How to interpret DMARC reports, including sender identification and failure types?
Summary
What email marketers say10Marketer opinions
Email marketer from Reddit explains that DMARC failures can happen due to email forwarding, which breaks SPF. Suggests implementing ARC (Authenticated Received Chain) to preserve authentication information through forwarding chains.
Email marketer from Email Security Blog explains that SPF and DKIM are foundational for DMARC. SPF verifies the sender's IP address, while DKIM ensures the message's integrity. Both protocols are necessary for DMARC to function correctly.
Email marketer from Postmark explains that DMARC plays a critical role in email security by allowing domain owners to specify how email receivers should handle unauthenticated email. This prevents phishing attacks by ensuring only authenticated email is trusted.
Email marketer from Email Geeks explains that DMARC failures can occur when one authentication method fails while another passes and can be caused by network issues or spoofing, requiring judgment calls on their severity.
Email marketer from ZeroBounce explains that DMARC impacts deliverability by helping inbox providers identify and block fraudulent emails. Implementing DMARC correctly improves sender reputation, leading to better inbox placement.
Email marketer from SparkPost shares that identifying legitimate senders using DMARC reports involves looking at the sending sources listed and verifying if they align with known email infrastructure. Investigate any unexpected or unknown sending sources for potential spoofing.
Email marketer from Mailjet shares that DMARC failures can result from SPF or DKIM authentication failures. Understanding the specific failure reason is essential to identify and address the underlying issues, such as incorrect DNS records or misconfigured email sending practices.
Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum shares that different sender IP addresses in DMARC reports may indicate various sending sources, including ESPs, transactional email services, and internal servers. It’s important to differentiate these to ensure only authorized sources are sending emails.
Email marketer from EasyDMARC shares that DMARC data can improve email deliverability by helping domain owners identify and fix authentication problems. Properly configured DMARC policies can prevent spoofing and phishing attacks, enhancing sender reputation.
Email marketer from Return Path shares that understanding DMARC is critical for managing email programs. DMARC reporting allows for identifying delivery issues and improving the overall security posture of email sending practices.
What the experts say4Expert opinions
Expert from Email Geeks explains that it's important to identify services sending significant amounts of mail as these are often legitimate services or potential spoofing attempts.
Expert from SpamResource explains that DMARC reports provide insights into sender authentication status and help identify potential spoofing attempts. Examining these reports helps domain owners understand which sending sources are authenticating correctly and which are not.
Expert from SpamResource shares that common DMARC failures arise from SPF failing due to email forwarding or DKIM failing because of message alteration in transit. Identifying these causes helps in refining authentication strategies.
Expert from Email Geeks shares that senders listed in DMARC reports can include legitimate ESPs, ticketing platforms, IT services, spoofing attempts, or random DMARC failures from uncontrolled email forwarding.
What the documentation says4Technical articles
Documentation from Valimail explains that DMARC can be used to monitor all email channels sending on behalf of your domain. By regularly analyzing DMARC reports, you can detect unauthorized sources and ensure compliance with security policies.
Documentation from Google Workspace Admin Help explains that DMARC reports help identify mail sources and potential authentication issues. Reviewing the reports can reveal whether emails are properly authenticated and if unauthorized senders are attempting to spoof the domain.
Documentation from Microsoft explains that to troubleshoot DMARC, you need to analyze failure reports to see why emails are failing authentication checks. Common issues include SPF failing due to forwarding or DKIM failing due to modifications in transit.
Documentation from DMARC.org explains that aggregate DMARC reports provide a summary of email authentication results over a period. These reports help identify trends in email sending sources, authentication rates, and potential misuse of the domain.