RESEARCH DOSSIER / 2026

Published researchReleased August 17, 2026

Top 1,000 global web brands email-authentication benchmark 2026

Across 999 of 1,000 observed Tranco-ranked domains, 71.9% published valid DMARC and 83.1% of those publishers enforced quarantine or rejection. This is direct public-DNS measurement of ranked domains—not a brand-value, deliverability or incident score.

WHY THIS MATTERSThis DNS benchmark measures a domain owner’s published direction for failing mail—not inbox placement or fraud—but an enforcing policy gives participating receivers more instruction when a forged exact-domain message fails aligned authentication.

71.9%

DMARC adoption

718 of 999

83.1%

Enforcement among publishers

597 of 718

6.8%

Publishers without aggregate reporting

49 of 718

2.8%

SPF recursive lookup failures

21 of 756

NAMED-ROW DATA

The complete ranked-domain table

Each row is the exact Tranco-ranked hostname scanned in the recorded window. Tranco rank is a web-domain popularity signal, not a corporate revenue or brand-value score. The CSV and JSON contain the full published field set, including MX answers and aggregate-report destination domains without mailbox local parts.

RankDomainDMARCReportingSPFSPF lookupsBIMIObserved MXObservation
1google.com

reject

p=reject · pct=100

Strict alignment: DKIM no · SPF no

Published

To: google.com

valid

Records: 1 · all=softfail

1

Direct: 1 · total: 1

Not published

Google Workspace

10:smtp.google.com

Observed

Aug 17, 2026, 02:52 PM UTC

2cloudflare.com

reject

p=reject · pct=100

Strict alignment: DKIM no · SPF no

Published

To: dmarc-reports.cloudflare.net, cloudflare.com

valid

Records: 1 · all=fail

7

Direct: 6 · total: 7

Published

Logo yes · VMC yes

Unknown operator

5:mxa-canary.global.inbound.cf-emailsecurity.net · 5:mxb-canary.global.inbound.cf-emailsecurity.net · 10:mxa.global.inbound.cf-emailsecurity.net · 10:mxb.global.inbound.cf-emailsecurity.net

Observed

Aug 17, 2026, 02:52 PM UTC

3facebook.com

reject

p=reject · pct=100

Strict alignment: DKIM no · SPF no

Published

To: dmarc.facebookmail.com

valid

Records: 1

1

Direct: 1 · total: 1

Not published

Unknown operator

10:smtpin.vvv.facebook.com

Observed

Aug 17, 2026, 02:52 PM UTC

4gstatic.com

none

p=none · pct=100

Strict alignment: DKIM no · SPF no

Published

To: google.com

valid

Records: 1 · all=neutral

0

Direct: 0 · total: 0

Not published

No published MX

Observed

Aug 17, 2026, 02:52 PM UTC

5gtld-servers.net

reject

p=reject · pct=100

Strict alignment: DKIM no · SPF no

Published

To: rua.agari.com, verisign.com

no SPF

Records: 0

Direct: 0 · total:

Not published

No published MX

Observed

Aug 17, 2026, 02:52 PM UTC

6googleapis.com

reject

p=reject · pct=100

Strict alignment: DKIM no · SPF no

Published

To: google.com

valid

Records: 1 · all=fail

0

Direct: 0 · total: 0

Not published

No published MX

Observed

Aug 17, 2026, 02:52 PM UTC

7microsoft.com

reject

p=reject · pct=100

Strict alignment: DKIM no · SPF no

Published

To: microsoft.com

valid

Records: 1 · all=fail

7

Direct: 5 · total: 7

Not published

Microsoft 365

10:microsoft-com.mail.protection.outlook.com

Observed

Aug 17, 2026, 02:52 PM UTC

8amazonaws.com

quarantine

p=quarantine · pct=100

Strict alignment: DKIM no · SPF no

Published

To: dmarc.amazonaws.com

valid

Records: 1 · all=softfail

5

Direct: 1 · total: 5

Not published

Unknown operator

10:amazon-smtp.amazon.com

Observed

Aug 17, 2026, 02:52 PM UTC

9youtube.com

reject

p=reject · pct=100

Strict alignment: DKIM no · SPF no

Published

To: google.com

valid

Records: 1 · all=fail

3

Direct: 2 · total: 3

Not published

Google Workspace

0:smtp.google.com

Observed

Aug 17, 2026, 02:52 PM UTC

10apple.com

quarantine

p=quarantine · pct=100

Strict alignment: DKIM no · SPF no

Published

To: rua.agari.com

valid

Records: 1 · all=softfail

2

Direct: 2 · total: 2

Published

Logo yes · VMC yes

Unknown operator

10:mx-in.g.apple.com · 20:mx-in-hfd.apple.com · 20:mx-in-ma.apple.com · 20:mx-in-rn.apple.com · 20:mx-in-sg.apple.com · 20:mx-in-vib.apple.com

Observed

Aug 17, 2026, 02:52 PM UTC

11instagram.com

reject

p=reject · pct=100

Strict alignment: DKIM no · SPF no

Published

To: dmarc.facebookmail.com

valid

Records: 1 · all=fail

6

Direct: 2 · total: 6

Not published

Recognized gateway

10:mxa-00082601.gslb.pphosted.com · 10:mxb-00082601.gslb.pphosted.com

Observed

Aug 17, 2026, 02:52 PM UTC

12mail.ru

reject

p=reject · pct=100

Strict alignment: DKIM no · SPF no

Published

To: corp.mail.ru

valid

Records: 1

1

Direct: 1 · total: 1

Not published

Unknown operator

10:mxs.mail.ru

Observed

Aug 17, 2026, 02:52 PM UTC

13akamai.net

no valid DMARC

Not observed

no SPF

Records: 0

Direct: 0 · total:

Not published

Recognized gateway

100:mx0a-00190b01.pphosted.com · 100:mx0b-00190b01.pphosted.com

Observed

Aug 17, 2026, 02:52 PM UTC

14ezviz7.com

no valid DMARC

Not observed

valid

Records: 1 · all=fail

1

Direct: 1 · total: 1

Not published

Unknown operator

10:mail.ezviz7.com

Observed

Aug 17, 2026, 02:52 PM UTC

15fbcdn.net

none

p=none · pct=100

Strict alignment: DKIM no · SPF no

Published

To: dmarc.facebookmail.com

valid

Records: 1 · all=softfail

1

Direct: 1 · total: 1

Not published

No published MX

Observed

Aug 17, 2026, 02:52 PM UTC

16twitter.com

reject

p=reject · pct=100

Strict alignment: DKIM no · SPF no

Published

To: rua.dmarc.emailanalyst.com

valid

Records: 1 · all=fail

4

Direct: 2 · total: 4

Not published

Google Workspace

1:aspmx.l.google.com · 5:alt1.aspmx.l.google.com · 5:alt2.aspmx.l.google.com · 10:alt3.aspmx.l.google.com · 10:alt4.aspmx.l.google.com

Observed

Aug 17, 2026, 02:52 PM UTC

17dzen.ru

quarantine

p=quarantine · pct=100

Strict alignment: DKIM no · SPF no

Published

To: dzen.ru

valid

Records: 1

1

Direct: 1 · total: 1

Not published

Unknown operator

10:emx.mail.ru

Observed

Aug 17, 2026, 02:52 PM UTC

18linkedin.com

reject

p=reject · pct=100

Strict alignment: DKIM no · SPF no

Published

To: rua.agari.com, rua.dmarc.emailanalyst.com

valid

Records: 1 · all=softfail

2

Direct: 2 · total: 2

Published

Logo yes · VMC yes

Unknown operator

10:mail-a.linkedin.com · 10:mail-c.linkedin.com · 10:mail-d.linkedin.com · 20:mail.linkedin.com

Observed

Aug 17, 2026, 02:52 PM UTC

19office.com

quarantine

p=quarantine · pct=100

Strict alignment: DKIM no · SPF no

Published

To: dmarc.microsoft

no SPF

Records: 0

Direct: 0 · total:

Not published

No published MX

Observed

Aug 17, 2026, 02:52 PM UTC

20googlevideo.com

none

p=none · pct=100

Strict alignment: DKIM no · SPF no

Published

To: google.com

valid

Records: 1 · all=neutral

0

Direct: 0 · total: 0

Not published

No published MX

Observed

Aug 17, 2026, 02:52 PM UTC

21hicloudcam.com

none

p=none · pct=100

Strict alignment: DKIM no · SPF no

Published

To: ibesecurity.com

valid

Records: 1 · all=fail

6

Direct: 2 · total: 6

Not published

Unknown operator

5:mxn.mxhichina.com · 10:mx01.dm.aliyun.com · 10:mxw.mxhichina.com

Observed

Aug 17, 2026, 02:52 PM UTC

22googletagmanager.com

reject

p=reject · pct=100

Strict alignment: DKIM no · SPF no

Published

To: google.com

valid

Records: 1 · all=fail

0

Direct: 0 · total: 0

Not published

No published MX

Observed

Aug 17, 2026, 02:52 PM UTC

23domaincontrol.com

no valid DMARC

Not observed

valid

Records: 1 · all=fail

0

Direct: 0 · total: 0

Not published

Unknown operator

0:smtp.secureserver.net · 10:mailstore1.secureserver.net

Observed

Aug 17, 2026, 02:52 PM UTC

24akamaiedge.net

no valid DMARC

Not observed

no SPF

Records: 0

Direct: 0 · total:

Not published

Recognized gateway

100:mx0a-00190b01.pphosted.com · 100:mx0b-00190b01.pphosted.com

Observed

Aug 17, 2026, 02:52 PM UTC

25amazon.com

quarantine

p=quarantine · pct=100

Strict alignment: DKIM no · SPF no

Published

To: dmarc.amazon.com

valid

Records: 1 · all=fail

4

Direct: 3 · total: 4

Published

Logo yes · VMC yes

Unknown operator

5:amazon-smtp.amazon.com

Observed

Aug 17, 2026, 02:52 PM UTC

26live.com

none

p=none · pct=100

Strict alignment: DKIM no · SPF no

Published

To: dmarc.microsoft

valid

Records: 1 · all=softfail

5

Direct: 5 · total: 5

Not published

Unknown operator

2:live-com.olc.protection.outlook.com

Observed

Aug 17, 2026, 02:52 PM UTC

27akadns.net

no valid DMARC

Not observed

valid

Records: 1 · all=fail

0

Direct: 0 · total: 0

Not published

Recognized gateway

100:mx0a-00190b01.pphosted.com · 100:mx0b-00190b01.pphosted.com

Observed

Aug 17, 2026, 02:52 PM UTC

28azure.com

none

p=none · pct=100

Strict alignment: DKIM no · SPF no

Published

To: dmarc.microsoft

valid

Records: 1 · all=softfail

2

Direct: 1 · total: 2

Not published

Microsoft 365

10:azure-com.mail.protection.outlook.com

Observed

Aug 17, 2026, 02:52 PM UTC

29bing.com

reject

p=reject · pct=100

Strict alignment: DKIM no · SPF no

Published

To: microsoft.com

valid

Records: 1 · all=fail

1

Direct: 1 · total: 1

Not published

Microsoft 365

10:bing-com.mail.protection.outlook.com

Observed

Aug 17, 2026, 02:52 PM UTC

30github.com

quarantine

p=quarantine · pct=100

Strict alignment: DKIM no · SPF no

Published

To: github.com

valid

Records: 1 · all=softfail

10

Direct: 8 · total: 10

Not published

Microsoft 365

0:github-com.mail.protection.outlook.com

Observed

Aug 17, 2026, 02:52 PM UTC

31wikipedia.org

reject

p=reject · pct=100

Strict alignment: DKIM no · SPF no

Published

To: wikimedia.org

valid

Records: 1 · all=softfail

1

Direct: 1 · total: 1

Not published

Unknown operator

10:mx-in1001.wikimedia.org · 10:mx-in2001.wikimedia.org

Observed

Aug 17, 2026, 02:52 PM UTC

32whatsapp.net

no valid DMARC

Not observed

valid

Records: 1 · all=fail

0

Direct: 0 · total: 0

Not published

No published MX

Observed

Aug 17, 2026, 02:52 PM UTC

33fastly.net

quarantine

p=quarantine · pct=100

Strict alignment: DKIM no · SPF no

Published

To: fastly.com, vali.email

valid

Records: 1 · all=fail

0

Direct: 0 · total: 0

Not published

Google Workspace

10:aspmx.l.google.com · 20:alt1.aspmx.l.google.com

Observed

Aug 17, 2026, 02:52 PM UTC

34apple-dns.net

no valid DMARC

Not observed

no SPF

Records: 0

Direct: 0 · total:

