---
title: "Your domain needs SEGs and email authentication, both | DMARC Report"
description: "Your domain needs SEGs and email authentication, both from DMARC Report explains practical steps for email authentication, domain protection, deliverability."
image: "https://dmarcreport.com/og/blog/your-domain-needs-segs-and-email-authentication-both.png"
canonical: "https://dmarcreport.com/blog/your-domain-needs-segs-and-email-authentication-both/"
---

Quick Answer

The three core email authentication standards - SPF (RFC 7208), DKIM (RFC 6376), and DMARC (RFC 7489) - work together to verify that an email genuinely originates from the domain it claims to represent. Since February 2024, Google and Yahoo require all three for bulk senders. DMARC Report

Related: [Free DMARC Checker](/tools/dmarc-checker/) ·[How to Create an SPF Record](/tools/spf-record-generator/) ·[SPF Record Format](/blog/spf-format-checker-dos-and-donts-for-email-authentication/) 

Share 

[ ](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=undefined%2Fblog%2Fyour-domain-needs-segs-and-email-authentication-both%2F "Share on LinkedIn") [ ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Your%20domain%20needs%20SEGs%20and%20email%20authentication%2C%20both&url=undefined%2Fblog%2Fyour-domain-needs-segs-and-email-authentication-both%2F "Share on X/Twitter") [ ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=undefined%2Fblog%2Fyour-domain-needs-segs-and-email-authentication-both%2F "Share on Facebook") [ ](https://reddit.com/submit?url=undefined%2Fblog%2Fyour-domain-needs-segs-and-email-authentication-both%2F&title=Your%20domain%20needs%20SEGs%20and%20email%20authentication%2C%20both "Share on Reddit") [ ](mailto:?subject=Your%20domain%20needs%20SEGs%20and%20email%20authentication%2C%20both&body=Check out this article: undefined%2Fblog%2Fyour-domain-needs-segs-and-email-authentication-both%2F "Share via Email") 

![Your domain needs SEGs and email authentication, both](https://media.mailhop.org/dmarcreport/images/2022/04/dmarc-alignment-6379.jpg) 

![Dmarc analyzer 3002 150x150](https://media.mailhop.org/dmarcreport/images/2024/07/dmarc-analyzer-3002-150x150.jpg) 

> DMARC is the only email authentication protocol that gives you both enforcement and visibility, says Brad Slavin, General Manager of DuoCircle. SPF and DKIM authenticate silently - DMARC tells you what happened and lets you control the outcome. That combination of reporting and policy is why DMARC adoption is accelerating.

The three core email authentication standards - SPF ([RFC 7208](https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc7208)), DKIM ([RFC 6376](https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc6376)), and DMARC ([RFC 7489](https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc7489)) - work together to verify that an email genuinely originates from the domain it claims to represent. Since February 2024, Google and Yahoo require all three for bulk senders. DMARC Report

Your domain needs SEGs and email authentication, both

```
					<button title="Play" aria-label="Play Episode" aria-pressed="false" class="play-btn">
						
```

Play Episode

```
					</button>
					<button title="Pause" aria-label="Pause Episode" aria-pressed="false" class="pause-btn hide">
						
```

Pause Episode

```
					</button>
				

					<audio preload="none" class="clip clip-14691">
						<source src="https://media.mailhop.org/dmarcreport/images/2024/07/Your-domain-needs-SEGs-and-email-authentication-b.mp3">
					</audio>
						

							<button class="player-btn player-btn__volume" title="Mute/Unmute">
								
```

Mute/Unmute Episode

```
							</button>
							<button data-skip="-10" class="player-btn player-btn__rwd" title="Rewind 10 seconds">
								
```

Rewind 10 Seconds

```
							</button>
							<button data-speed="1" class="player-btn player-btn__speed" title="Playback Speed" aria-label="Playback Speed">1x</button>
							<button data-skip="30" class="player-btn player-btn__fwd" title="Fast Forward 30 seconds">
								
```

Fast Forward 30 seconds

```
							</button>
						

							<time class="ssp-timer">00:00</time>
							
```

