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How to interpret DMARC reports for unrecognized email sending sources and low volume DMARC failures?

Summary

Interpreting DMARC reports for unrecognized email sending sources and low volume DMARC failures requires careful analysis. Often, what appears to be malicious spoofing is simply a result of misconfigurations, mail forwarding, or sanctioned, but undocumented, internal sending. Understanding the nuances of DMARC authentication (SPF, DKIM, and alignment) is crucial to differentiate between legitimate issues and actual threats to your domain's reputation. This analysis helps organizations move toward more robust DMARC policies without disrupting legitimate email flows.

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What email marketers say

Email marketers often encounter DMARC reports showing unexpected sending sources or low volumes of failures. These insights highlight the challenge of gaining full visibility into all email-sending activities within an organization, especially those occurring outside official marketing channels. Marketers emphasize the importance of distinguishing between minor misconfigurations and genuine threats to a domain's email reputation, noting that a high domain reputation doesn't automatically mean immunity from issues if DMARC authentication isn't properly handled across all sending streams.

Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Geeks states that a new client using DMARC reporting has noticed some unrecognized sending sources, particularly from Mailchimp, which are significant enough in volume to cause concern. The marketer notes that this client, despite not using Mailchimp, is seeing hundreds of sends.

03 Oct 2019 - Email Geeks

Marketer view

Email marketer from DuoCircle suggests that DMARC reports provide extensive data on how emails from your domain are handled by recipients and identify those that fail DMARC authentication. This helps with overall email deliverability insight.

03 Oct 2019 - DuoCircle

What the experts say

Experts emphasize that DMARC reports provide a crucial, yet sometimes complex, overview of a domain's email ecosystem. They highlight the prevalence of internal misconfigurations or unauthorized sending sources, which can often be mistaken for external spoofing. A key message is that DMARC is not solely about blocking malicious actors, but also about gaining comprehensive visibility into all sending practices, ensuring proper authentication, and protecting domain reputation, even from within. They advise a careful, data-driven approach before implementing stricter policies.

Expert view

Security expert from SpamResource recommends distinguishing between genuine email spoofing attempts and simple misconfigurations when analyzing DMARC reports. Often, what appears to be a threat is merely an unoptimized sending practice.

15 Jan 2024 - SpamResource

Expert view

Deliverability expert from Word to the Wise notes that unexpected email volumes from known providers like Mailchimp or Zoho in DMARC reports frequently point to internal, unauthorized marketing campaigns. These campaigns might use the brand's domain but lack proper DMARC alignment.

10 Feb 2024 - Word to the Wise

What the documentation says

Official documentation and technical guides outline the core principles of DMARC, SPF, and DKIM, emphasizing their role in email authentication and preventing domain misuse. They often detail the structure of DMARC reports and the meaning of various authentication outcomes. The documentation clarifies that DMARC's primary goal is to provide reporting and policy enforcement, allowing domain owners to gain visibility and control over emails sent using their domain. It also points out the technical reasons why some emails might fail DMARC, even if they pass underlying SPF or DKIM checks, due to alignment requirements.

Technical article

Official DMARC documentation explains that DMARC authentication hinges on the alignment between the organizational domain in the From: header and the domains verified by SPF or DKIM. A failure to align will result in DMARC non-compliance, even if SPF or DKIM technically pass.

10 Apr 2024 - DuoCircle

Technical article

Kinsta's knowledge base clarifies that a DMARC fail error indicates that an email did not pass the DMARC authentication check. This usually means the email's SPF or DKIM records, or their alignment with the From domain, were incorrect.

22 Sep 2022 - Kinsta

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