Summary
A DMARC policy of p=none (policy equals none) is the most lenient DMARC setting, primarily serving as a monitoring mode for your email sending. Its main implication is that it instructs receiving mail servers not to take any specific action (like quarantining or rejecting) on emails that fail DMARC authentication for your domain. Instead, it allows these emails to proceed to the recipient's inbox, while simultaneously generating valuable DMARC reports (RUA and RUF) that provide insights into your email authentication status and potential unauthorized sending activity. This policy is crucial for initial DMARC deployment, as it enables you to gather data and understand your email ecosystem without disrupting legitimate mail flow.
Key findings
- No enforcement: Emails failing DMARC authentication are not blocked or quarantined. They are still delivered to the recipient’s inbox.
- Data collection: The primary benefit of p=none is the reception of DMARC aggregate (RUA) and forensic (RUF) reports. These reports are vital for understanding your email sending sources and authentication results.
- Initial deployment: It is the recommended starting point for DMARC implementation, allowing you to monitor authentication failures without impacting legitimate email delivery.
- Limited protection: While it provides visibility, p=none does not actively protect your domain from spoofing or phishing attacks.
- Deliverability neutrality: The policy itself does not directly improve or harm email deliverability, but the insights gained can lead to improvements.
Key considerations
- Report analysis: Analyzing DMARC reports is essential to identify all legitimate sending sources and correct any authentication issues (SPF, DKIM).
- Stricter policy goal: The ultimate aim is to transition from p=none to p=quarantine or p=reject to actively protect your domain.
- Brand protection: Without a stronger policy, your domain remains vulnerable to brand impersonation via spoofing. Mailjet has more on how DMARC works.
- Domain reputation: While p=none itself doesn't directly harm reputation, a lack of progression to stricter policies might be seen less favorably over time by mailbox providers.
What email marketers say
Email marketers often approach DMARC p=none with a mix of caution and confusion. While they appreciate its non-disruptive nature for initial deployment, there are common misconceptions about its impact on deliverability and reputation. Many see it as a necessary first step to avoid losing legitimate mail, but some also wonder if it truly offers any benefits or if it might even be detrimental if not followed by stricter enforcement.
Key opinions
- Safety first: Many marketers prefer to start with p=none to avoid risking legitimate email delivery, even if it means less immediate protection.
- Reputation concerns: Some worry that p=none might negatively affect their email reputation with certain providers, even though this is often a misunderstanding.
- Misunderstood enforcement: There's a common misconception that p=none ensures emails land in the inbox, even when failing DMARC, which is not true. It simply tells the receiver to apply their default handling.
- Reporting value: Marketers recognize the value of DMARC reports (RUA data) for gaining visibility into their sending landscape and identifying potential issues.
- Frustration with deliverability: Some marketers express frustration when simply implementing DMARC with p=none doesn't immediately resolve issues like emails going to spam.
Key considerations
- Transition planning: Marketers need a clear plan to move from p=none to p=quarantine or p=reject to achieve actual protection.
- Expectation management: It's important to set realistic expectations for clients and internal teams about what p=none accomplishes (monitoring) versus what it doesn't (blocking).
- Understanding default behavior: Marketers must understand that p=none reverts to the receiving server's default behavior for unauthenticated mail, which may still include spam folder placement. WP Mail SMTP provides more context on creating DMARC records.
- Iterative process: DMARC implementation, starting with p=none, is an iterative process requiring ongoing monitoring and adjustments.
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks suggests starting with p=none to avoid risking legitimate mail loss. This approach allows for careful observation of email flows before implementing stricter policies, ensuring business continuity.
Marketer view
Marketer from Klaviyo help center states that a policy of p=none will not impact email sends, allowing emails to still land in the primary inbox. This indicates it’s a safe initial policy.
What the experts say
Email deliverability experts largely agree that p=none is a foundational, but temporary, DMARC policy. They advocate for its use during the initial discovery phase to gather critical insights into email sending practices and authentication results. However, they consistently highlight its fundamental limitation: the absence of enforcement, which leaves domains vulnerable to spoofing and phishing if a stronger policy is not eventually adopted. Experts stress the importance of understanding the data from DMARC reports to safely move towards stronger enforcement.
Key opinions
- Diagnostic phase: Experts view p=none as a necessary diagnostic phase for understanding your email ecosystem before implementing blocking policies.