/

```
							<!-- We need actual duration here from the server -->
							<time class="ssp-duration" datetime="PT0H2M32S">2:32</time>
			

								<nav class="player-panels-nav">
												<button class="subscribe-btn" id="subscribe-btn-14691" title="Subscribe">Subscribe</button>
																		<button class="share-btn" id="share-btn-14691" title="Share">Share</button>
										</nav>

						
```

RSS Feed

```
							<input value="https://dmarcreport.com/feed/podcast/dmarc-report" class="input-rss input-rss-14691" title="RSS Feed URL" readonly />
						

						<button class="copy-rss copy-rss-14691" title="Copy RSS Feed URL" aria-label="Copy RSS Feed URL"></button>
					

						Share						
					

						<a href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://dmarcreport.com/blog/podcast/your-domain-needs-segs-and-email-authentication-both/&t=Your domain needs SEGs and email authentication, both" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="share-icon facebook" title="Share on Facebook">
							

						</a>
						<a href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=https://dmarcreport.com/blog/podcast/your-domain-needs-segs-and-email-authentication-both/&url=Your domain needs SEGs and email authentication, both" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="share-icon twitter" title="Share on Twitter">
							

						</a>
						<a href="https://media.mailhop.org/dmarcreport/images/2024/07/Your-domain-needs-SEGs-and-email-authentication-b.mp3" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="share-icon download" title="Download" download>
							

						</a>
					

						Link						
					

						<input value="https://dmarcreport.com/blog/podcast/your-domain-needs-segs-and-email-authentication-both/" class="input-link input-link-14691" title="Episode URL" readonly />
					

					<button class="copy-link copy-link-14691" title="Copy Episode URL" aria-label="Copy Episode URL" readonly=""></button>
					

						Embed						

					
```

/\*! This file is auto-generated \*/ ’ title=“Embed Code” class=“input-embed input-embed-14691” readonly/>

```
					<button class="copy-embed copy-embed-14691" title="Copy Embed Code" aria-label="Copy Embed Code"></button>


```

[Breaches caused by phishing take a lot of time to be discovered](https://www.getastra.com/blog/security-audit/phishing-attack-statistics/), and mitigating their effect becomes all the more difficult. As many as [3.4 billion](https://aag-it.com/the-latest-phishing-statistics/) phishing emails are shot at targets daily, which is about \*\*1.2% of all emails sent in a day. This roughly means that for every 4200 emails sent, one is a potentially phishing email attempting to manipulate targeted recipients into [sharing sensitive information](https://www.darkreading.com/cyber-risk/employees-feeding-sensitive-business-data-chatgpt-raising-security-fears), downloading malware, transferring funds, etc.

If you own a domain, \*\*it’s part of your job to ensure your email-sending domain is protected. If you already have [Secure Email Gateways or SEGs](https://www.cloudflare.com/learning/email-security/secure-email-gateway-seg/) in place, that’s great. But do you also have email authentication protocols, mainly SPF, DKIM, and [DMARC](https://dmarcreport.com/), in place?

Well, you need both. Are you curious to know why? Read along.

## What are Secure Email Gateways or SEGs?

SEGs are [email security](https://dmarcreport.com/blog/why-email-security-matters-and-how-to-get-it-right/) tools that protect emails using \*\*signature analysis and [machine learning](https://www.ibm.com/topics/machine-learning), aiming to detect and avert potentially [harmful emails](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/spear-phishing-i-opened-an-email-from-a-friend-it-turned-out-to-be-a-trick-and-dangerous/) before they reach recipients’ inboxes. They prevent instances of phishing, spoofing, and ransomware attacks, protecting the [brand’s reputation](https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2019/12/27/the-importance-of-brand-reputation-20-years-to-build-five-minutes-to-ruin/) and the privacy of employees, clients, prospects, stakeholders, etc.

![Dmarc report](https://media.mailhop.org/dmarcreport/images/2024/07/dmarc-report-12.jpg) 

Originally, SEGs were designed to combat [spam emails](https://www.usnews.com/360-reviews/privacy/what-spam-email-is), but over time, \*\*experts integrated them with machine learning and [threat intelligence](https://www.techopedia.com/definition/32367/threat-intelligence) to spot and mitigate more advanced email-based cyberattacks and other novel threats.

