DMARC and FedRAMP: Improving Email Security

As cyber threats increase in number and intensity and take a wide range of new forms, organizations start paying more and more attention to email security. This is especially true for organizations working with sensitive government data. A single cyber attack, big or small, may be devastating for a given government’s reputation while also putting the entire population at risk (especially in the case of conflict-torn countries and regions).  

That is why the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) has started dedicating significant attention and efforts to establishing secure email authentication standards and protocols, particularly emphasizing Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance (DMARC). This article will tell you:

• What is FedRAMP Compliance?
• DMARC’s Role in FedRAMP Compliance
• How to Implement DMARC for FedRAMP-Compliant Systems
• Necessary Steps for Implementation and Compliance
• Challenges in Implementing DMARC Within the FedRAMP Framework
  

What is FedRAMP Compliance?

FedRAMP is a rigorous authorization certification for cloud service providers and cloud-based platforms that provides a standardized approach to security assessment, authorization, and continuous monitoring for cloud products and services. FedRAMP’s compliance program was established as early as 2011 to support the federal government’s “Cloud First” initiative. The aim of “Cloud First” was to accelerate the adoption of secure cloud solutions across federal agencies.

Some primary objectives of FedRAMP compliance include:

• Standardize the approach to security assessment and authorization across all federal agencies and achieve maximum consistency among different stakeholders
• Implement strict security controls and monitoring mechanisms to establish trust in cloud solutions among federal agencies
• Bring duplicate security assessments to a minimum to save up financial and non-financial resources
• Be flexible in response to ever-evolving cyber threats and make the necessary changes in real-time

Simplify DMARC and FedRAMP with PowerDMARC!

Phases of FedRAMP Compliance

Now that you are familiar with the key objectives of FedRAMP compliance, it is also important to learn about the different phases of FedRAMP compliance. 

1. In the first phase, Cloud Service Providers (CSPs) are required to implement the necessary security controls and document their system in a System Security Plan (SSP).
2.  In the second, assessment phase, Third-Party Assessment Organization (3PAO) conducts an independent security assessment. 
3. Then, the FedRAMP Program Management Office (PMO) carefully examines the security package and grants an Authority to Operate (ATO). 

It is important to mention that CSPs must continuously ensure adherence to the required security standards through regular assessments and adjustments. 

DMARC’s Role in FedRAMP Compliance

DMARC is an important and even indispensable component of email security in the scope of the FedRAMP framework. FedRAMP requires all cloud service offerings (CSOs) that send emails on behalf of the Federal Government to implement enforceable DMARC policies. This requirement is just one of the many Binding Operational Directive (BOD) 18-01 requirements that were issued by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).

The reasons behind the integration of DMARC are numerous and multifold. Firstly, DMARC is of significant help in the process of detecting and preventing email phishing attacks. By verifying the legitimacy of the sender’s identity, DMARC ensures that recipients can trust the origin of federal emails. The insights provided by the regular DMARC reports also enable agencies to identify important security gaps and address them before it’s too late. Not only will this increase trust and confidence among the recipients but will also increase the deliverability of the federal emails, ensuring that important messages reach the intended target audience.

Related Read: NCSC mail check changes & their impact on UK public sector email security

How to Implement DMARC for FedRAMP-Compliant Systems

Below is a comprehensive breakdown of DMARC implementation for FedRAMP compliance. The process involves multiple important steps and components. 

1. The first step involves a thorough assessment of the current email infrastructure. Conduct a comprehensive audit of all domains and subdomains that are used for sending emails on behalf of the Federal Government, identifying all email-sending sources (e.g. third-party services). This initial assessment should include an outline of the current email authentication setup, such as any existing SPF, DKIM, or other configurations.
2. The SPF and DKIM implementation phase should involve the configuration of SPF records for all relevant domains and the setup of DKIM signing for outgoing emails. Before moving to the phase of DMARC implementation, you should test the SPF and DKIM configurations and ensure that they are set up correctly. 
3. Now, let’s move to the DMARC implementation phase. Publishing a DMARC record in your DNS should follow the below parameters:

•  p=reject (i.e. emails failing DMARC should be rejected)
•  pct=100 (i.e. the policy should be applied to 100% of emails)
•  rua email addresses must include mailto:[email protected]

4. For accurate email server configurations, make sure all outgoing emails are properly aligned with the DMARC, SPF, and DKIM configurations, and ensure proper envelope From address alignment.

