How To Read And Use DMARC Reports To
Protect Your Domain From Email Fraud

Email fraud and phishing attacks have become pervasive threats in today’s digital landscape. One of the most effective tools in combating these threats is Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance (DMARC). DMARC not only helps prevent unauthorized use of your email domain but also provides detailed reports that help you analyze and improve email authentication practices. Understanding how to read and use these reports is crucial in protecting your domain from email fraud.


What Are DMARC Reports?


DMARC reports serve as feedback tools created when email servers assess your DMARC policy. They exist in two types: aggregate and forensic. Aggregate reports give a broad summary of email authentication outcomes, whereas forensic reports deliver in-depth details about particular messages that did not pass authentication. In contrast, forensic reports provide more in-depth information but are less often activated because of privacy issues.



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Setting Up DMARC Reporting


In order to begin receiving DMARC reports, it is essential to set up a DMARC record in the DNS of your domain. This record outlines the email address designated for report delivery and establishes your approach for managing unsuccessful authentication attempts.

Make sure to add the "rua" tag to your DMARC record for aggregate reporting and the "ruf" tag for forensic reporting. After setting this up, you will begin to receive XML files that provide comprehensive information on how receiving mail servers manage your emails. Get additional details here.


How to Read DMARC Aggregate Reports


DMARC aggregate reports are delivered as XML files. To interpret these reports effectively, you can use tools or services that parse the XML data into a human-readable format. The key components of an aggregate report include:

  • Report Metadata: This section contains information about the report’s sender, recipient, and the reporting period. Key fields include the reporting organization, the start and end time of the report, and a unique report ID.

  • Policy Evaluated: Here, you will find details about the DMARC policy applied to your domain. This includes the domain under evaluation, the alignment mode, and the specified policy (none, quarantine, or reject).

  • Authentication Results: This section provides insights into how your emails performed against SPF and DKIM authentication checks. It includes information about whether the message passed or failed these checks and whether it aligned with your DMARC policy.

  • Source IP Analysis: Each source IP address that sends email on behalf of your domain is listed along with its authentication results. Analyze this data to identify any unauthorized sources attempting to send emails using your domain.


Using DMARC Reports to Protect Your Domain


Once you’ve understood how to read DMARC reports, the next step is to use the data to enhance your domain’s email security.


Identifying Unauthorized Sources

DMARC reports provide insights into every IP address that dispatches emails using your domain. It is important to routinely examine this information to spot any unapproved or questionable IP addresses. Take steps to block or address these sources to safeguard against fraudulent activities.


Monitoring Email Authentication Results

Examining the outcomes of SPF and DKIM authentication can help you detect any configuration problems within your email authentication system. It is important to make sure that all authorized email sources are correctly set up to successfully complete these checks.


Adjusting Your DMARC Policy

Begin with a "none" policy to gather data without affecting email delivery. As you build trust in your authentication configuration, progressively transition to "quarantine" or "reject" policies. DMARC reports will assist you in deciding when it's appropriate to implement more stringent measures.


Enhancing Brand Protection

Leverage the information provided by DMARC reports to identify and prevent phishing attempts aimed at your clients or associates. By allowing only verified entities to send emails from your domain, you enhance trust and safeguard your brand's image.


Tools for Analyzing DMARC Reports


For large organizations, the manual examination of DMARC reports can be quite labor-intensive. Fortunately, there are numerous tools and services designed to streamline this task. These solutions interpret XML data, deliver visual representations, and present practical suggestions based on the insights derived from the reports. Notable examples of such tools are DMARC Analyzer, Agari, and Valimail.



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Best Practices for Email Authentication


  • Regularly update your SPF and DKIM records to include all legitimate email-sending sources.

  • Use DMARC reports to verify that third-party services sending emails on your behalf are properly authenticated.

  • Educate your employees and stakeholders about the importance of email authentication and phishing prevention.

  • Implement DMARC monitoring tools to receive real-time alerts about suspicious email activities.