DMARC: Policy and Reporting for Email Authentication
Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance (DMARC) is a DNS policy that tells receiving servers how to handle emails that fail authentication, and it provides reports about who is sending mail as your domain.
DMARC builds on SPF and DKIM and adds alignment with the visible From domain. It is the control layer that turns authentication signals into an enforceable policy (monitor, quarantine, reject). It also gives you reporting to find unauthorized senders and misconfigurations.
Example
A practical starting record for monitoring (recommended first step):
v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc@example.com; adkim=s; aspf=s; pct=100After you fix all legitimate senders, you can move to p=quarantine and later p=reject for stronger protection.
Frequently Asked Questions
In DNS as a TXT record on _dmarc.yourdomain.tld.
Alignment means the domain validated by SPF and or DKIM matches the domain in the visible From address. Without alignment, SPF or DKIM can pass but DMARC can still fail.
No. Start with p=none to collect reports and identify all legitimate senders. Move to quarantine or reject only after you confirm your ecosystem is correctly authenticated.
rua reports are aggregate reports. They summarize authentication results and sending sources. They help you discover unknown tools, spoofing attempts, and misaligned senders.
You can publish a separate DMARC record on a subdomain, or use the sp tag to set a policy for subdomains. Decide based on how subdomains are used for mail.
Week 1 to 2: p=none with reporting. Week 3 to 4: fix all tools, ensure SPF and DKIM pass and align. Then move to p=quarantine, monitor, and finally p=reject when stable.
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