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The Importance of Using DMARC for Email Security

Chad Brown

Jul 30 2024

3 min read

Email remains a primary mode of communication for businesses, making it a prime target for cybercriminals. Phishing, spoofing, and other email-based attacks can lead to significant financial losses, data breaches, and damage to a company’s reputation. This is where DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance) comes into play. Implementing DMARC is crucial for enhancing email security and protecting your brand.

Understanding DMARC

DMARC is an email authentication protocol designed to give email domain owners the ability to protect their domain from unauthorized use, commonly known as email spoofing. It builds on two existing mechanisms, SPF (Sender Policy Framework) and DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail), adding a reporting function that allows domain owners to understand and manage their email ecosystem more effectively.

The Benefits of Using DMARC

Enhanced Email Security – DMARC helps prevent email spoofing and phishing attacks, ensuring that only legitimate emails are delivered to recipients. By specifying how to handle emails that fail SPF or DKIM checks, DMARC reduces the risk of malicious emails reaching users, thereby protecting sensitive information and reducing the likelihood of security breaches.
Improved Brand Trust and Reputation – A successful phishing attack can tarnish a company’s reputation. By implementing DMARC, businesses can ensure that their customers and partners receive only authenticated emails, which builds trust and enhances their reputation. This proactive measure demonstrates a commitment to security and customer protection.
Better Visibility and Control – DMARC provides domain owners with detailed reports on email activity, allowing them to monitor who is sending emails on their behalf. This visibility helps identify and address unauthorized sources, ensuring that only legitimate emails are associated with the domain. It also aids in diagnosing and resolving email deliverability issues.
Compliance with Industry Standards – Many industries have stringent data protection and cybersecurity standards. Implementing DMARC helps businesses comply with these regulations by ensuring robust email authentication practices. This compliance can be a critical factor in avoiding penalties and maintaining customer trust.
Reduction in Spam and Fraudulent Emails – DMARC helps in significantly reducing the amount of spam and fraudulent emails that users receive. By establishing a clear policy for email authentication, it becomes harder for cybercriminals to impersonate the domain, leading to a cleaner and more secure email environment.

How Sikich Can Help

Our team works with businesses hand in hand to review all parties that send emails on their behalf. This can be eye-opening as some businesses do not have the practice of cleaning up old tools that previously have been configured. Once we have decided on a good list of approved vendors, we work to enable DMARC. After careful review and planning, DMARC compliance is set to “reject” so that no unauthorized vendors can send emails on the business’s behalf.

Conclusion

The importance of using DMARC cannot be overstated in the fight against email-based threats. It provides a comprehensive framework for email authentication, ensuring enhanced security, improved brand reputation, and better control over email traffic. As cyber threats continue to evolve, implementing DMARC is not just a best practice but a necessary step for any business serious about protecting its digital communications. By doing so, businesses can safeguard their assets and maintain customer trust.

Does your organization need to implement DMARC for email security? Please feel free to reach out to our team of experts at any time!

This publication contains general information only and Sikich is not, by means of this publication, rendering accounting, business, financial, investment, legal, tax, or any other professional advice or services. This publication is not a substitute for such professional advice or services, nor should you use it as a basis for any decision, action or omission that may affect you or your business. Before making any decision, taking any action or omitting an action that may affect you or your business, you should consult a qualified professional advisor. In addition, this publication may contain certain content generated by an artificial intelligence (AI) language model. You acknowledge that Sikich shall not be responsible for any loss sustained by you or any person who relies on this publication.

About the Author

Chad Brown

Chad Brown is a Senior Network Consultant at Sikich, assisting client in achieving their business objectives through technology and trusted advice. He holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Information Technology from University of Phoenix, as well as several industry certifications. His primary area of focus revolves around server infrastructure and Microsoft’s Cloud services.