09/16/2026
What are the advantages of DMARC, and why does this even exist? It builds on SPF and DKIM authentication, because it's filling that gap of the spoofing and impersonation that we often see with the 'from address', which is what a user is going to see in their email client.
This helps everybody's domain create a bit more trust, and it makes it harder for bad actors to spoof or impersonate, because now we're connecting that 'from address', that 'display address', to the actual authentication that's done by SPF and DKIM.
The main thing to remember about DMARC is that it isn't looking at the envelope sender, the address SPF checks. It's looking at the domain in the 'from address', the one that shows up in the email client, and comparing that against the sending domain's DKIM and SPF checks for alignment.
Most impersonation and spoofing attempts start with a name the user recognizes. You open Outlook, or whatever client you're in, and the message looks like it's from John Doe. Behind the scenes in the header, the envelope sender could be someone else entirely.
Say the from address is Widget Company. John Doe works there, so when I get a message from John, I trust it. What DMARC does is check that story. The envelope sender is coming from Widget Company, so it aligns against the SPF record, the server it came from. DKIM confirms the message wasn't altered between the sender and the recipient. Everything lines up, and the message passes the DMARC check.
The envelope sender and the 'from address' displayed in their email client can be different. Attackers bank on it, and DMARC is there to prevent that as much as possible.
Watch the full episode "A Closer Look at DMARC" with our VP of Support, Mark Glowacz: https://hubs.la/Q04xBxtT0