Seeing an error like “No DMARC record found” is more than just a technical warning; it’s a sign of a significant security gap in your domain's email setup. A missing DMARC record leaves your domain vulnerable to impersonation, which can damage your brand's reputation and hurt your email deliverability. DMARC, which stands for Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance, works with SPF and DKIM to authenticate your emails and tell receiving servers how to handle messages that fail these checks.
Without it, you are essentially flying blind, with no control over who uses your domain to send emails and no visibility into potential abuse.
The primary risks of a missing DMARC record
When a domain lacks a DMARC record, it faces several critical vulnerabilities. The most immediate and dangerous is the risk of email spoofing and phishing attacks. Attackers can easily forge the "From" address of an email to make it appear as if it came from your domain. This exposes your customers, partners, and the general public to malicious emails sent in your name.
The key issues stemming from a missing DMARC record include:
- Lack of enforcement. You have no policy to instruct receiving mail servers on what to do with unauthenticated emails. You can't tell them to quarantine suspicious messages or reject them outright, leaving the decision entirely up to them.
- No visibility. DMARC provides detailed reports (known as RUA reports) that give you insight into your email traffic, including legitimate sources and potential abuse. Without a record, you don't receive this feedback, leaving you unaware of phishing campaigns that might be impersonating your domain.
- Reduced email deliverability. Major mailbox providers like Google and Yahoo have made DMARC a requirement for sending email. If you don't have a DMARC record, your legitimate emails are more likely to be filtered as spam or rejected entirely, severely impacting your ability to reach your audience.
- Brand damage. If malicious actors successfully spoof your domain, they can defraud your customers and erode trust in your brand. The reputational damage from such an incident can be long-lasting and difficult to repair.
How to fix a missing DMARC record
Fixing a missing DMARC record is a straightforward process that involves adding a TXT record to your domain's DNS settings. Before you do this, you must have SPF and DKIM configured correctly, as DMARC relies on them.
The first step is to create a basic DMARC record. I always recommend starting with a monitoring-only policy (p=none). This allows you to start gathering data from DMARC reports without affecting your email flow. A simple starting record looks like this:
v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc-reports@yourdomain.com
You would publish this as a TXT record in your DNS with the name _dmarc.yourdomain.com. Once published, you'll begin receiving aggregate reports at the email address you specified. These reports will help you identify all the services sending email on your behalf so you can ensure they are properly authenticated before moving to a stricter policy like p=quarantine or p=reject.
In short, a missing DMARC record is a critical oversight. Implementing one is a foundational step in securing your email communications, protecting your brand, and ensuring your messages reach the inbox.
