headers.ts
index 53a79345..505046ff 100644
--- a/lib/email-headers.ts
+++ b/lib/email-headers.ts
@@ -49,8 +49,8 @@ export function parseAuthenticationResults(header: string): AuthenticationResult
 
   // Parse SPF. A single Authentication-Results header can carry more than one
   // SPF result when the server evaluates multiple identities (HELO and MAIL
-  // FROM). Collect them all and surface the most severe as the headline so a
-  // hard MAIL FROM `fail` isn't softened to a HELO `temperror`.
+  // FROM). Collect them all so a hard fail on any identity isn't softened to
+  // an ambiguous state recorded for another one.
   const spfRegex = /spf=(\w+)(?:\s+\([^)]*\))?(?:\s+smtp\.(mailfrom|helo)=([^\s;]+))?/g;
   const spfResults: SpfEntry[] = [];
   let spfM: RegExpExecArray | null;
@@ -63,17 +63,18 @@ export function parseAuthenticationResults(header: string): AuthenticationResult
   }
   if (spfResults.length > 0) {
     const severity = (r: string) => SPF_SEVERITY[r as SpfResult] ?? -1;
-    // Most severe wins; on a tie prefer the MAIL FROM identity (more meaningful
-    // than HELO) and otherwise keep the first occurrence.
-    const primary = spfResults.reduce((best, cur) => {
-      if (severity(cur.result) > severity(best.result)) return cur;
-      if (
-        severity(cur.result) === severity(best.result) &&
-        best.identity !== 'mailfrom' &&
-        cur.identity === 'mailfrom'
-      ) return cur;
-      return best;
-    });
+    // MAIL FROM is the primary SPF identity. Another identity (HELO) may only
+    // escalate the headline to a genuine failure state — a HELO `none` or
+    // `neutral` must not downgrade a MAIL FROM `pass`, since most senders
+    // publish no SPF record for their EHLO hostname.
+    const isFailure = (r: string) => severity(r) >= SPF_SEVERITY.temperror;
+    let primary =
+      spfResults.find((e) => e.identity === 'mailfrom') ?? spfResults[0];
+    for (const cur of spfResults) {
+      if (isFailure(cur.result) && severity(cur.result) > severity(primary.result)) {
+        primary = cur;
+      }
+    }
     results.spf = {
       result: primary.result,
       domain: primary.domain,