DMARC record – meaning

DMARC record is a simple instrument for secure email correspondence. The abbreviation means Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance. In addition, this mechanism uses both SPF records and DKIM records. 

If you desire to minimize the possibilities of malicious attempts, you should set your DMARC record correctly for your domain name. So, because of the reposting of the SPF record, it is able to reduce email phishing. Additionally, the DKIM record provides encryption, which helps with minimizing the chance of DNS spoofing.

As a result, the success rate of the emails you send is going to be much higher, and a minor part of them is going to land into the spam folder of your recipients. In addition, by adding the DMARC record, you are making sure that the level of security is improved on top of the other two DNS records – DKIM and SPF. 

You could choose different approaches when you are setting it up. For instance, you could arrange it up more solid. That way, if the SPF record and the DKIM record pass, the DMARC is going to fail because of the criteria. In another case, you can arrange it lighter and specify the application for only the SPF record or just the DKIM record.

How does DMARC record work?

The administrator specifies certain policies, which the DMARC record uses. The reason for that is all about the determination of the email authentication practices. Additionally, in what way should the receiving email server behave in case a particular email fails to keep a policy.

Whenever the email server accountable for receiving emails gets a new message, it completes a DNS lookup. It seeks the DMARC record. Then, it searches for the following information:

• If the DKIM signature of the message proper?
• Is the particular IP address from which the email is sent actually is one of the authorized for the domain in the SPF records?
• Is the header in the message holding proper “domain alignment”?

Depending on the server DMARC method, it accepts, declines, or flags the message taking all of the considerations above. Finally, in the end, the responsible server is going to inform with a message the sender providing a complete report.

Benefits

• Availability – Thanks to the fact that the emails you send are authenticated, they reach the inboxes of your recipients successfully. They are considered and recognized as reliable. In addition, the reputation of your domain is kept safe. The reason for that the DMARC record prevents fraudulent emails from being sent on behalf of your domain. 
• Protection – It doesn’t allow unauthorized usage of your email domain and protects receivers from fraud, phishing, and spam. The DMARC record provides serious astounding benefits regarding security. When you have authority over your stream of email messages, they are more likely to provide trust to the receivers.
• Reporting – Once you implement the DMARC record, you are able to view who is using your domain to send messages. So, it allows you as a domain owner to receive reports about the email messages that are sent through the Internet. That reporting mechanism gives you insights, which you are not able to see elsewhere. It provides you with an overview of the entire amount of email messages that are processed on behalf of your domain.