SEGs operate using either of the two methods mentioned below.

## DNS MX record

_An MX record is a DNS entry that specifies the IP address of a corporate email server_. SEGs can route all incoming email traffic through themselves by updating an organization’s MX record to point to the SEG. This allows the SEG to inspect and filter emails before forwarding them to the organization’s [email server](https://www.one.com/en/email/what-is-an-email-server).

## API integration

Modern email platforms like [Google Workspace](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google%5FWorkspace) or Microsoft 365 offer APIs for third-party integrations. These APIs let external applications read and edit emails, enabling SEGs to monitor email content directly within the **email platform**.

SEGs using APIs can monitor and protect \*\*outbound emails and retroactively remove [malicious emails](https://siliconangle.com/2024/02/20/new-report-warns-ongoing-rise-malicious-emails-bypassing-secure-email-gateways/) from inboxes.

## What is email authentication?

_Email authentication simply means enabling the recipient’s server to check if the email it received from your domain is sent by a genuine person or not_. This is done using email authentication protocols that are deployed at the sender’s end. So, as the owner of the sending domain, you can specify which IP addresses\*\* (of employees, [third-party vendors](https://www.upguard.com/blog/third-party-vendor), CXOs, etc.) you trust to be used for sending emails on behalf of your brand. If an email is sent by any other IP address, then the \*\*recipient’s server perceives it as illegitimate. In this case, you, as a domain owner, have the power to instruct the recipient’s server on what to do with illegitimate emails sent from your domain. You can instruct the recipient’s server to take no action, mark them as spam, or reject their entry altogether.

In short, you do not let an email sent by an unauthorized sender sit in the recipient’s inbox\*\*. This minimizes their chances of coming across a potentially [fraudulent email](https://www.cshub.com/attacks/news/bec-attacks-on-law-firms-spike-as-cyber-criminals-bypass-mfa), opening it, and getting duped.

The three email authentication protocols are- [SPF, DKIM, and DMARC](https://dmarcreport.com/blog/spf-vs-dkim-vs-dmarc-difference-explained-2026/). There are two other less-used protocols too- ARC and [BIMI](https://dmarcreport.com/blog/the-role-of-bimi-in-the-fight-against-email-fraud-and-scam/).

![Dmarc analyzer](https://media.mailhop.org/dmarcreport/images/2024/07/dmarc-analyzer-3001.jpg) 

## SEGs and email authentication- a robust combo against email-based threats!

The idea of [cybersecurity](https://dmarcreport.com/blog/how-to-educate-or-train-employees-on-cybersecurity/) is to deploy a combination of approaches that works as the best fortifier. SEGs and email authentication are complementary; while some SEGs enforce DMARC authentication policies as part of their **filtering mechanisms**, they do not configure or maintain email authentication for domains, nor do they monitor or process [DMARC reports](https://dmarcreport.com/dmarc-report/). _When used, these reports act as an additional anchor for SEGs to use for updating their database and blocking attacks they might oversee otherwise_.

_Moreover, email authentication provides unique value beyond what SEGs offer_. It protects against BEC, [brand hijacking](https://thehackernews.com/2024/02/8000-subdomains-of-trusted-brands.html) (where attackers use your brand to deceive consumers), and targeted [spear-phishing](https://www.scmagazine.com/brief/crowdstrike-outage-exploited-in-new-spear-phishing-campaign) aimed at **impersonating executives**. Additionally, [email authentication](https://dmarcreport.com/blog/why-email-security-matters-and-how-to-get-it-right/) safeguards emails sent by \*\*cloud services using your domain.

We at DMARCReport are reporting ninjas!

We can \*\*analyze reports on your behalf and suggest necessary adjustments that your [DMARC record](https://dmarcreport.com/dmarc-record/) requires to stay relevant in preventing attacks. Please feel free to [contact us](https://dmarcreport.com/contact/).