- No protection: It's a common expert opinion that p=none provides no active protection against domain impersonation or phishing, making it unsuitable for long-term security.
- Crucial for migration: Using p=none is critical for identifying all legitimate sending sources and correcting authentication issues before moving to p=quarantine or p=reject.
- Reporting is key: The primary value derived from p=none lies in the DMARC reports, which inform necessary configurations for SPF and DKIM.
- Temporary state: Staying at p=none indefinitely is generally discouraged by experts, as it provides ongoing visibility without the security benefits.
Key considerations
- Careful transition: Transitioning from p=none requires meticulous analysis of DMARC reports to avoid blocking legitimate emails.
- Continuous monitoring: Even at p=none, continuous monitoring of DMARC reports is essential to ensure new sending sources are correctly authenticated.
- Security gap awareness: Organizations must be aware that p=none does not close the security gap for domain spoofing, necessitating a move to stricter policies.
- Holistic view: Experts recommend integrating DMARC implementation with overall email security strategies. NoSpamProxy discusses why p=none might not be a good choice for security at their website.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks emphasizes that p=none is primarily a data-gathering tool. It allows organizations to gain visibility into their email sending practices without immediately impacting deliverability, serving as a crucial discovery phase.
Expert view
Expert from SpamResource.com discusses the importance of a phased DMARC rollout, starting with p=none. This methodical approach minimizes disruption and allows for proper identification of all sending sources, preventing legitimate email blocking later on.
What the documentation says
Technical documentation universally defines a DMARC policy of p=none as a monitoring policy. It explicitly states that this policy instructs mail receivers not to perform any specific action (quarantine or reject) on emails that fail DMARC authentication. Instead, its primary function is to enable the generation of DMARC aggregate (RUA) and forensic (RUF) reports, providing domain owners with crucial visibility into their email authentication landscape without affecting email delivery. This phase is considered a critical precursor to implementing stricter DMARC policies like p=quarantine or p=reject.
Key findings
- Non-enforcement: RFC 7489, the DMARC specification, clarifies that p=none explicitly means no policy action is taken against messages failing DMARC.
- Reporting mandate: Documentation emphasizes that with p=none, aggregate (RUA) and forensic (RUF) reports must be generated and sent to the designated address(es).
- Monitoring phase: It is consistently recommended as the initial monitoring phase for DMARC deployment to understand the impact of authentication without affecting legitimate email traffic.
- Data for transition: The data collected through p=none reports is essential for making informed decisions before transitioning to stricter policies (quarantine or reject).
- Vulnerability persists: Documentation implies that while reporting is active, domains remain vulnerable to spoofing until a stricter enforcement policy is implemented.
Key considerations
- Report interpretation: Understanding the structure and content of RUA and RUF reports is crucial for extracting actionable insights. More information can be found on the DMARC tags and their meanings.
- Authentication alignment: Proper SPF and DKIM authentication and DMARC alignment are prerequisite to moving beyond p=none.
- Security vs. Visibility: While p=none provides visibility, it does not offer security. Organizations must plan to advance their DMARC policy for active protection. The official DMARC website offers extensive resources.
- False sense of security: Relying on p=none long-term can create a false sense of security, as malicious emails might still reach inboxes.
Technical article
Documentation from RFC 7489 specifies that the p=none policy is solely for reporting purposes. It clarifies that this policy instructs mail receivers not to enforce any specific action on emails failing DMARC authentication, emphasizing its monitoring nature.
Technical article
Documentation from DMARC.org describes p=none as a policy for monitoring, which collects data on email authentication without affecting delivery. This initial step is vital for understanding your email ecosystem before moving to enforcement policies.
Related resources
15 resources
Related pages
When should you use DMARC p=none, p=quarantine, or p=reject policies?
Does implementing DMARC improve email deliverability and is DMARC p=none policy useful?
Is DMARC p=none a deliverability red flag, and how does it impact email security and domain reputation?
Does a DMARC policy of 'none' negatively impact email reputation?
When and why should I switch from DMARC p=none to p=quarantine or p=reject?
Simple DMARC examples: how to start with a p=none policy
How to safely transition your DMARC policy to quarantine or reject
Understanding and troubleshooting DMARC reports from Google and Yahoo
List of DMARC tags and their meanings
Demystifying the SPF TempError in your DMARC reports
