DMARC Reporting Configuration: RUA and RUF Records

Email security is of great importance for both individuals and institutions today. DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance) is a system that helps prevent email spoofing and protect your domain name by using email authentication protocols (SPF and DKIM). One of the most important features of DMARC is its reporting mechanism for your email transmissions. These reports provide valuable information about your email traffic and allow you to optimize your DMARC policy. In this article, we will examine in detail the RUA and RUF records, which are the cornerstones of DMARC reporting.

Introduction to DMARC Reporting: Why is Reporting Important?

While DMARC prevents spoofing by authenticating your email transmissions, it also generates reports about your email traffic. These reports show the authentication results of emails sent from your domain name, from which sources they were sent, and how your DMARC policy is applied. Reporting is critical for the following reasons:

Visibility: By obtaining detailed information about your email traffic, you can identify authentication problems.
Optimization: You can optimize your DMARC policy based on the data in the reports and provide tighter protection.
Spoofing Detection: You can detect and prevent spoofing attempts using your domain name.
Improvement: You can increase the effectiveness of your email marketing campaigns and increase your email delivery rates.

DMARC reporting helps you protect the reputation of your domain name by ensuring that your email security is constantly monitored and improved.

RUA Record: Aggregate Reporting

RUA (Reporting URI for Aggregate reports) is used in DMARC records and specifies the email address or addresses to which aggregate reports will be sent. Aggregate reports are XML files generated by email receiving servers at regular intervals (usually daily) and summarize the authentication results of emails sent from your domain name. These reports provide a general overview of your email traffic and help you identify potential problems.

Configuring the RUA Record

The RUA record is specified with the `rua=` tag in your DMARC TXT record. If you want to send reports to more than one email address, you can specify them separated by commas. For example:

_dmarc.example.com. TXT "v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:[email protected],mailto:[email protected];"

In this example, aggregate reports will be sent to both `[email protected]` and `[email protected]` addresses.

Content of RUA Reports

RUA reports are usually in XML format and contain the following information:

Organization Information: The name and contact information of the organization that created the report.
Reporting Interval: The date and time range covered by the report.
Domain Name Information: The domain name to which the report relates (e.g., example.com).
Authentication Results: SPF and DKIM authentication results (pass, fail, none).
DMARC Policy Application: How the DMARC policy (e.g., quarantine, reject) is applied.
Source Information: IP addresses and organizations from which emails are sent.

This information allows you to perform a comprehensive analysis of your email traffic and optimize your DMARC policy.

RUF Record: Forensic Reporting

RUF (Reporting URI for Forensic reports) is used in DMARC records and specifies the email address or addresses to which forensic reports will be sent. Unlike aggregate reports, forensic reports are more detailed reports that are generated when authentication errors are detected and contain a copy (or part) of the original email. These reports provide valuable information for analyzing and preventing spoofing attempts.

Configuring the RUF Record

The RUF record is specified with the `ruf=` tag in your DMARC TXT record. If you want to send reports to more than one email address, you can specify them separated by commas. For example:

_dmarc.example.com. TXT "v=DMARC1; p=reject; rua=mailto:[email protected]; ruf=mailto:[email protected];"

In this example, forensic reports will be sent to the `[email protected]` address. Important Note: Since RUF reports may contain sensitive information, make sure that the email address that will receive these reports is secure.

Content of RUF Reports

RUF reports contain more information than aggregate reports and usually contain the following information:

Original Email Headers: All headers of the email, including sender and recipient information.
Original Email Body (Partial or Full): Part or all of the content of the email.
Authentication Errors: Detailed descriptions of SPF and DKIM authentication errors.
DMARC Policy Application: How the DMARC policy (e.g., quarantine, reject) is applied.
Event Triggering the Report: Information about why the report was created (e.g., SPF fail, DKIM fail).

RUF reports provide very valuable information for analyzing and preventing spoofing attempts. However, it should be noted that these reports may contain sensitive information and should be stored securely.

Differences Between RUA and RUF

RUA and RUF reports represent two different aspects of DMARC reporting. Here are the key differences:

Feature	RUA (Aggregate Reporting)	RUF (Forensic Reporting)
Report Type	Summary reports	Detailed reports
Creation Frequency	Regular intervals (usually daily)	In case of authentication error
Content	Summary of authentication results	A copy (or part) of the original email and detailed authentication errors
Purpose	To provide a general overview of email traffic and optimize the DMARC policy	To analyze and prevent spoofing attempts
Sensitivity	Less sensitive	More sensitive (may contain personal data)

Processing and Analyzing DMARC Reports

While receiving DMARC reports is an important step for your email security, processing and analyzing these reports effectively is just as important. Manually reviewing reports in XML format can be difficult and time-consuming. Therefore, it will be helpful to use DMARC reporting and analysis tools. These tools automatically process reports, visualize data, and help you identify potential problems. There are many different DMARC reporting tools on the market and you can choose the one that best suits your needs.

Here are some important points to consider when analyzing reports:

Authentication Errors: Examine the frequency and causes of SPF and DKIM authentication errors.
Source IP Addresses: Check the IP addresses and organizations from which emails are sent. Identify emails not sent from authorized sources.
DMARC Policy Application: Make sure your DMARC policy is applied correctly.
Spoofing Attempts: Detect and prevent spoofing attempts using your domain name.

Conclusion and Summary

DMARC reporting is a critical part of your email security. By correctly configuring RUA and RUF records, you can gain valuable information about your email traffic, optimize your DMARC policy, and protect yourself more effectively against spoofing attempts. RUA reports provide a general summary of your email traffic, while RUF reports are more detailed reports generated when authentication errors are detected. By regularly analyzing reports, you can identify potential problems and continuously improve your email security. Remember, DMARC reporting helps you protect the reputation of your domain name by ensuring that your email security is constantly monitored and improved.