## Sources

- [RFC 7208 - Sender Policy Framework (SPF)](https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc7208)
- [RFC 7489 - Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance (DMARC)](https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc7489)

## Topics

[ BIMI ](/tags/bimi/)[ dkim ](/tags/dkim/)[ DMARC ](/tags/dmarc/)[ dmarc record ](/tags/dmarc-record/)[ email security ](/tags/email-security/)[ SPF ](/tags/spf/) 

![Adam Lundrigan](https://media.mailhop.org/dmarcreport/images/authors/adam-lundrigan.jpg) 

[ Adam Lundrigan ](/authors/adam-lundrigan/) 

CTO

CTO of DuoCircle. Leads engineering for DMARC Report and DuoCircle's email security product portfolio.

[LinkedIn Profile →](https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamlundrigan/) 

## Take control of your DMARC reports

Turn raw XML into actionable dashboards. Start free - no credit card required.

[Start Free Trial](https://app.dmarcreport.com/) [Check Your DMARC Record](/tools/dmarc-checker/) 

## Related Articles

[  Foundational 7m  4 sectors that need email authentication the most and why  Oct 15, 2024 ](/blog/4-sectors-that-need-email-authentication-the-most-and-why/)[  Foundational 9m  Answering Your Webinar Questions: Email Security - From The Desk Of DMARCReport  Dec 2, 2025 ](/blog/answering-webinar-questions-email-security-dmarcreport-desk-insights-guide/)[  Foundational 11m  What are common issues revealed by DMARC aggregate reports and how should I prioritize them?  Feb 4, 2026 ](/blog/common-dmarc-aggregate-report-issues-and-how-to-prioritize-them/)[  Foundational 12m  Improve Your Domain’s Email Security By Checking Dmarc Compliance  Aug 29, 2025 ](/blog/improve-your-domains-email-security-by-checking-dmarc-compliance/)

```json
{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138898167","name":"DMARC Report","url":"https://dmarcreport.com","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://dmarcreport.com/images/dmarcreport-logo.png"},"description":"DMARC reporting and email authentication management. Monitor aggregate and forensic DMARC reports, analyze authentication results, and enforce DMARC policies across all your domains.","parentOrganization":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138883901","name":"DuoCircle LLC","url":"https://www.duocircle.com","sameAs":["https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138883901","https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/duocircle-llc","https://www.linkedin.com/company/duocircle","https://github.com/duocircle"],"subOrganization":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138898167","name":"DMARC Report","url":"https://dmarcreport.com"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138897474","name":"AutoSPF","url":"https://autospf.com"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138897912","name":"Phish Protection","url":"https://www.phishprotection.com"}]},"sameAs":["https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138898167","https://www.linkedin.com/company/duocircle","https://x.com/duocirclellc","https://www.g2.com/products/dmarc-report/reviews","https://github.com/duocircle","https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/duocircle-llc","https://www.trustradius.com/products/duocircle/reviews"],"aggregateRating":{"@type":"AggregateRating","ratingValue":"4.8","reviewCount":"470","bestRating":"5","worstRating":"1","url":"https://www.g2.com/products/dmarc-report/reviews"},"contactPoint":{"@type":"ContactPoint","contactType":"customer support","url":"https://dmarcreport.com/support/"},"knowsAbout":["DMARC","DMARC Reporting","DMARC Aggregate Reports","DMARC Forensic Reports","Sender Policy Framework","DKIM","Email Authentication","Email Security","DNS Management","Email Deliverability"]}
```

```json
{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"WebSite","name":"DMARC Report","url":"https://dmarcreport.com","description":"DMARC reporting and email authentication management. Monitor aggregate and forensic DMARC reports, analyze authentication results, and enforce DMARC policies across all your domains.","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"DMARC Report","url":"https://dmarcreport.com","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://dmarcreport.com/images/dmarcreport-logo.png"},"description":"DMARC reporting and email authentication management. Monitor aggregate and forensic DMARC reports, analyze authentication results, and enforce DMARC policies across all your domains.","parentOrganization":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138883901","name":"DuoCircle LLC","url":"https://www.duocircle.com","sameAs":["https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138883901","https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/duocircle-llc","https://www.linkedin.com/company/duocircle","https://github.com/duocircle"],"subOrganization":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138898167","name":"DMARC Report","url":"https://dmarcreport.com"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138897474","name":"AutoSPF","url":"https://autospf.com"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138897912","name":"Phish Protection","url":"https://www.phishprotection.com"}]}}}
