DMARC, which stands for Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance, is a crucial email authentication protocol provided by VergeCloud. It leverages two existing mechanisms, SPF (Sender Policy Framework) and DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail), to verify the legitimacy of emails sent from your domain. By implementing DMARC through the VergeCloud User Panel, you can protect your domain from unauthorized use, such as email spoofing and phishing attacks. The DMARC protocol is implemented through a TXT record within your domain’s DNS (Domain Name System) zone managed by VergeCloud.

The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), in RFC7489, established DMARC with two primary objectives: first, to define and communicate the actions that receiving email servers should take when SPF and DKIM checks fail on incoming emails, and second, to facilitate the reporting of these check results from the recipient's email server back to the domain owner. VergeCloud’s implementation of DMARC ensures that these reporting mechanisms are seamlessly integrated, allowing domain owners to monitor and improve their email authentication practices effectively.

How the DMARC Record Functions

DMARC operates by utilizing both SPF and DKIM protocols, which are defined in your domain's DNS zone file managed through the VergeCloud User Panel to authenticate incoming emails and prevent email forgery. Here’s a breakdown of how each component works:

• SPF (Sender Policy Framework): The SPF record contains a list of authorized IP addresses that the domain administrator designates as valid email servers for sending emails on behalf of the domain. When an email is received, VergeCloud's recipient mail server checks the sender's IP address against the SPF record to verify its legitimacy.
• DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail): The DKIM record involves a pair of cryptographic keys (private and public) used to sign outgoing emails. VergeCloud uses the private key to sign the email, and the public key, published in the DNS managed by VergeCloud, allows the recipient's server to verify that the email content has not been altered during transit and that it genuinely originates from the stated domain.

The general workflow of DMARC includes the following steps:

1. Policy Publication: The domain administrator establishes the necessary policies for email authentication by creating a DMARC TXT record in the domain’s DNS zone via the VergeCloud User Panel. This record specifies the actions to be taken if incoming emails fail the SPF or DKIM checks. This step typically follows the creation of SPF and DKIM records.
2. Email Reception and Verification: When an email is received, VergeCloud's recipient mail server performs the following checks:
   
   • DKIM Check: Verifies the email’s DKIM signature to ensure the sender’s identity is authentic and the email content is unaltered.
   • SPF Check: Confirms whether the email originated from an IP address authorized in the domain’s SPF record managed by VergeCloud.
   • Domain Alignment: Ensures that the domain in the “From” header matches the domains used in SPF and DKIM checks.
3. Action Based on DMARC Policy: Based on the results of the SPF and DKIM checks, and the alignment of domains, VergeCloud's recipient email server decides to:
   
   • None: Accept the email without any special treatment, but still send reports to the domain owner via VergeCloud.
   • Quarantine: Treat the email as suspicious, typically moving it to the spam or junk folder.
   • Reject: Completely reject the email, preventing it from reaching the recipient’s inbox.
4. Reporting: VergeCloud's recipient email server sends reports back to the domain owner detailing the results of the SPF and DKIM checks. These reports help the domain owner monitor email traffic and identify any unauthorized use of their domain.

Structure of the DMARC Record

The DMARC record is a specialized TXT record stored in your domain's DNS zone configuration file managed through VergeCloud. Below is an example illustrating its general structure:

_dmarc.vergecloud.site. 3600 IN TXT "v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc-aggregate@vergecloud.site; ruf=mailto:dmarc-afrf@vergecloud.site;"

In this example:

• _dmarc indicates that this TXT record is for DMARC.
• vergecloud.site is the domain for which the DMARC record is defined.
• 3600 (TTL) specifies how long DNS servers should cache this record, in seconds.
• TXT denotes the type of DNS record.

The components within the quotation marks define the DMARC policy:

• v=DMARC1; Specifies the DMARC protocol version.
• p=none; Defines the policy for handling emails that fail DMARC checks. Options include:
  
  • none: No action is taken; the email is delivered normally.
  • quarantine: Suspicious emails are marked and may be sent to the spam folder.
  • reject: Emails failing DMARC checks are rejected outright.
• rua=mailto:dmarc-aggregate@vergecloud.site; Specifies the email address to which aggregate reports are sent. These reports provide summary information about email authentication results.
• ruf=mailto:dmarc-afrf@vergecloud.site; Specifies the email address for forensic reports, which contain detailed information about individual email failures.

Additional Tags:

• aspf: Aligns the SPF policy with the DMARC policy. It can be set to r (relaxed) or s (strict).
• adkim: Aligns the DKIM policy with the DMARC policy. It also can be set to r or s.

