How many DMARC report emails should I expect to receive daily and how should I manage them?

Summary

The number of DMARC reports received daily depends on the volume of email sent and the number of participating receivers, with at least one report per domain per day expected from each reporting organization or Mailbox Provider (MBP). Forensic (RUF) reports are rare, so the focus should be on aggregate (RUA) reports. Since these reports are in XML format, they require parsing. Effective management involves using automated tools, DMARC monitoring services, or custom scripts to parse and analyze the data. These tools help identify authentication issues, potential spoofing attempts, and unauthorized domain use, ultimately improving email deliverability and DMARC compliance. Regular analysis of these reports provides insights into an email's authentication ecosystem.

Key findings

  • Report Volume: Daily DMARC report volume depends on email volume and reporting organizations/MBPs.
  • Report Type: Forensic (RUF) reports are rare; focus on aggregate (RUA) reports.
  • Report Format: DMARC reports are in XML format and require parsing.
  • Purpose: DMARC reports aid in identifying authentication issues, spoofing, and unauthorized domain use.

Key considerations

  • Automation: Use automated tools or custom scripts to manage and analyze DMARC reports efficiently.
  • Monitoring Services: Consider using DMARC monitoring services for aggregation, analysis, and threat detection.
  • Regular Analysis: Regularly analyze DMARC reports to ensure compliance and improve deliverability.
  • Actionable Insights: Focus on extracting actionable insights from DMARC reports to address authentication and security issues.
  • RUF: While aggregate is the most common form, setup both RUA and RUF reports for a full analysis

What email marketers say
10Marketer opinions

The volume of DMARC reports received daily depends on email volume and the number of participating receivers. While failure reports are infrequent, high-volume senders can expect a significant number of aggregate reports. Managing these reports effectively requires automated solutions. Options include using DMARC monitoring tools, creating dedicated mailboxes with parsing scripts, employing programming languages like Python for analysis, and setting up both aggregate and forensic reporting. Analyzing DMARC reports helps understand email handling, identify spoofing attempts, and refine authentication strategies.

Key opinions

  • Report Volume: High-volume senders receive numerous daily DMARC reports.
  • Failure Reports: DMARC failure reports are less frequent and only generated when alignment issues occur.
  • Report Format: DMARC reports are in XML format and require parsing.
  • Importance: DMARC reports are essential for understanding email handling and identifying spoofing.
  • Aggregation: Using monitoring tools helps process and aggregate DMARC reports to create comprehensive overviews.

Key considerations

  • Automated Tools: Implement automated systems to process, filter, and interpret DMARC report data efficiently.
  • Monitoring Tools: Consider using DMARC monitoring tools or services for aggregation and analysis.
  • Dedicated Mailbox: Create a dedicated mailbox for receiving DMARC reports.
  • Reporting Type: Set up both aggregate (RUA) and, if supported, forensic (RUF) DMARC reporting.
  • Parse Reports: Find ways to parse and visualise the reports so that the threats can easily be spotted
Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks suggests throwing DMARC reports into a database and sending daily or weekly updates, noting they are in XML format, making it relatively simple.

January 2024 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from EasyDMARC explains that high-volume senders will receive a large number of DMARC reports daily and recommends implementing a system for automatic processing to filter and interpret the data efficiently.

September 2021 - EasyDMARC
Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks explains that DMARC failure reports are only generated when there is a problem with DMARC alignment and that the failure report facility isn't widely adopted.

April 2022 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Quora recommends using a DMARC monitoring service as the best way to solve overload. These services generate detailed reports in a comprehensive view and highlight all possible threats.

December 2024 - Quora
Marketer view

Email marketer from MXToolbox recommends setting up both aggregate (RUA) and forensic (RUF) DMARC reporting, though RUF is less commonly supported. Aggregate reports provide a summary of email authentication results, while forensic reports offer details on individual failed authentications.

November 2023 - MXToolbox
Marketer view

Email marketer from Mailjet suggests using a DMARC monitoring tool to aggregate and analyze DMARC reports, making it easier to identify and address authentication issues.

May 2021 - Mailjet
Marketer view

Email marketer from EmailonAcid emphasizes that DMARC reports are crucial for understanding how your email is being handled by receivers. They help identify legitimate and illegitimate sources, allowing you to refine your email authentication strategy and prevent spoofing.