```

```json
[{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BlogPosting","headline":"Your domain needs SEGs and email authentication, both","description":"Your domain needs SEGs and email authentication, both from DMARC Report explains practical steps for email authentication, domain protection, deliverability.","url":"https://dmarcreport.com/blog/your-domain-needs-segs-and-email-authentication-both/","datePublished":"2024-07-30T11:38:26.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-16T15:53:43.000Z","dateCreated":"2024-07-30T11:38:26.000Z","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https://dmarcreport.com/authors/adam-lundrigan/#person","name":"Adam Lundrigan","url":"https://dmarcreport.com/authors/adam-lundrigan/","jobTitle":"CTO","description":"Adam Lundrigan is the Chief Technology Officer of DuoCircle, where he leads engineering across DMARC Report, AutoSPF, and the company's email security portfolio. His technical focus includes DMARC report processing infrastructure, DNS monitoring systems, and the SPF evaluation logic that powers DuoCircle's authentication tools.","image":"https://media.mailhop.org/dmarcreport/images/authors/adam-lundrigan.jpg","knowsAbout":["DMARC Report Processing","DNS Architecture","Email Authentication","SaaS Engineering","DNS Monitoring","Infrastructure Automation"],"worksFor":{"@type":"Organization","name":"DMARC Report","url":"https://dmarcreport.com"},"sameAs":["https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamlundrigan/"]},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138898167","name":"DMARC Report","url":"https://dmarcreport.com","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://dmarcreport.com/images/dmarcreport-logo.png"},"description":"DMARC reporting and email authentication management. Monitor aggregate and forensic DMARC reports, analyze authentication results, and enforce DMARC policies across all your domains.","parentOrganization":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138883901","name":"DuoCircle LLC","url":"https://www.duocircle.com","sameAs":["https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138883901","https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/duocircle-llc","https://www.linkedin.com/company/duocircle","https://github.com/duocircle"],"subOrganization":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138898167","name":"DMARC Report","url":"https://dmarcreport.com"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138897474","name":"AutoSPF","url":"https://autospf.com"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138897912","name":"Phish Protection","url":"https://www.phishprotection.com"}]},"sameAs":["https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138898167","https://www.linkedin.com/company/duocircle","https://x.com/duocirclellc","https://www.g2.com/products/dmarc-report/reviews","https://github.com/duocircle","https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/duocircle-llc","https://www.trustradius.com/products/duocircle/reviews"],"aggregateRating":{"@type":"AggregateRating","ratingValue":"4.8","reviewCount":"470","bestRating":"5","worstRating":"1","url":"https://www.g2.com/products/dmarc-report/reviews"},"contactPoint":{"@type":"ContactPoint","contactType":"customer support","url":"https://dmarcreport.com/support/"},"knowsAbout":["DMARC","DMARC Reporting","DMARC Aggregate Reports","DMARC Forensic Reports","Sender Policy Framework","DKIM","Email Authentication","Email Security","DNS Management","Email Deliverability"]},"mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://dmarcreport.com/blog/your-domain-needs-segs-and-email-authentication-both/"},"articleSection":"foundational","keywords":"BIMI, dkim, DMARC, dmarc record, email security, SPF","wordCount":1027,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://media.mailhop.org/dmarcreport/images/2022/04/dmarc-alignment-6379.jpg","caption":"Your domain needs SEGs and email authentication, both","width":900,"height":600},"speakable":{"@type":"SpeakableSpecification","cssSelector":[".answer-block","h1"]}}]
```

```json
{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://dmarcreport.com/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Blog","item":"https://dmarcreport.com/blog/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Foundational","item":"https://dmarcreport.com/foundational/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Your domain needs SEGs and email authentication, both","item":"https://dmarcreport.com/blog/your-domain-needs-segs-and-email-authentication-both/"}]}
```