Over the past six months, the ongoing importance of implementing DMARC and setting it to p=reject has been widely discussed. However, a common question from our customers is: “What’s the benefit of continuous monitoring after reaching p=reject?”
First, we need to know what DMARC p=Reject is!
DMARC is like a security guard for your emails. It’s a unique record in your organisation’s Domain Name System (DNS) that ensures your emails are legitimate. It instructs email servers on what to do with messages that don’t pass security checks.
DMARC p=Reject is an enforcement policy that prevents phishing, email spoofing, and ransomware attacks and helps ensure more reliable email delivery. It simply ‘rejects’ emails, failing authentication for DMARC, providing maximum security.
Email is constantly changing, not set in stone. New tools and services are continually being added to send emails on behalf of your domain. It’s essential to keep an eye on these new services so that emails continue to get through. For example, if someone on the marketing team starts using a new mailing tool without telling IT, emails might not make it through because the new tool doesn’t have the correct settings, leading to failed delivery.
A solution like Aura’s DMARC service allows you to set up alerts when this happens, enabling your emails to be authenticated and delivered successfully.
Even after you set up SPF and DKIM for your email-sending sources, issues can still arise. For example, a DKIM key might not rotate properly, or an SPF record could be accidentally deleted from the DNS. If these things happen and an email fails DMARC, it won’t get delivered. Keeping an eye on these things and getting alerts is vital to keep your existing solutions working. And if something goes wrong, you can take action right away.
Aura’s DMARC solution can generate these alerts within its platform for continuous ongoing deliverability.
Achieving p=reject means your domain cannot be easily impersonated. However, threat actors will still attempt to do so. Continuous monitoring lets you proactively identify and block these malicious IP addresses on other services, such as your spam filter. This proactive approach enhances your overall security posture.
Having a continuous monitoring solution like Aura’s DMARC service is paramount. DMARC isn’t a one-time fix; it’s an ongoing project that requires constant attention. Think of Aura’s DMARC as your autopilot for email security, ensuring your domain remains protected and your emails are consistently delivered.
Contact us today for more information about robust email security solutions. Our experts can help you build a secure email ecosystem, giving you the confidence that your systems are safe.