How To Read And Analyze Your

DMARC Report Effectively

In the current digital environment, safeguarding email communications is of utmost importance. A highly efficient method to protect your emails from spoofing or unauthorized use is to establish a DMARC policy. However, merely configuring DMARC is insufficient; it’s essential to continuously review and interpret the reports it produces. These reports offer critical information regarding the status of your email security and assist in reducing threats such as phishing and email impersonation.

This article will help you navigate the steps for effectively interpreting and assessing your DMARC report, allowing you to make educated choices regarding your email security.


Understanding the Basics of a DMARC Report


Before commencing the analysis, it is crucial to grasp the components of a DMARC report. There are two types of DMARC reports:

  • Summary Reports: These reports are generated at regular intervals and offer a consolidated overview of the email authentication outcomes for your domain. Usually formatted in XML, they provide details such as the counts of emails that succeeded or failed DMARC, SPF, and DKIM validations.

  • Incident Reports: In contrast, these reports delve deeper into specific emails that did not pass DMARC validation, supplying information like headers and message excerpts. Delivered for each email, these reports are invaluable for diagnosing particular problems.



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Key Components of a DMARC Report


Policy Overview

The policy overview section provides information about the DMARC policy currently applied to your domain. There are three available options for these policies:

  • None: Emails that do not pass DMARC verification are not acted upon, serving primarily for observation.

  • Quarantine: Emails that do not meet DMARC standards are flagged as potentially harmful and might be directed to the spam folder.

  • Reject: Emails that do not comply with DMARC checks are outright denied, ensuring they do not arrive at their intended recipient.

Understanding the existing policy is crucial for assessing the level of email security in your domain.


Authentication-Results

This part offers information on the success or failure of the emails originating from your domain in terms of passing authentication tests. DMARC depends on two key authentication protocols:

  • SPF (Sender Policy Framework): Confirms whether the email originates from an IP address that the domain owner has permitted.

  • DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail): Ensures that the email's content remains unchanged and authenticates that it comes from the asserted sender.

This part will show the status of the emails regarding these checks, highlighting any failures and offering specifics about which checks did not pass.


Failure Reports

Should any emails not pass DMARC verification, you can find the specifics in this section. Typically, it will provide details such as the originating IP address, the policy in effect, and whether SPF or DKIM checks were unsuccessful. A significant number of failed emails is a warning sign that needs your consideration.


Analyzing Your DMARC Report


Look for Authentication Failures

If your domain regularly fails either of these tests, it’s essential to delve into the reasons behind this. Frequently, such failures stem from inaccurate SPF records or improperly set up DKIM keys. It’s important to verify that all authorized email senders for your domain are correctly authenticated.


Review the Source IP Addresses

Examine the IP addresses mentioned in the report. Should you come across any unfamiliar or questionable IPs that are sending emails for your domain, it may suggest a possible security issue. If this is the case, it's important to respond by blocking those IPs and revising your SPF records accordingly.



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Check the Alignment of SPF and DKIM

DMARC mandates that the domain present in the "From" field matches the domains utilized in both SPF and DKIM verifications. A lack of alignment may indicate that emails are originating from unapproved sources, suggesting potential spoofing or phishing activities. It is essential to maintain consistency among all email authentication protocols.


Evaluate the Volume of Emails

Monitor the amount of emails originating from your domain closely. A sudden increase in email traffic or a rise in failed checks may suggest that someone is attempting to send deceptive emails using your domain. It is crucial to act quickly to stop any further unauthorized activity.


Adjust Your DMARC Policy

Considering the results of your report, it might be necessary to revise your DMARC policy. If you are experiencing numerous failures but wish to avoid the possibility of blocking genuine emails, it would be advisable to implement a "quarantine" policy initially. Once you have resolved any problems, you can transition to the more stringent "reject" policy. Click the link to find out more