Not published

No published MX

Observed

Aug 17, 2026, 02:52 PM UTC

35appsflyersdk.com

no valid DMARC

Not observed

no SPF

Records: 0

Direct: 0 · total:

Not published

No published MX

Observed

Aug 17, 2026, 02:52 PM UTC

36googleusercontent.com

none

p=none · pct=100

Strict alignment: DKIM no · SPF no

Published

To: google.com

valid

Records: 1 · all=neutral

1

Direct: 1 · total: 1

Not published

No published MX

Observed

Aug 17, 2026, 02:52 PM UTC

37doubleclick.net

none

p=none · pct=100

Strict alignment: DKIM no · SPF no

Published

To: google.com

valid

Records: 1 · all=neutral

1

Direct: 1 · total: 1

Not published

Google Workspace

10:aspmx.l.google.com · 20:alt1.aspmx.l.google.com · 30:alt2.aspmx.l.google.com · 40:alt3.aspmx.l.google.com · 50:alt4.aspmx.l.google.com

Observed

Aug 17, 2026, 02:52 PM UTC

38aaplimg.com

reject

p=reject · pct=100

Strict alignment: DKIM no · SPF no

Published

To: rua.agari.com

valid

Records: 1 · all=fail

0

Direct: 0 · total: 0

Not published

No published MX

Observed

Aug 17, 2026, 02:52 PM UTC

39netflix.com

reject

p=reject · pct=100

Strict alignment: DKIM no · SPF no

Published

To: rua.netcraft.com, netflix.com, dmarc.250ok.net

valid

Records: 1 · all=fail

7

Direct: 6 · total: 7

Not published

Google Workspace

1:aspmx.l.google.com · 5:alt1.aspmx.l.google.com · 5:alt2.aspmx.l.google.com · 10:aspmx2.googlemail.com · 10:aspmx3.googlemail.com

Observed

Aug 17, 2026, 02:52 PM UTC

40microsoftonline.com

reject

p=reject · pct=100

Strict alignment: DKIM no · SPF no

Published

To: dmarc.microsoft

valid

Records: 1 · all=fail

6

Direct: 5 · total: 6

Not published

Microsoft 365

10:messaging-microsoft-com.mail.protection.outlook.com

Observed

Aug 17, 2026, 02:52 PM UTC

41office.net

no valid DMARC

Not observed

no SPF

Records: 0

Direct: 0 · total:

Not published

No published MX

Observed

Aug 17, 2026, 02:52 PM UTC

42trafficmanager.net

no valid DMARC

Not observed

no SPF

Records: 0

Direct: 0 · total:

Not published

No published MX

Observed

Aug 17, 2026, 02:52 PM UTC

43wordpress.org

reject

p=reject · pct=100

Strict alignment: DKIM no · SPF no

Published

To: ag.dmarcian.com

valid

Records: 1 · all=fail

1

Direct: 1 · total: 1

Not published

Unknown operator

10:smtp1-dca.wordpress.org · 10:smtp2-dca.wordpress.org

Observed

Aug 17, 2026, 02:52 PM UTC

44gandi.net

none

p=none · pct=100

Strict alignment: DKIM no · SPF no

Published

To: gandi.net

valid

Records: 1 · all=fail

2

Direct: 1 · total: 2

Not published

Unknown operator

10:mail12.gandi.net · 30:mail8.gandi.net

Observed

Aug 17, 2026, 02:52 PM UTC

45sharepoint.com

reject

p=reject · pct=100

Strict alignment: DKIM no · SPF no

Published

To: dmarc.microsoft

valid

Records: 1 · all=fail

5

Direct: 1 · total: 5

Not published

Microsoft 365

0:sponaeop.mail.protection.outlook.com

Observed

Aug 17, 2026, 02:52 PM UTC

46digicert.com

quarantine

p=quarantine · pct=100

Strict alignment: DKIM no · SPF no

Published

To: vali.email, digicert.com

valid

Records: 1 · all=softfail

2

Direct: 2 · total: 2

Published

Logo yes · VMC yes

Microsoft 365

0:digicert-com.mail.protection.outlook.com

Observed

Aug 17, 2026, 02:52 PM UTC

47youtu.be

reject

p=reject · pct=100

Strict alignment: DKIM no · SPF no

Published

To: google.com

valid

Records: 1 · all=softfail

3

Direct: 2 · total: 3

Not published

Mixed operators

0:smtp.google.com · 10:gmr-smtp-in.l.google.com

Observed

Aug 17, 2026, 02:52 PM UTC

48skype.com

reject

p=reject · pct=100

Strict alignment: DKIM no · SPF no

Published

To: dmarc.microsoft, rua.netcraft.com

valid

Records: 1 · all=fail

2

Direct: 1 · total: 2

Not published

Microsoft 365

10:skype-com.mail.protection.outlook.com

Observed

Aug 17, 2026, 02:52 PM UTC

49goo.gl

reject

p=reject · pct=100

Strict alignment: DKIM no · SPF no

Published

To: google.com

valid

Records: 1 · all=fail

0

Direct: 0 · total: 0

Not published

No published MX

Observed

Aug 17, 2026, 02:52 PM UTC

50outlook.com

none

p=none · pct=100

Strict alignment: DKIM no · SPF no

Published

To: dmarc.microsoft

valid

Records: 1 · all=fail

1

Direct: 1 · total: 1

Not published

Unknown operator

5:outlook-com.olc.protection.outlook.com

Observed

Aug 17, 2026, 02:52 PM UTC

“No valid DMARC” and “no SPF” describe records observed at the named DNS location during this scan. They do not establish missing mail authentication on every sending subdomain, a delivery outcome, compromise or an incident.

WHY THIS MATTERS

What is the risk when DMARC is missing?

High-visibility web domains are familiar to customers, staff and partners. A missing or monitoring-only DMARC policy leaves less protection at participating receivers when a forged message using the exact visible From domain fails aligned authentication.

Learn how DMARC evaluates a message →

01 / DOMAIN IDENTITY

The visible From address can be forged

An attacker can send a message that displays the organization's exact domain in the From line. Without a valid DMARC record, participating receivers have no DMARC handling request from that domain owner when aligned SPF and DKIM fail.

02 / PRACTICAL HARM

Familiar web identities can be misused

A forged message can imitate a widely recognized domain in an account, billing, support or delivery workflow. That can make a malicious link or payment request more convincing. A public DNS observation does not show that any such message was sent, delivered or acted on.

THREE DIFFERENT DNS STATES

No valid DMARC
No domain-owner DMARC policy. Aggregate reports cannot be requested through that record.
DMARC at p=none
Monitoring only. Reports may be collected, but the owner requests no DMARC-based quarantine or rejection.
p=quarantine or reject
The owner asks receivers to act on messages that fail aligned authentication. Receiver behavior can still vary.

Risk, not incident evidence: this DNS state does not prove spoofing, fraud, compromise or weak internal controls. DMARC also does not stop lookalike domains, abuse of a compromised legitimate account or every phishing technique.

SCOPE

What this study measures

  • 01The complete current Tranco top 1,000 domain list, pinned by permanent list ID before scanning.
  • 02Public DNS records at the exact ranked hostname: DMARC, SPF, default-selector BIMI and complete MX answers.
  • 03Named rows because Tranco directly supplies the ranked domains; no organization-to-domain mapping or customer data is collected.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

Questions the data answers

  1. 01How many of the top 1,000 ranked web domains publish valid DMARC and how many publishers enforce quarantine or rejection?
  2. 02Which observed domains publish aggregate reporting, healthy SPF records and default-selector BIMI?
  3. 03What observed MX operators are visible on these domains, while recognizing that gateways can conceal the underlying mailbox platform?