5. Always document the DMARC implementation in the System Security Plan (SSP) Appendix A as per FedRAMP Rev5. Make sure you include details under the appropriate controls:

• SI-8 for High and Moderate baselines
• SI-5 for Low and LiSaaS (Low Impact Software as a Service)

6. You can always make use of DMARC record checker tools to help you in the process of proper DNS configuration. You can also send test emails from different sources to verify DMARC enforcement and even fabricate spoofing attempts by yourself to ensure safety when real attacks come. 

7. Carefully examine DMARC aggregate (RUA) and forensic (RUF) reports, identifying potential security threats and making the necessary adjustments to your configurations. 

For more information on implementing DMARC in a FedRAMP-authorized CSO, click here. 

Challenges in Implementing DMARC Within the FedRAMP Framework

DMARC implementation within the FedRAMP framework comes with numerous benefits but also wide-ranging challenges.

Having One Domain and Subdomain

Challenge: Most organizations have more than one domain and subdomain. What makes the process even more challenging is that each of these domains and subdomains might be using different email services.

Solution: Map out your entire ecosystem, with a detailed overview of all domains and subdomains, and create a phased implementation plan to gradually achieve compliance for each.

Third-Party Service Usage

Challenge: CSPs often make use of third-party services for various email communication purposes.

Solution: Collaborate only with trustworthy third-party providers and ask them to implement DKIM signing and proper envelope From address alignment.

Old Email Systems

Challenge: Some entities might be using email systems that are so old that they cannot support DKIM and modern authentication protocols. 

Solution: As it can be very expensive to update or completely change your existing email system infrastructure, you can try implementing email gateways to add authentication headers to outgoing emails from your old email systems. 

Continuous Monitoring

Challenge: As you are required by FedRAMP to continuously monitor your DMARC policies, you will have to constantly process and analyze large volumes of DMARC reports. This can consume a lot of time, financial resources, and human labor, and take away time that you would otherwise spend on other important tasks. 

Solution: To reduce the time and resources spent on DMARC reports processing and analysis, you can use tools such as PowerDMARC’s free DMARC report analyzer that will make the process faster and more efficient. 

Set up Necessary Protocols and Mechanisms

Challenge: It might be very difficult, especially in the initial implementation phase, to set up and configure all the necessary protocols and mechanisms for email authentication and FedRAMP compliance. 

Solution: You can choose to collaborate with established and reliable email authentication security platforms such as PowerDMARC. Such platforms often offer all-in-one solutions and have their own professional teams of IT experts who can take care of all the setup and configuration processes, so you can enjoy peace of mind while ensuring compliance. 

Summing up

Even though DMARC implementation within the FedRAMP framework comes with several potential challenges and difficulties, it is important to note that most if not all of these challenges can be easily overcome if you collaborate with reliable professionals. Moreover, once you successfully implement DMARC and the other protocols, you will soon realize that the advantages of accurate email authentication far outweigh any challenges, costs, or technological barriers. 

Improving email security for Cloud Service Providers will not only help ensure compliance and adherence to FedRAMP but will also add an important layer of security to your government communications, enhancing your reputation and increasing the sense of safety and security among your population. Showing commitment to secure email practices at the governmental level is an important step toward better and healthier digital ecosystems and a lower likelihood of successful cyber attacks. 

Contact us today if you would like to learn more about the correct DMARC implementation for your organization, be it in the scope of FedRAMP or beyond, and we will help you ensure the best results in the shortest possible time!

• About
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Yunes Tarada

Domain & Email Security Expert at PowerDMARC

Yunes is an Operations Team Lead at PowerDMARC with expert knowledge in email authentication and security. Yunes is a Microsoft-certified Azure Administrator Associate with certifications in CompTIA A+ and many more.

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