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Email Authentication Explained: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC

2026-06-28 · 8 min read

SPF declares which servers may send mail for your domain. DKIM cryptographically signs messages so recipients can verify integrity. DMARC ties both to a policy and tells receivers what to do when checks fail.

The most common gap is a DMARC record published with a policy of none. It produces reports but rejects nothing, which means spoofed mail using your domain still lands in inboxes.

Move deliberately: monitor with reporting first, review legitimate senders, then tighten toward quarantine and reject once your sending sources are fully mapped.

See this in your own environment

ShieldCore monitors the assets you own and tells you when something changes.