Learn how to fix “DMARC Policy Not Enabled” in CyberPanel. Our CyberPanel Support team is here to help you with your questions and concerns.

How to Fix “DMARC Policy Not Enabled” in CyberPanel

DMARC is short for Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance. It is a free, open technical specification designed to protect email domains from being used for malicious activities such as phishing, email spoofing, and other cyberattacks.

A DMARC implementation revolves around a DMARC record that defines the rules and policies for handling emails that fail authentication checks.

A DMARC record is a DNS record that email receivers use to validate incoming messages. When a domain is DMARC-enabled, this record tells email recipients how to handle messages that do not pass authentication checks, based on the policy set by the domain owner.

This policy helps prevent domain spoofing by specifying how to treat emails that fail DMARC checks—such as monitoring, quarantining, or outright rejecting them.

An Overview:

1. What are DMARC Policies?
2. How Does DMARC Work?
3. Why Use DMARC for Email?
4. How to Fix “DMARC Policy Not Enabled”
5. How to Fix “DMARC Quarantine/Reject Policy Not Enabled”
6. Steps to Implement DMARC on Our Domain
7. Fixing “DMARC Policy Not Enabled” Error on Cloudflare

What are DMARC Policies?

A DMARC policy describes how we want recipients to handle emails that fail DMARC checks after they have been validated against SPF (Sender Policy Framework) and DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) records.

The DMARC policy determines whether an email is marked as spam, blocked, or delivered to the intended recipient.

There are three DMARC policies to choose from:

1. p=none:

   Monitor and take no action on emails that fail DMARC checks. This policy is often used when first collecting DMARC reports to evaluate the data.
2. p=quarantine:

   Move any emails that fail the DMARC tests to the spam or junk folder.
3. p=reject:

   Reject all emails that fail the DMARC checks. This means that messages will bounce back at the SMTP level during the sending process.

How Does DMARC Work?

DMARC relies on the results of SPF and/or DKIM checks. At least one of these mechanisms must be in place for DMARC to function properly. A DMARC record is published in the DNS as a text entry that defines the domain’s email authentication policy.

When an email is received, the receiving server checks the SPF and DKIM status:

• SPF or DKIM Pass:

  If either of these checks passes, DMARC considers the email as authenticated.
• Identifier Alignment:

  DMARC also checks for alignment between the “From” domain in the email header and the domain in the SPF and DKIM records.

DMARC policies can instruct email servers to send XML reports to a designated email address. These reports provide insights into how our email domain is being used, revealing any unauthorized use or potential threats.

Why Use DMARC for Email?

Email is the primary vector for over 90% of all cyberattacks. Without DMARC, it is challenging to determine whether an email is legitimate or forged. DMARC allows domain owners to protect their domains from unauthorized use by:

• Preventing Email Spoofing and Fraud:

  Reduces phishing, spoofing, and business email compromise.
• Boosting Brand Reputation:

  By blocking unauthorized parties from sending emails on behalf of the domain.
• Increasing Email Visibility:

  DMARC reports provide valuable insights into email usage and possible abuse.
• Enhancing Security:

  Establishes a standardized policy for handling failed authentication messages, contributing to a more secure email ecosystem.

How to Fix “DMARC Policy Not Enabled”

To fix the “DMARC Policy Not Enabled” error, we have to understand the types of policies available and choose the one that aligns with your goals:

1. First, set the DMARC record’s `p` tag to “reject” to enforce maximum security by rejecting all emails that fail authentication.
2. Then, set the `p` tag to “quarantine” to move emails that fail DMARC checks to the spam or junk folder.
3. Also, set the `p` tag to “none” to allow all emails through while gathering data on the data usage by the domain.
4. Once we choose the policy, publish or update the DMARC record in the DNS with the appropriate `p` parameter. This will instruct receiving servers on how to handle unauthorized messages and should resolve the “DMARC Policy Not Enabled” error for our domain.

How to Fix “DMARC Quarantine/Reject Policy Not Enabled”

If we see a warning like “DMARC Quarantine/Reject Policy Not Enabled,” it means our domain has a DMARC policy of `p=none`. This only allows monitoring and does not provide protection against spoofing.

So, we can fix this by modifying the `p` parameter in our DMARC record from `p=none` to either `p=reject` or `p=quarantine` to enforce DMARC protection.

Steps to Implement DMARC on Our Domain

To start using DMARC:

1. Open the DNS management console.
2. Then, go to the records section and publish the DMARC record. We can use a DMARC record generator tool to create it.
3. Now, specify the DMARC policy to enable it for our domain.
4. Next, allow 24-48 hours for DNS propagation.
5. Verify the DMARC record using a DMARC record lookup tool.

Fixing “DMARC Policy Not Enabled” Error on Cloudflare

If you use Cloudflare as our DNS host and get this error, follow these steps:

1. Log in to the Cloudflare account.
2. Then, go to the DNS management console and select the domain.
3. Next, click “Add Records” and generate the DMARC record using a DMARC generator tool.
4. Also, set the record type to “TXT”, TTL to “Auto”, and name to “_dmarc”, and paste the generated value.
5. Save changes.

[Need assistance with a different issue? Our team is availabl3e 24/7.]

Conclusion

DMARC is an essential tool for protecting our domain from email spoofing and phishing attacks. By correctly setting up a DMARC policy and monitoring its results, we can improve your domain’s security, reputation, and email deliverability.

In brief, our Support experts demonstrated how to fix “DMARC Policy Not Enabled” in CyberPanel.