DMARC (Domain-Based Message
Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance), relying on SPF and DKIM protocols,
determines whether an email is authentic or forged. It provides visibility of
the original source of an email sent from your domain, ensures better deliverability,
and safeguards your domain from spoofing, phishing scams, impersonation, and
other malicious cyberattacks.
DMARC
had the following missions:
●
Develop and publish
plans and policies on the handling of authenticated emails
●
Enable receivers to
provide authentication reporting for the improvement of authentication
monitoring infrastructure
●
Develop a formal email
authentication standard for all organizations to follow
DMARC uses DKIM and SPF to authenticate email senders. If fraudsters are detected, the published DMARC policy tells the receiver’s server to quarantine or reject the communication. It doesn't just stop there. DMARC releases information back to the domain administrators and informs them about any suspicious activities.
Before we can dive into how DMARC helps protect your brand, we must understand the parameters associated with DMARC, i.e., SPF and DKIM.
DMARC compiles the signals from SPF and DKIM, two existing email verifying technologies. SPF allows the domain owner to specify which addresses are authorized to send an email on their behalf. DKIM, on the other hand, uses an encrypted signature to verify if an email sender is exactly who they say they are.
Both DKIM and SPF produce individual
authentication identifiers that help verify and validate emails. DMARC combines
the results of these protocols to accurately identify if an email is from an
authorized sender or fraudulent impersonator. If suspicious activity is identified,
it actively blocks the cyber attack by enforcing its rigid policies.
Additionally, DMARC allows organizations to instruct receiving servers on how
to deal with emails that use their domain by setting up their own DMARC
policies.
Let
us look at the working of DMARC in four simple steps:
●
The domain admin
configures the email authentication policies and the actions that must be taken
by the receiving mail servers when handling emails that fail authentication.
This DMARC policy then becomes part of the domain’s overall DNS records.
●
The mail server at the
receiving end of an incoming email uses DNS to look up the DMARC policy for the
domain included in the message’s ‘From’ header. The inbound server then
assesses the message for DKIM signature validation, SPF record, the message's
source, and its domain alignment.
● The server then applies the sending domain’s DMARC policy to determine
whether to accept, reject, or flag the email.
● After determining what action is to be taken using the DMARC policy, the receiving mail server will then report the result to the sending domain owner.
How Can Email Authentication Help Improve Email Deliverability?
Email Authentication provides useful insight into an organization’s email-sending habits. It provides reports containing data on the IP addresses used to send emails, the frequency of emails, unsent emails, etc. It also improves domain visibility since the domain owner receives feedback on the emails received, which indicates domain support towards secure email protocols.
DMARC reports also offer information on email tracking while the authentication results help detect failures and solve arising issues. This leads to an efficient communication channel within the company as well as properly managed email campaigns externally. This boosts brand awareness and reputation.
Additional Tips:
●
Enable visual identification with BIMI. This boosts brand recall and
maximizes outreach.
● Implement TLS encryption of
emails with MTA-STS.
● Detect and mitigate email delivery issues by enabling TLS-RPT.
Content Source:- https://www.idg.com.au/mediareleases/204907/dummys-guide-to-dmarc-email-deliverability/