Based on DKIM and SPF, DMARC is a
standard that allows you to specify regulations on who can send email for your
domain. If you're new to email authentication, you should learn about SPF and
DKIM first. A DMARC policy in DNS, when used in conjunction with SPF and DKIM,
allows you to create rules to reject or quarantine (junk folder) emails from
unknown origins. DMARC also allows you to obtain reports on sending activities
for your domain thanks to ISP support (Gmail, Yahoo, Microsoft, and others).
Why
Is DMARC Important?
Emails, as you may know, are quite
easy to spoof. Criminals adore it because phishing emails that look to come
from senders you trust, especially well-known brands, are easy to bait and
abuse.
Simply putting a well-known brand's
logo into an email makes it appear more authentic, increasing the chances of
someone clicking on something they shouldn't.
In most circumstances, an end-user may
be unable to tell the difference between a genuine and a false message, forcing
mailbox providers to make difficult decisions about which messages are genuine
and which are not.
How
DMARC Influences Email Deliverability and Domain Reputation
By publishing a DMARC record:
You must publish a record in the DNS
record of the domain for which DMARC will be used to activate DMARC. The domain
owner requests that ISPs (that support DMARC) offer feedback on the
communications they receive for that domain by setting up a DMARC record. This informs
recipients that the sender want to strengthen email authentication.
By using the DMARC results to improve the
authentication results
When a DMARC record is published, it
generates valuable DMARC reports that provide insight into the email channel.
The DMARC reports disclose which sources and IPs deliver messages on a domain's
behalf. It also includes extra SPF and DKIM verification results. The domain
owner can strengthen the SPF and DKIM verification on these communications
after reviewing the results. These procedures improve a domain's reliability,
and ISPs may be more ready to forward messages to the receiver's primary
mailbox as a result. Email deliverability improves as a result of this.
By enforcing the DMARC policy
After SPF and DKIM are properly
configured, a domain owner can begin implementing a DMARC policy. By enforcing the DMARC policy, the impact of
malicious communications sent on behalf of the domain is reduced, and spoofing
is avoided. This demonstrates to ISPs that a domain owner ensures the security
of the email channel, and that recipients may trust communications sent from
that domain. These procedures improve a domain's reliability, and ISPs may be
more ready to forward messages to the receiver's primary mailbox as a result.
Email deliverability improves as a result of this.