In today’s email communication landscape, ensuring that your domain is protected against email spoofing and phishing attacks is crucial. DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance) is an email authentication protocol that builds on SPF (Sender Policy Framework) and DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) to help protect your domain from unauthorized use. In this step-by-step guide, we’ll show you how to create a DMARC record for your domain.
Log in to the DNS management system where your domain is hosted. This could be your domain registrar, a web hosting provider, or a dedicated DNS service. Navigate to the section where you can manage your DNS records, typically under “DNS Settings” or “DNS Management.”
In your DNS management dashboard, look for the option to add a new DNS record. Depending on your DNS provider, this might be a button labeled “Add Record” or “Create New Record.”
When adding a new record, select “TXT” as the record type. This is the standard type used to add a DMARC policy to your DNS settings.
In the “Host” or “Name” field (depending on your DNS provider), enter the following:
Copy code_dmarc.yourdomain.com
Replace yourdomain.com with your actual domain name. This defines the subdomain where the DMARC record will reside.
In the “Value” or “Text” field, you will enter your DMARC policy. Here’s a basic example of a DMARC policy:
cssCopy codev=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc-reports@yourdomain.com; ruf=mailto:dmarc-failures@yourdomain.com; sp=none; adkim=r; aspf=r;
v=DMARC1: This specifies that this record is a DMARC record.p=none: This is the DMARC policy, specifying what to do with emails that fail authentication. Options are none, quarantine, or reject.rua: This is the email address where aggregate DMARC reports will be sent.ruf: This is the email address for forensic/failure reports.sp=none: This policy applies to subdomains; none means no specific action is taken for subdomains.adkim=r and aspf=r: These specify that DKIM and SPF alignment should be relaxed.Modify the policy values according to your organization’s needs, particularly the email addresses for reports.
Set the TTL for the DMARC record. TTL defines how long the DNS server will cache the record before requesting it again. Common TTL values range from 3600 (1 hour) to 86400 (24 hours). You can leave this as the default value or customize it based on your needs.
After inputting the correct information, save the DNS record. It may take some time for the changes to propagate across the internet, typically up to 48 hours.
Once the DNS record has propagated, you can verify the DMARC record using a DMARC lookup tool. These tools allow you to check whether the record has been correctly published and if it is working as intended.
Creating a DMARC record is an essential step in securing your domain from email spoofing and phishing attacks. By following this step-by-step guide, you’ll have your DMARC record in place and can start receiving reports that provide insights into how your domain is being used. For further information on email authentication or DNS configurations, feel free to explore our other resources.
If you’re ready to enhance your domain’s email security further, consider implementing stricter DMARC policies, such as quarantine or reject. Regularly monitor the DMARC reports to stay informed about how your domain is being used.
Creating a DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance) record is a crucial step in securing email communications, preventing email spoofing, and ensuring that legitimate messages from your domain are properly authenticated. To understand and implement DMARC effectively, it’s essential to familiarize yourself with the key terms and concepts related to email authentication, DNS records, and reporting protocols. Mastering these terms will help you create a strong DMARC policy that enhances email security and compliance.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| DMARC | Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance, an email authentication protocol used to protect against phishing and email spoofing. |
| SPF (Sender Policy Framework) | An email validation system used to prevent spammers from sending messages on behalf of your domain. SPF works by specifying which IP addresses or servers are allowed to send emails from your domain. |
| DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) | An email authentication technique that allows the receiver to check if an email was authorized by the domain owner, by verifying a digital signature added to the email. |
| DNS (Domain Name System) | The system that translates human-readable domain names (like example.com) into IP addresses, and is also used to store authentication records like DMARC, SPF, and DKIM. |
| TXT Record | A type of DNS record that is used to store text information about a domain, often used for email authentication (SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records). |
| Alignment | In DMARC, alignment refers to how closely the SPF and DKIM checks match the domain in the “From” address of the email. Both “relaxed” and “strict” alignment options are available. |
| Policy | The instruction in a DMARC record that defines what happens when an email fails authentication. Policies include “none,” “quarantine,” and “reject.” |
| None Policy | A DMARC policy that tells the receiving server to take no specific action if an email fails DMARC authentication. Often used during the initial implementation phase. |