March 2021 - EmailonAcid
Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit suggests creating a dedicated mailbox for receiving DMARC reports and using a script or service to parse and visualize the data in a more understandable format.

December 2023 - Reddit
Marketer view

Email marketer from Stackoverflow recommends using a programming language like Python with XML parsing libraries to automate the analysis of DMARC reports. This involves extracting key metrics and storing them in a database for easy access and reporting.

September 2024 - Stackoverflow
Marketer view

Email marketer from DMARC Analyzer mentions that understanding DMARC reports helps you detect spoofing attempts and improve your domain reputation. DMARC Analyzer helps you process the data and show a comprehensive, easy to understand overview.

May 2023 - DMARC Analyzer

What the experts say
4Expert opinions

The expected volume of DMARC reports varies based on email volume and the number of mailbox providers (MBPs) involved. You should anticipate one daily report per MBP. Forensic (RUF) reports are rare, so focus on aggregate reports. Analyzing these reports, ideally with automated tools, is crucial for identifying authentication issues and potential unauthorized domain use, providing insights into your email ecosystem.

Key opinions

  • Report Frequency: Expect one DMARC report daily per mailbox provider (MBP).
  • RUF Reports: Forensic (RUF) reports are not commonly sent.
  • Aggregate Reporting: DMARC Aggregate Reporting provides insights into authentication and configuration issues.
  • Automated tools: Recommended in order to handle the number of emails and for easier review.

Key considerations

  • Volume Management: Use automated tools to manage the volume of DMARC reports.
  • Actionable Information: Focus on extracting actionable information from the reports.
  • Regular Analysis: Conduct regular analysis to identify authentication errors.
  • Unauthorised activity: The automated tools can help to identify unauthorised domain use
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks explains that a recipient should get one DMARC report a day (on average) from each Mailbox Provider (MBP) they mail to, and an automated solution is recommended to manage the volume.

December 2024 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks shares that very few places send RUF messages these days, so one shouldn't expect a lot of them.

January 2024 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise states that DMARC Aggregate Reporting provides senders insight into their authentication ecosystem and helps identify configuration issues. Regular analysis is essential to see if any authentication errors have taken place.

June 2021 - Word to the Wise
Expert view

Expert from SpamResource explains that the volume of DMARC reports depends on the amount of email sent and recommends parsing the reports to identify potential problems such as unauthorized use of your domain. They suggest using automated tools to manage the report volume and extract actionable information.

May 2021 - SpamResource

What the documentation says
4Technical articles

The frequency of DMARC reports is dependent on email volume and the number of reporting organizations, with at least one report per domain per day expected from each. These reports, in XML format, provide insights into SPF and DKIM authentication results and help monitor email sources, identify spoofing attempts, and improve deliverability. Regular review and analysis, using DMARC reporting services or open-source tools, is advised to ensure DMARC compliance and address alignment issues.

Key findings

  • Report Frequency: Expect at least one DMARC report per domain per day from each reporting organization.
  • Report Format: DMARC reports are in XML format.
  • Report Purpose: DMARC reports monitor email sources, identify spoofing, and improve deliverability.
  • Authentication Insights: Provide insights into SPF and DKIM authentication results.

Key considerations

  • Regular Review: Regularly review DMARC reports for compliance.
  • Analysis Tools: Use DMARC reporting services or open-source tools for analysis.
  • Alignment Issues: Focus on addressing SPF and DKIM alignment issues.
  • Spoofing Detection: Regular reports help with detecting and managing any spoofing activity.
Technical article

Documentation from DMARC.org explains that the frequency of DMARC reports depends on the volume of email sent and the number of participating receivers. You should expect at least one report per domain per day from each reporting organization.

August 2022 - DMARC.org
Technical article

Documentation from Google Workspace Admin Help explains that DMARC reports can be used to monitor email sources using your domain, identify potential spoofing attempts, and improve email deliverability. They advise regularly reviewing these reports to ensure DMARC compliance.

April 2024 - Google Workspace Admin Help
Technical article

Documentation from Microsoft explains that DMARC reports provide insights into SPF and DKIM authentication results and offer guidance on interpreting the XML data. They suggest focusing on alignment issues to improve email deliverability.

January 2024 - Microsoft
Technical article

Documentation from URIports shares that DMARC reports are XML files and need to be parsed. They recommend using a DMARC reporting service or an open-source tool to analyze and understand the information within.

July 2024 - URIports