Definition
The ARC seal is part of the Authenticated Received Chain standard, preserving authentication evidence when an email is forwarded or modified by an intermediary.
Forwarding often breaks SPF and DKIM; ARC lets each hop add a signed seal that survives, so DMARC can still judge the message.
ARC keeps authentication meaningful for forwarded mail, which is essential as forwarding and remailing grow. Each intermediary signs a seal preserving the previous results. Understanding it explains why forwarded mail can still pass DMARC.
How ARC Works
Each intermediary adds an ARC seal carrying the previous authentication results.
Receivers use the chain to trust forwarded mail.
Why It Matters
ARC keeps authentication meaningful for forwarded mail, which is essential as forwarding and remailing grow. Understanding it explains why forwarded mail still passes DMARC.
Best Practices
- Check whether your senders and relays support ARC.
- Understand that DMARC still decides policy, with ARC context.
- Test authenticated chains when relay paths change.
- Ensure your mail provider enables ARC.
- Monitor authentication reports for forwarded mail.
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Frequently Asked Questions
It preserves authentication evidence when mail is forwarded. ARC keeps authentication meaningful for forwarded mail, which is essential as forwarding and remailing grow.
No, it complements it by providing trust context. Each intermediary signs a seal preserving the previous results.
Each intermediary that processes the message. Understanding it explains why forwarded mail can still pass DMARC.
The forwarding server's IP is not in the original SPF record. ARC keeps authentication meaningful for forwarded mail, which is essential as forwarding and remailing grow.
Support is growing but not universal. Each intermediary signs a seal preserving the previous results.