Summary
Setting up DMARC reports involves publishing a DMARC record (TXT record) in your DNS zone, including the `rua` tag with a valid email address to receive aggregated reports from mailbox providers, typically on a daily basis. If self-managing (DIY), the `rua=mailto` domain might need to match your domain unless a referral record is configured. It's generally not practical to manually parse XML reports; instead, use free tools or DMARC monitoring services, starting with a monitoring-only policy (`p=none`). Analyzing reports (aggregate and forensic) regularly helps identify authentication issues, spoofing attempts, and traffic patterns. Choose a reporting frequency based on your email volume. While free tools are a good starting point, paid services offer more comprehensive data aggregation and actionable insights. Utilizing subdomains for reporting can also help with filtering. Remember that if wild carding is being used for the referral records, that this can weaken the security.
Key findings
- `rua=mailto`: When DIYing, the `rua=mailto` domain might need to match unless a referral record is configured.
- Report Parsing: Manually parsing XML reports is impractical; utilize free tools or DMARC monitoring services.
- Implementation: Begin with a monitoring-only policy (`p=none`) before enforcing stricter policies.
- Report Frequency: Choose report frequency based on email volume; higher volume may warrant more frequent reports.
- Report Analysis: Regularly analyze aggregate and forensic reports to identify authentication issues and attacks.
- Forensic Reports: DMARC Forensic reports provide detailed information about individual email messages that failed DMARC authentication and can help identify specific phishing or spoofing attacks.
Key considerations
- DIY vs Service: Decide between DIY DMARC setup or using a service based on expertise and resources.
- Tool Choice: Select free or paid tools based on needs for data aggregation and actionability.
- Report Types: Understand the difference between aggregate and forensic reports and how to interpret them.
- Reporting Subdomains: Consider using subdomains for reporting for improved filtering.
- Reporting Cadence: Regularly reviewing DMARC reports ensures timely detection of any issues and allows for adjustments to be made to your email authentication strategy.
- Referral Security: If wild carding is being used for the referral records, that this can weaken the security
What email marketers say
13 marketer opinions
Setting up DMARC reports involves specifying email addresses for receiving aggregate reports via the `rua` tag in your DMARC record. Analyzing these reports helps identify authentication issues, spoofing attempts, and email traffic trends. Best practices include starting with a monitoring-only policy, using DMARC monitoring tools to simplify analysis, and regularly reviewing reports for timely issue detection. Consider the practicalities of manually reading XML files and exploring free tools, but weigh their limitations against the benefits of paid services for comprehensive data aggregation and actionable insights. Using subdomains for reporting can aid filtering.
Key opinions
- Report Destination: The `rua=mailto` destination does not need to be the domain you are DMARC-ing, but a referral record may be needed.
- XML Parsing: Manually reading XML reports is impractical; utilize free tools or DMARC monitoring services for simplified analysis.
- Implementation Strategy: Begin with a monitoring-only DMARC policy (`p=none`) to assess email authentication status before stricter enforcement.
- Report Content: DMARC aggregate reports provide a high-level overview of email traffic, authentication results (SPF and DKIM) and forensic reports offer detailed information about individual failed messages.
- Reporting Cadence: Regularly review DMARC reports to promptly identify issues and adjust email authentication strategies.
Key considerations
- Tool Selection: Evaluate free vs. paid DMARC reporting tools based on your needs for data aggregation and actionable insights; free tools are a great starting point but may lack comprehensive overviews.
- Report Interpretation: Interpreting DMARC reports involves understanding the XML format and analyzing authentication results to differentiate legitimate and fraudulent email sources.
- Subdomain Usage: Consider using subdomains for DMARC reporting to simplify filtering and separate reporting from the main production domain.
- Alerting: If there is an authentication failure or policy change the tool should alert you of a potential issue and ensure any hack-jobs done to collect results, are still operating. If there's a manual process involved, automate it or there will be a single point of failure.
Marketer view
Email marketer from Quora shares free DMARC reporting tools are great to get started, but don't offer the complete overview you need to monitor and take action on the results effectively. They recommend that medium to large businesses opt for a paid service that parses the reports and aggregates the data in a more easily readable format.