| Quarantine Policy | A DMARC policy that instructs the receiving server to treat messages that fail DMARC validation as suspicious and move them to the spam or junk folder. |
| Reject Policy | The strictest DMARC policy, which tells the receiving server to reject any emails that fail DMARC validation outright. |
| Aggregate Reports | Summary reports sent by email receivers to DMARC administrators, providing information on how many emails passed or failed DMARC checks. These reports are usually sent in XML format. |
| Forensic Reports | Detailed reports on individual email messages that fail DMARC checks, offering in-depth information on potential spoofing attempts or authentication failures. |
| RUA Tag | Stands for “Reporting URI for Aggregate Reports”; this DMARC tag specifies the email address where aggregate DMARC reports should be sent. |
| RUF Tag | Stands for “Reporting URI for Forensic Reports”; this tag specifies where to send detailed reports when an email fails DMARC checks. |
| SP Tag | The subdomain policy in DMARC, allowing domain owners to apply different policies for subdomains than the main domain. |
| pct Tag | A percentage tag in DMARC, allowing you to specify the percentage of emails to which the DMARC policy should apply. Useful during testing and gradual rollouts. |
| Alignment Mode | Specifies whether email alignment checks should be “strict” or “relaxed” for SPF and DKIM in DMARC validation. |
| Identifier Alignment | Refers to the process of comparing the domain in the “From” header with the domain found in SPF or DKIM. Proper alignment is required for DMARC validation. |
| BIMI (Brand Indicators for Message Identification) | A standard that allows the use of brand-controlled logos in emails, often tied to strong DMARC authentication and protection. |
| ARC (Authenticated Received Chain) | A protocol that allows intermediate mail servers to preserve email authentication results, even after forwarding, which helps when passing DMARC checks. |
| SPF Pass/Fail | The result of an SPF check, where a “pass” means the email was sent from an authorized IP address, and a “fail” means it was not. |
| DKIM Pass/Fail | The result of a DKIM check, where a “pass” means the signature is valid and the email was authorized by the domain, and a “fail” means the signature was invalid. |
| MX Record | A DNS record that specifies the mail servers responsible for receiving emails on behalf of a domain. |
| DMARC Record | A specific type of DNS TXT record that tells receiving mail servers how to handle email authentication failures and where to send reports. |
| SPF Record | A DNS TXT record that contains the rules defining which servers are allowed to send emails from your domain. |
| DKIM Record | A DNS TXT record that stores the public key used to validate the DKIM signature on emails sent from your domain. |
| Authentication-Results Header | An email header added by receiving mail servers to record the results of SPF, DKIM, and DMARC checks. |
| Failing DMARC | Occurs when an email fails both SPF and DKIM alignment, meaning it does not pass DMARC validation and is subject to the DMARC policy. |
| SPF Alignment | When the domain in the SPF check aligns with the domain found in the “From” address of the email, as required by DMARC. |
| DKIM Alignment | When the domain in the DKIM signature aligns with the domain in the “From” address of the email, as required by DMARC. |
| Phishing | A cyberattack that uses fraudulent emails to trick recipients into providing sensitive information or infecting their systems with malware. |
| Email Spoofing | The practice of sending emails with a forged sender address, usually for malicious purposes such as phishing. |
| SPF Soft Fail | When the SPF check returns a “soft fail” result, indicating that the email failed the SPF check but is not outright rejected (often used during testing). |
| SPF Hard Fail | When an SPF check returns a “fail” result, indicating that the email does not meet the domain’s SPF criteria and should be rejected. |
| DMARC Enforcement | The act of applying DMARC policies (quarantine or reject) to emails that fail authentication, ensuring that such emails are either flagged or blocked. |
By understanding these terms, you will be able to confidently set up and manage a DMARC record for your domain, improving email deliverability and protecting against phishing attacks.
A DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance) record is an email authentication protocol that works with SPF and DKIM to protect your domain from email spoofing and phishing attacks. It ensures that unauthorized users cannot send emails from your domain.
A DMARC record helps to secure your domain by verifying that incoming emails claiming to be from your domain are legitimate. Without DMARC, your domain is more vulnerable to email spoofing, phishing attacks, and domain abuse.
To create a DMARC record, log in to your domain’s DNS management system, add a TXT record with the subdomain _dmarc.yourdomain.com, and specify your desired DMARC policy in the value field. For example: v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:reports@yourdomain.com.
A DMARC policy instructs email servers on what to do with emails that fail DMARC validation. The options include ‘none’ (take no action), ‘quarantine’ (mark as spam), or ‘reject’ (deny the email outright).
After creating the DMARC record, you can use a DMARC lookup tool to check if it is correctly published and working as intended. These tools will check the DNS and report whether your DMARC policy is valid and effective.
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