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What is DMARC and what is it designed to do?

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Ariya Rathi
What is DMARC and what is it designed to do?

Anyone involved in email security today is likely familiar with the DMARC standard and its role in helping to secure email from threats like spam, phishing and email spoofing. But what is DMARC exactly, and how does it add another layer of security to business email systems?


Email is the primary way we communicate, and because of this hackers have found it to be a very attractive target for attacks. One type of attack is email spoofing , and if spoofing is not stopped it can result in an email data breach . DMARC helps to ensure that your legitimate emails are delivered, and reduces the potential damage from email spoofing. Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance (DMARC) is a security standard for email that helps protect your customers from email spoofing and phishing attempts. DMARC allows you to specify the actions your domain will take on email that fails authentication -- such as rejecting the email or redirecting it to a more secure inbox.


DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance) is a technical specification that provides a way to prevent email spoofing by using a digital signature on outbound email. DMARC helps businesses guard against impersonation fraud, where an attacker uses a legitimate domain to send a fraudulent message. It also reports on real time messages sent from a domain, so businesses can monitor for potential threats and warnings. Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance (DMARC) is an email validation technology that protects your business and brand.


Defend against spoofing with DMARC email security


DMARC is a security protocol that verifies the legitimacy of an email's origin and helps identify fraudulent email. We protect your global domains from spoofing by analyzing inbound individual messages and applying policy controls to block or quarantine spoofed emails using DMARC. DMARC helps you prevent spoofing by allowing senders to notify recipients that their messages are protected by SPF and/or DKIM authentication and provide instructions for what to do if an email passes neither one of those authentication methods.

DMARC provides an additional level of protection from spoofing by notifying senders if their messages fail to pass either Sender Policy Framework (SPF) or DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) authentication. It also provides instructions for what to do next– like inform you that the message was not authenticated and needs your attention. Finally, it allows both the sender and receiver to track where in the email chain a particular message was dropped.


The Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance (DMARC) policy allows the domain owner to specify the level of spam protection that an email receiver must enforce. Essentially, DMARC email security takes the guesswork out of the way that receivers handle failed messages, minimizing the recipient's exposure to potentially fraudulent email and helping to protect the sender's domain from being used fraudulently.


The best way to stop spoofing is by using DMARC email security combined with other effective methods. Contact EmailAuth for a consultation about how to ensure effective email security.


What are the benefits of DMARC email security?


Benefits of implementing DMARC email security include:


Ø Prevention of phishing and certain spoofing attacks

Ø Greater visibility.

Ø Troubleshooting delivery issues.


What is DMARC’s ability to protect against spoofing


DMARC is a two-part authentication system. It uses public-key cryptography techniques to add a digital signature to outgoing mail, determining whether the “from” address is legitimate. When the recipient receives this email, they can check the signature to determine if the message was sent by the stated sender. The use of DMARC Record helps prevent direct domain spoofing, where attackers use an organization’s exact domain name in the “from” address. However, DMARC cannot prevent look-alike domain spoofing, where attackers use a domain name that is a slightly altered version of a legitimate domain.


DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance) is an email security system that helps prevent spoofing. DMARC was created to help detect and prevent fraud, phishing attacks, and other email-based abuse by giving senders of email a way to verify the legitimacy of an email's sender. This makes it harder for attackers to spoof legitimate email by using forged headers that claim they come from valid sources.

 


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Ariya Rathi
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