DMARC is a highly effective addition to an email security layer, designed specifically to protect your domain from cyber threats. As an email authentication protocol, DMARC protects against phishing, scams, and spam originating from fake domains. As the Internet becomes saturated with brand domains, some of which are real and others which are fake, there has been an increase in criminal activities associated with identity fraud. DMARC helps you protect your brand by allowing you to determine how emails should be authenticated from within your own domain.
DMARC establishes a clear understanding of which mail servers are permitted or denied the ability to send mail claiming to come from your domain. With this new policy, any receiving email server can authenticate the incoming email based on the instructions published by the domain owner within the DNS entry. If the email passes the authentication, it will be delivered and can be trusted. If the email fails the check, depending on instructions held within the DMARC record it could be quarantined, rejected, or delivered.
How Can You Implement DMARC Manually?
Implementing DMARC is a simple process, that requires you to publish a DNS record at the subdomain label _dmarc, and contains a one-line syntax with instructions for receiving email servers. A typical DMARC record example would look like this:
v=DMARC1; p=none; pct=100; rua=mailto:[email protected];
Once you have determined what your DMARC record syntax would look like, with respect to your domain and needs, you would need to log in to your DNS management console and publish the record in the section allotted for DNS records. The resource type for a DMARC record would be TXT (text) and the TTL or time to live (the amount of time you want the mechanism to exist in your receiver’s server) is calculated in seconds.
Once configured it ideally takes your DNS 24-48 hours to process the changes and implement the protocol. This time widely depends on the DNS service provider you are using. Lastly, to make sure your record is functional and valid, perform a DMARC lookup for confirmation.
Why is Manual Implementation Not Recommended?
Humans are prone to errors, so if you are trying to manually create a DMARC record for your domain it is likely that you will have errors in your record syntax. Something as insignificant as a redundant space in your record value can completely invalidate it and stops it from functioning the way it is supposed to. This sets you back on your email authentication journey and doesn’t provide you with any of the benefits of DMARC.
This is why it always better to leave it to the experts and use a reliable tool that automates the process for you and makes sure that your record is error-free and valid.
How can PowerDMARC’s DMARC Record Generator Help?
Our DMARC record generator is an automated tool that helps you create an error-free and valid DMARC record instantly in a few seconds. All you have to do is enter certain criteria, such as what DMARC policy you want to assign, what will be your SPF and DKIM alignment modes, and whether or not you want to enable DMARC reporting for your domains.
Don’t know what these signify? We have got you covered! You will find in-depth information about each and every mechanism and criteria on the page that will help you understand exactly how you want to leverage DMARC for your domain and what benefits you want out of it.
To enable DMARC reporting at your organization and manage your domains more effectively, sign up for your DMARC report analyzer today!.