
DMARC Best Practices for Email Deliverability
What is DMARC?
DMARC or Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance is an email authentication protocol that helps to prevent email domain spoofing and phishing attacks. DMARC protects email recipients from receiving emails that fraudulently claim to be from a particular domain. The protocol allows domain owners to specify which email servers are authorized to send emails for their domains. DMARC also provides email senders with feedback on their messages’ delivery and authentication status.
How Does DMARC Work?
DMARC works by combining two existing email authentication protocols, Sender Policy Framework (SPF) and DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM). SPF is a protocol that allows domain owners to specify which email servers are authorized to send emails for their domains. DKIM is a technique for email authentication that utilizes public-key cryptography to verify the authenticity of an email message. DMARC adds a layer of policy and reporting to these protocols. It enables domain owners to publish policies in their DNS records instructing email receiving servers on how to handle messages that fail authentication. DMARC also generates reports that help domain owners detect and troubleshoot email authentication issues.
DMARC Best Practices for Email Deliverability
Implement DMARC Gradually
If you have not implemented DMARC yet, it is wise to do it gradually and in steps to avoid email delivery issues. Start with a “monitor” policy that sets the protocol’s tag “p” to “none” that instructs email receiving servers to send a report on mail that fails authentication to you. Proper analysis of these reports can help you build policies that align with your organization’s email sending profile without negatively affecting your email delivery rates.
Check Your SPF and DKIM Configurations
Before implementing DMARC, it is essential to ensure that your SPF and DKIM configurations are correct. The SPF and DKIM policies should match the authorized email servers and signing keys. Doing so helps to avoid email authentication failures that can impact your email deliverability.
Use Specific Subdomains for Your Email Sending Infrastructure
To maintain better visibility and control over email authentication, it is advisable to use specific subdomains for your email-sending infrastructure. Doing so allows you to apply unique DKIM signing keys and SPF records for each subdomain while improving visibility into who is sending messages on behalf of your organization.
Keep Your DMARC Records Updated
Ensure that you update your DMARC DNS record every time you change your email sending infrastructure or make any significant changes to your SPF or DKIM policies. Doing so ensures that the protocol’s policies align with your organization’s current email sending profile, prevent email spoofing, and improve your email deliverability.
Analyze DMARC Reports Regularly
Regular analysis of your DMARC reports can help you detect and fix any email authentication issues. The reports can also identify fraudulent emails that claim to be from your domain. Analyzing your DMARC reports on a regular basis helps you understand how your domain’s email authentication is performing, and you can make informed decisions based on the data. Complement your reading with this recommended external website, filled with additional and relevant information about the subject. Visit this external resource, discover new details and interesting viewpoints.
Conclusion
DMARC is an essential email authentication protocol that can help your organization protect against email phishing and domain spoofing. By adopting the DMARC best practices outlined above, you can improve your email deliverability rate, protect your brand image, and maintain trust with your customers by ensuring that your emails are genuinely from your domain. A well-planned DMARC implementation can also help in detecting and mitigating the risk of cyber-criminals using your domain to send emails that could damage your brand reputation.
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