Summary
Finding DMARC RUA report examples can be surprisingly difficult despite their importance. While some examples exist (e.g., from Microsoft and mail.ru), the overall availability of publicly accessible samples is limited. These reports, typically in XML format, provide a summary of email authentication activity, revealing the sources of emails claiming to be from your domain and their authentication status. Analyzing them involves understanding XML structure, identifying source IP addresses, and assessing SPF/DKIM pass/fail rates. Generating your own reports by sending authenticated emails is a reliable alternative. Visualisation tools, DMARC report analyzers, and programming libraries can simplify the parsing and analysis of DMARC data. Understanding these reports is crucial for identifying unauthorized senders, detecting potential spoofing attempts, improving email deliverability, and enhancing email ecosystem security.
Key findings
- Limited Availability: Readily available examples of DMARC RUA reports are surprisingly scarce.
- XML Format: DMARC RUA reports are generally in XML format, requiring parsing for analysis.
- Authentication Summary: These reports summarize email authentication activity (SPF, DKIM, DMARC).
- Sender Visibility: They provide visibility into who is sending emails on behalf of your domain.
- Threat Detection: They help detect potential spoofing attempts and unauthorized senders.
- Analysis Tools: Visualization tools and DMARC report analyzers can simplify report interpretation.
- Self-Generation Option: Generating your own reports by sending authenticated emails is a reliable method.
Key considerations
- Parsing Complexity: Consider using online tools or programming libraries (e.g., Python's `xml.etree.ElementTree`) to handle the XML format.
- Visualization: Utilize visualization tools to make DMARC report data more understandable.
- Active Analysis: Actively analyze DMARC reports to identify and address authentication issues and unauthorized senders.
- Proactive Generation: If generating your own reports, ensure proper DMARC configuration and monitoring of the receiving inbox.
- Authentication Improvement: Use the insights from DMARC reports to continuously improve your email authentication setup (SPF, DKIM, DMARC).
- Security: Regularly review DMARC reports to maintain a secure email ecosystem and protect your brand from spoofing.
What email marketers say
7 marketer opinions
Finding example DMARC RUA reports can be challenging due to the relative lack of readily available samples. Analyzing these reports, which are typically in XML format, involves understanding the XML structure, identifying source IP addresses, and assessing SPF and DKIM pass/fail rates to pinpoint authentication problems. Visualization tools and DMARC report analyzers can simplify this process. Generating your own reports by sending authenticated emails and monitoring the designated inbox can also be a reliable method. Online searches and programming libraries can assist in parsing XML data.
Key opinions
- Availability: Readily available examples of DMARC RUA reports are scarce.
- Format: DMARC RUA reports are typically in XML format, which can be complex to parse manually.
- Analysis: Analyzing DMARC reports involves identifying source IP addresses, authentication status (SPF/DKIM), and DMARC policy application.
- Tools: Visualization tools and online DMARC report analyzers can simplify the interpretation of DMARC RUA reports.
- Generation: Generating your own DMARC RUA reports by sending authenticated emails is a reliable but more involved method.
Key considerations
- XML Parsing: Consider using online tools or programming libraries to parse the XML data if manual analysis is too complex.
- Visualization: Utilize visualization tools to make DMARC report data more understandable and actionable.
- Report Frequency: Regularly review DMARC reports to identify and address potential authentication issues and improve email deliverability.
- Custom Generation: If relying on generated reports, ensure proper configuration of DMARC settings and monitoring of the designated RUA inbox.
- Authentication: Pay close attention to SPF and DKIM authentication results to diagnose and fix email delivery problems.
Marketer view
Email marketer from Quora explains that DMARC RUA reports in XML format includes sender IP addresses, authentication status, DMARC policy applied, and domain names involved. Suggests using online DMARC analyzers for simpler and easier analysis.
16 Aug 2024 - Quora
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks expresses surprise at the lack of good DMARC RUA document examples available.
7 Sep 2023 - Email Geeks
What the experts say
3 expert opinions
Experts suggest that while readily available DMARC RUA report examples are scarce, understanding and leveraging the information within these reports is crucial for diagnosing email delivery issues and improving authentication. Visualisation tools are also recommended. Some direct examples do exist, and redaction may not always be necessary.
Key opinions
- Availability: There is a noted lack of publicly available DMARC RUA report examples and other email-related sample data.
- Examples Exist: Some direct examples of DMARC RUA reports do exist.
- Report Value: Understanding DMARC reports is essential for diagnosing email delivery problems and improving authentication.
- Visualization: Visualization tools can aid in the interpretation and analysis of DMARC reports.
Key considerations
- Leverage Insights: Focus on understanding how to leverage the data within DMARC reports, rather than solely relying on finding example reports.
- Use Tools: Consider using visualization tools to simplify DMARC report analysis.
- Authentication: Use the knowledge gained from DMARC reports to improve email authentication methods (SPF, DKIM, DMARC).
- Redaction: Redaction of examples may not always be required.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks notes the surprising lack of publicly available sample data and test vectors for many email-related topics.
24 Jun 2024 - Email Geeks
Expert view
Expert from Word to the Wise (Laura Belozerova) explains that understanding DMARC reports is crucial for diagnosing email delivery issues. While the reports themselves may not be directly provided, insight is given into how to leverage the information found within these reports to improve authentication and troubleshoot failures. They recommend using a visualisation tool.
21 Aug 2024 - Word to the Wise
What the documentation says
4 technical articles
DMARC aggregate reports, as described by various documentation sources, are XML files that summarize email authentication activity. These reports offer visibility into who is sending emails using your domain, their authentication status (pass/fail), and the DMARC policy applied. They help identify unauthorized senders, potential spoofing attempts, and email authentication failures, aiding in threat hunting, improving email deliverability, and enhancing overall email ecosystem security. Microsoft Defender for Office 365 also provides a dashboard for analyzing these reports.
Key findings
- XML Format: DMARC aggregate reports are typically provided as XML files.
- Authentication Summary: These reports summarize email authentication activity, including SPF, DKIM, and DMARC results.
- Visibility into Senders: DMARC reports reveal who is sending emails on behalf of your domain.
- Threat Detection: They help identify potential spoofing attempts, unauthorized senders, and email authentication failures.
- Security Enhancement: Analyzing DMARC reports contributes to threat hunting and improves overall email security.
- Dashboard Available: Microsoft Defender for Office 365 offers a dashboard for easier DMARC report analysis.
Key considerations
- Report Interpretation: Familiarize yourself with the structure and content of DMARC reports to effectively analyze the data.
- Unauthorized Senders: Actively identify and address any unauthorized senders discovered in the reports to protect your brand.
- Spoofing Attempts: Investigate and mitigate any potential spoofing attempts identified in the reports.
- Authentication Improvement: Use the insights from DMARC reports to improve your email authentication practices (SPF, DKIM, DMARC).
- Regular Monitoring: Regularly review and analyze DMARC reports to maintain a secure and healthy email ecosystem.
Technical article
Documentation from Microsoft explains that their Defender for Office 365 provides a DMARC reports dashboard. This allows admins to analyse DMARC aggregate reports, identifying potential spoofing attempts, and improving email security.
13 Aug 2024 - Microsoft
Technical article
Documentation from Proofpoint describes that DMARC reports contain forensic data on email authentication failures, aiding in threat hunting, and providing insights into email ecosystem security, by analysing sender IP, Authentication results and the DMARC policy applied.
13 Jul 2022 - Proofpoint
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