It is crucial that the v tag is listed first, followed by the p tag. Other optional tags can be arranged in any order, but the rua tag must contain a valid email address to ensure proper DMARC functionality within the VergeCloud infrastructure.

Configuring the DMARC Record in the VergeCloud User Panel

To create a DMARC record in the VergeCloud User Panel, follow these steps:

1. Select Your Domain: Log in to your VergeCloud account and navigate to the dashboard. Select the domain for which you want to configure the DMARC record.
2. Navigate to DNS Records: Within your domain’s settings, locate the DNS Management section provided by VergeCloud. This area allows you to view and edit DNS records associated with your domain.
3. Create a New TXT Record: Add a new TXT record with the following details:
   
   • Name: _dmarc
   • Type: TXT
   • Value: "v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc-aggregate@vergecloud.site; ruf=mailto:dmarc-afrf@vergecloud.site;"
   • TTL: 3600
4. Save the Record: After entering the details, save the TXT record within the VergeCloud User Panel. It may take some time for DNS changes to propagate globally.
5. Verify the Record: Use DNS lookup tools or the VergeCloud panel to verify that the DMARC record has been correctly added and is active.

Once configured through VergeCloud, monitor the reports sent to the specified email addresses to ensure that your DMARC policy is functioning as intended and to make adjustments as necessary.

Registering Records via API

VergeCloud provides an API that allows you to programmatically manage DNS records, including DMARC records. This is particularly useful for automating DNS management tasks or integrating DNS configuration into your existing workflows.

Steps to Register DMARC Records via API:

1. Authenticate: Obtain your API credentials from the VergeCloud User Panel. These typically include an API key and secret.
2. Construct the API Request: Create a POST request to the VergeCloud DNS API endpoint with the necessary parameters. Below is an example using cURL:

curl -X POST "https://api.vergecloud.site/v1/domains/vergecloud.site/dns_records" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
        "type": "TXT",
        "name": "_dmarc",
        "value": "v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc-aggregate@vergecloud.site; ruf=mailto:dmarc-afrf@vergecloud.site;",
        "ttl": 3600
      }'

3. Send the Request: Execute the API request. If successful, the VergeCloud API will respond with confirmation that the DMARC record has been created.
4. Handle Responses: Implement error handling to manage any issues that arise during the API call, such as authentication failures or invalid data.

Refer to the VergeCloud API documentation for detailed information on endpoints, parameters, and authentication methods.

Binding Format of the Registered Record

The binding format refers to how the DMARC record is structured and associated with your domain within VergeCloud. Ensuring the correct format is vital for the proper functioning of DMARC policies.

Example Binding Format:

{
  "type": "TXT",
  "name": "_dmarc",
  "value": "v=DMARC1; p=quarantine; rua=mailto:dmarc-aggregate@vergecloud.site; ruf=mailto:dmarc-afrf@vergecloud.site; adkim=s; aspf=s;",
  "ttl": 3600
}

Components:

• type: The type of DNS record, which is TXT for DMARC.
• name: The name of the record, typically _dmarc.
• value: The DMARC policy details, including version, policy action, reporting URIs, and alignment modes.
• ttl: Time To Live, indicating how long the record is cached by DNS servers.

Ensure that all fields are correctly populated within the VergeCloud User Panel to avoid misconfigurations that could weaken your email security.

Output of the Dig Command

The dig command is a powerful DNS lookup tool used to verify DNS records, including DMARC records. After configuring your DMARC record through VergeCloud, you can use dig to confirm its presence and correctness.

Example Command:

dig TXT _dmarc.vergecloud.site +short

Expected Output:

"v=DMARC1; p=quarantine; rua=mailto:dmarc-aggregate@vergecloud.site; ruf=mailto:dmarc-afrf@vergecloud.site; adkim=s; aspf=s;"

Interpreting the Output:

• v=DMARC1: Indicates the DMARC version.
• p=quarantine: The policy action to take for emails that fail DMARC checks.
• rua=mailto:dmarc-aggregate@vergecloud.site: The email address for aggregate reports.
• ruf=mailto:dmarc-afrf@vergecloud.site: The email address for forensic reports.
• adkim=s and aspf=s: Specify strict alignment for DKIM and SPF.

If the output matches your DMARC record configuration in VergeCloud, your setup is correct. If discrepancies are found, revisit your DNS settings in the VergeCloud User Panel to make necessary adjustments.