23 Apr 2023 - Quora
Marketer view
Email marketer from Red Sift shares that interpreting DMARC reports involves understanding the XML format and analyzing the authentication results (SPF and DKIM) to identify legitimate and fraudulent email sources.
12 Mar 2023 - Red Sift
What the experts say
10 expert opinions
Setting up DMARC reports and establishing best practices involves several key considerations. If self-managing DMARC, ensure the `rua=mailto` domain matches your own or configure a referral record. Capturing DMARC emails for future reference is less valuable than real-time report generation and analysis to promptly identify issues. Wildcarding referral records simplifies setup but weakens protection against mailbombing. Regularly monitor DMARC reports to detect spoofing attempts and authentication failures. Utilizing free, hosted analyzers like Postmark offers the lowest effort with some benefit. Consider the reporting interval based on email volume, and for larger volumes, a DMARC reporting service is recommended to manage report complexity and interpret data effectively.
Key opinions
- Referral Records: When DIYing DMARC, the `rua=mailto` domain must match unless a referral record is configured. Wildcarding simplifies but reduces security.
- Report Analysis: Real-time report analysis is more valuable than archiving DMARC emails. Prompt identification of issues is crucial.
- Reporting Frequency: Reporting frequency should align with email volume; higher volume warrants more frequent reports.
- Analyzer Recommendation: Free, hosted DMARC analyzers like Postmark provide an efficient starting point for analysis.
- Managed Services: DMARC reporting services simplify analysis and interpretation due to the complexity of aggregate reports.
Key considerations
- DIY vs. Service Provider: Determine whether to DIY DMARC setup or use a service provider based on technical expertise and resource availability.
- Security Trade-offs: Evaluate security trade-offs when wildcarding referral records, as it reduces protection against mailbombing.
- Real-time Analysis: Prioritize real-time analysis over archiving DMARC emails for effective issue detection and response.
- Resource Allocation: Consider the time and effort required to analyze DMARC reports; free tools offer a low-effort solution, but larger organizations should consider a paid service.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks suggests that if you don’t have reporting in place, and you see a problem, the time spent macgyvering some hack to analyze the old reports will mean it’s no longer useful.
28 Mar 2025 - Email Geeks
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks recommends Postmark as a good free hosted analyzer, as well as marketer Faisal Misle
7 Feb 2023 - Email Geeks
What the documentation says
5 technical articles
Setting up DMARC reports involves publishing a DMARC record as a TXT record in your DNS zone, including the `rua` tag with a valid email address to receive aggregate reports. These reports, aggregated by organizations like mailbox providers and typically sent daily, provide insights into email traffic, authentication results, potential spoofing attempts, and the mail flow and volume of sending sources. Regularly monitoring these reports is crucial for identifying authentication issues and making informed decisions about your DMARC policy.
Key findings
- Report Aggregation: DMARC reports are aggregated by receiving organizations (e.g., mailbox providers).
- Report Delivery: Reports are periodically sent (usually daily) to addresses in the `rua` tag.
- DNS Record: Setting up DMARC reporting requires a TXT record in DNS with the `rua` tag.
- Monitoring Importance: Regularly monitor reports for authentication issues and spoofing attempts.
- Insight Gained: Analyzing reports provides insight into mail flow, volume, and overall email traffic.
Key considerations
- Valid Email Address: Ensure the `rua` tag contains a valid email address for report reception.
- Report Analysis Strategy: Develop a strategy for analyzing aggregate reports to understand email traffic and inform DMARC policy decisions.
- Access Control: Reports enable insights into mail volume and flow, so proper access must be granted.
Technical article
Documentation from Cloudflare explains that to enable DMARC reporting, you must publish a TXT record in your DNS zone with the correct syntax. This record specifies the DMARC policy and the email addresses to which aggregate and forensic reports should be sent.
3 Dec 2021 - Cloudflare
Technical article
Documentation from Google Workspace Admin Help explains that to set up DMARC reporting, you need to publish a DMARC record in your DNS records that includes the `rua` tag with a valid email address to receive aggregate reports.
3 May 2025 - Google Workspace Admin Help
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