DMARC

Table of contents

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What is DMARC?
How to use DMARC
Read more
About Vade
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What is DMARC?

Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) is an email authentication protocol that prevents unwanted parties from sending spam or phishing emails to an organization.

Working in tandem with DKIM and SPF, DMARC enables companies to publish a DMARC policy into a DNS record, thus establishing a policy for how to handle emails that fail both SPF and DKIM.

How to use DMARC

DMARC is based on DKIM (Domain Keys Identified Mail) and SPF (Sender Policy Framework). SPF prevents spammers and other malicious senders from sending emails on behalf of a domain. An organization publishes their SPF record to tell other systems which servers can send emails from their domain, and the receiving domain will block the sender if the server is not approved.

DKIM authentication blocks unauthorized senders by adding an encrypted DKIM signature to emails from authorized senders. The receiving system checks the email for the DKIM signature and, if present, the email is approved for delivery.

Together, SPF and DKIM form the building blocks of DMARC. The DMARC record is a policy that tells a server how to process emails that are not easily managed by either DKIM and SPF. Once published, a DMARC record is published in a DNS and can be modified for adjustments. And that’s where things get difficult.

Microsoft provides here some information regarding DMARC settings in Microsoft 365.

Read more about DMARC

DMARC: The Limitations of Sender Authentication
Executive Phishing: 3 Common Attacks
Pretexting: 5 Social Engineering Tactics
Why It’s So Hard to Spot a Spoofed Email
Top Tricks Used in CEO Fraud

About Vade

Vade for M365 is powered by a collaborative AI engine that continuously learns from an alliance of more than 1.4 billion protected mailboxes, millions of daily user reports, and a team of cybersecurity analysts. Combining AI-powered email security and integrated features that are made for MSPs, you’ll save time, reduce admin workload, and get more ROI from cybersecurity.

Learn more about Vade for M365 >