As a domain owner, for sure, you should consider implementing the DMARC record. When you own a website, it is essential to build a trustable connection with your customers. That includes ensuring them that the emails they receive are sent from you and not someone else.
The conversation between you and your visitors must remain transparent. So, let’s explain a little bit more about the DMARC record and why it is so important!
DMARC record – definition
The short abbreviation DMARC stands for Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance, and it is a mechanism for secure email correspondence that applies both SPF and DKIM. Once you set your DMARC record correctly for your domain name, it is going to reduce the chances of malicious attempts. Furthermore, thanks to the reposting of the SPF record is possible to minimize email phishing, and thanks to the encryption provided by the DKIM record, the chance for spoofing is reduced.
The emails you send are going to have a much higher success rate. This is because a smaller number of them are going to end up in the spam folder for your recipients. When you implement the DMARC record, you are going to add an extra level of security on top of the SPF record and DKIM record.
If you want, you can set it up more solid, and in case the SPF record and DKIM record pass, the DMARC is going to fail because of criteria. Or you can establish it lighter and define the application to only SPF record or only DKIM record.
How does it work?
The administrator of the DNS zone is responsible for establishing the policies of the DMARC record. That includes information about how to determine email authentication practices. In addition, how should the receiving email act in case there is an email that violates a particular policy?
Whenever the email server that is accountable for receiving emails accepts a new one, it makes a DNS lookup. The purpose is to examine the DMARC record. The thing it starts searching for are the following:
- Is the DKIM signature of the message authentic?
- Is the sender holding an IP address that is one of the approved for sending in the domain’s SPF records?
- Does the message has a header that presents decent “domain alignment”?
Depending on all of the considerations above, the server is able, through this method, to accept, deny or flag the particular email. As a final result, the server is going to give a message to the sender with a statement.
Why is the DMARC record important?
The main purpose of the DMARC record is to resist malicious email practices. They could set your business at risk. Therefore the implementation of this record is very often recommended. It doesn’t matter if you run an e-commerce website or all of your sales are offline. The main correspondence is throughout the email, such as communication with suppliers, employees, or clients.
Messages that are not secured are an easy target to get spoofed. Attackers nowadays are becoming numerous, and they find new paths to make a variety of email scams.
The DMARC record is beneficial both for senders and receivers. The overall goal is to have safe and protected email communication.