Email protection is no laughing matter in 2022. 90% of all phishing attempts happen via email, and most cybercriminal gangs constantly evolve their tactics. This makes them increasingly harder to detect for static email security measures. Even if you have a local spam filter, you are at risk of finding a few of these emails in your inbox every day.
The best way to prevent phishing attempts via domain spoofing is to get DMARC. This crucial email authentication tool was launched in 2012 and has since become a mainstay of global email security. However, you must know how to use DMARC and most importantly, its policy structure which is designed to prevent domain spoofing.
If you haven’t implemented DMARC for email security yet, here are the most important steps to follow to reach total anti-spoofing security.
Key Steps to Make the Best of your DMARC Policy
- Install DMARC
The first and foremost step you must take is to install EmailAuth or any other email authentication app on your device. Your IT admin will then be able to sync your server’s DMARC record to it and give you a view of its present status within a few moments. This will help you understand how your DMARC record has been working so far and what kind of data you can expect from it at the moment. The difference will become obvious when you see the data derived by the IT admin.
If you do not have an IT admin, don’t worry. You can have EmailAuth generate DMARC data based on preliminary DMARC record information and then you can start implementing your DMARC policies. These will then help you understand your domain activities and make it difficult for attackers to spoof your domain. Note that this process may take a few weeks to months to take effect.
- Understand and Use ‘None’ Policy
The DMARC ‘None’ policy is designed to help IT admins and protocol users observe their domain traffic. You may not know this, but your email domain can be used by people who do not have authorization. This happens through multiple means – hackers can directly spoof your domain in the body of any email such as in the header field. They can also perform a DNS server hack which then allows them to corrupt your server files and return an inconsistent feed in response to any email they send in your name.
When you have a ‘none’ DMARC policy in place, your email traffic data is not blocked but is monitored via tracking. This means that when you leave DMARC set to ‘none’ for a couple of weeks or months, you will be able to form a picture of who is using your domain and how your domain reputation and accessibility are faring because of them. Naturally, unauthorized domains get quarantined or blacklisted when you get to the next step. In the meantime, you can make a comprehensive list of IPs to block using DMARC reports while noting their patterns so you can block them faster in the future.
- Set up Parameters for ‘Quarantine’ Policy
The ‘Quarantine’ policy has been created with the idea of providing semi-secure coverage to your email domain and anyone who receives emails from it. When your ‘None’ policy observing and data gathering is done with, you can set your DMARC policy to ‘Quarantine’ and this will provide immediate cover to your email recipients. This works for both people within your organization and people outside of it. Further, this policy also works against active and new threats based on the SPF and DKIM standards you have set up to authenticate your emails.
The benefit of using this policy is that it serves as an intermediary phase for filtering your email domain use. All domain owners with DMARC’s ‘quarantine’ policy active on their email servers will be able to check the DMARC record on their server and invalidate dubious emails.
‘Quarantine’ enhances the feedback process for all your emails outgoing from your server. As you understand how your email deliverability improves, you will also get a clearer view of how to improve it further and which emails to block to get it right.
- Finalize the ‘Reject’ Policy
The ‘Reject’ policy on DMARC is the final step in the process of collecting data and creating a list of IPs with email sending privileges. If you have EmailAuth or a skilled IT admin, you can arrive at this phase in a couple of months. The reject policy allows you to completely block all unauthorized email domain use. This means only IPs that get approval from the admin will get to send emails from your official domain. It goes without saying that this is a major hindrance to all kinds of direct domain spoofing and can really put a dent in all phishing activities.
Further, the ‘Reject’ policy greatly increases domain reputation since it prevents domain misuse. This may take some time depending on how much email marketing and communication you use but it will lead to a gradual and long-lasting and positive reputation boost.
- Enjoy Total Outgoing Email Coverage
Once you have moved your DMARC policy process from ‘None’ to ‘Reject’, you can be assured of total domain spoofing protection. The DMARC protocol covers your entire domain with SPF and DKIM-based authorization, which means any outgoing emails must have this DNS authentication record or they do not get cleared as a legit email from your domain at the receiver’s end. This greatly cuts down on all spoofing attempts and your IT admin can then blacklist IPs that have abused your domain while leaving DMARC to allow only authorized email domain use.
Further, if you use smart DMARC implementation apps like EmailAuth, you can get all relevant email delivery and performance data quicker than ever. This makes getting to the ‘Reject’ policy much faster and also gives you consistent data output on your email domain performance.
Is This the Right Time to Get DMARC Through EmailAuth
DMARC is a powerful tool that enables you to control your email domain like no other security mechanism can. While you can monitor your domain activity yourself, reading through complicated reports, setting up server-side security policies, and managing email-sending privileges are a hassle. The better choice is to opt for EmailAuth with its key features that help you make the most of your DMARC protocol.
From setting up policies to extracting reports and managing your server access privilege, this app has it all. Plus, it has a great UI that makes managing all your reports a hassle-free task, including finding crucial data for decision-making easy. Get EmailAuth today and give your company-protected email domain servers comprehensive outgoing security!