RELEASE RECORD

How this research became citable

  1. August 17, 2026

    Current Tranco top-1,000 source snapshot pinned

  2. August 17, 2026

    Public DNS scan and named-row data package completed

  3. August 17, 2026

    Table, CSV and JSON released

    The release passed the stated evidence and review gates.

DELIVERY PACKAGE

What is available

  • A server-paginated table of all 1,000 source-ranked domains with DMARC, SPF, BIMI, MX and observation-state fields.
  • Complete named-row CSV and JSON downloads, including source rank, timestamp and all published classification fields.
  • Aggregate metrics with visible numerators and denominators plus reusable SVG/PNG charts.
  • A methodology and limitations record that distinguishes direct DNS findings from deliverability or incident claims.

Media posture

Share the complete methodology and downloadable row data with specialist editors; describe observed DNS configuration without treating a domain as an incident or performance score.

Published comparisons

Groups below the 30-domain threshold are suppressed. Every visible percentage includes its numerator and denominator.

GroupObservedDMARCEnforcementNo reportingSPF lookup failureBIMI among enforcing
No published MX31036.1% (112/310)84.8% (95/112)8.9% (10/112)0% (0/114)2.1% (2/95)
Unknown operator25478.3% (199/254)74.9% (149/199)13.1% (26/199)2.2% (5/227)28.2% (42/149)
Google Workspace22594.2% (212/225)87.7% (186/212)4.7% (10/212)4.2% (9/214)35.5% (66/186)
Recognized gateway9894.9% (93/98)89.2% (83/93)0% (0/93)1.1% (1/93)32.5% (27/83)
Microsoft 3659492.6% (87/94)82.8% (72/87)2.3% (2/87)5.4% (5/92)29.2% (21/72)

Reusable charts

SVG and PNG versions are licensed CC BY 4.0.

CITATION & MEDIA KIT

Use this research

The aggregate findings and charts are free to quote, republish and build on under CC BY 4.0. Attribute Palisade and link to this report so readers can inspect the methodology and denominators.

Suggested citation

Palisade. “Top 1,000 global web brands email-authentication benchmark 2026.” 2026-08-17. https://www.palisade.email/research/global-top-1000-web-brands-email-authentication-2026

Methodology

  1. 1.Fetch and pin the current Tranco top 1,000, retaining the permanent list URL and a source snapshot. Tranco rank is a web-domain popularity signal, not brand value, revenue or company size.
  2. 2.Query public resolvers for DMARC, apex SPF, default-selector BIMI and MX records in one recorded scan window. Resolver failures are marked unobserved and excluded from denominators.
  3. 3.Parse policy, reporting, SPF record health, recursive lookup exposure, BIMI and observed MX operator with versioned rules. The full named-row CSV exposes the fields used for each observation.
  4. 4.Publish source rank, exact domain, observed state and measurement timestamp. Do not infer inbox placement, sender reputation, compromise or real-world phishing from DNS alone.

Measurement record

Corpus and observations
999 observed of 1,000
Scan window
Aug 17, 2026, 02:52 PM UTC to Aug 17, 2026, 02:52 PM UTC
Scanner version
2.0.0
MX classifier version
2026-08-14.2

Pinned source snapshot

9007a42efc2f980ac0d2f2c18bd53512cc84737a89d926bfe18feaadc43cabcbOpen the exact ranked source list

Limitations

  • Tranco ranks domains, not companies or trademarked brands. This study calls the cohort a major-online-brand proxy and does not represent a proprietary brand-value ranking.
  • A parent company may operate multiple domains and a high-ranked domain may be infrastructure rather than a consumer-facing brand.
  • DNS configuration is not a deliverability test and does not show whether a forged message was sent, accepted or delivered.
  • A single scan is time-bounded. Domains can update DNS after the recorded window; resolver failures remain visible and excluded rather than being called absent records.

Source record

Tranco top-domain ranking

A reproducible research ranking that combines multiple popularity signals; the report retains the permanent current-list URL for every row.

RFC 7489 (DMARC)

DMARC discovery, policy and aggregate-reporting semantics used by the DNS parser.

Publication policy

Named rows are limited to direct Tranco source domains and their observed public DNS state. The report does not assign a corporate owner, brand value, deliverability rate, reputation score, compromise finding or phishing incident to any row.