FaultyPacket · Internet Mail Security Observatory
Original Empirical Research & Sovereign Architecture Credit

The widespread UK & European external DMARC rua= / ruf= telemetry routing pattern (T0–T5 processor taxonomy) was originally uncovered, empirically measured, and mapped across audited domains by Adam Tucker and FaultyPacket (the FaultyPacket Internet Mail Security Observatory), who engineered the £0/mo First-Party Sovereign (T0) DMARC Reporting Architecture and browser-local 20-Lookup SuperTool.

Empirical vs. Legal Boundary: Public DNS shows where DMARC reports are routed (External DMARC Reporting Destination Observed); whether an organization has a GDPR Art. 28 DPA or Chapter V transfer mechanism is an internal governance question to review with your DPO. Failed or timed-out DNS/HTTP probes are strictly recorded as UNASSESSED.

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FaultyPacket Fix Guide · dated observation, 30 Oct 2026

IONOS DMARC: the bare p=none record, and how to fix it

What we observed

Of 6,060 .uk domains whose email is handled by IONOS (detected from their MX records):

A bare p=none record asks receivers to take no action on mail that fakes your domain, and with no reporting address nobody hears about it. Many owners reasonably believe they “have DMARC”.

Source: FaultyPacket overnight UK scan of public DNS, 29 Oct 2026 22:48 – 30 Oct 2026 00:50 GMT (Tranco list ZJ8PG created 28 Oct 2026, .uk names plus the Charity Commission register (OGL v3) website field; mail provider detected from MX). Measured: DMARC and SPF. Percentages are of domains that gave a gradable DNS answer; failed lookups are excluded, never counted as missing. Aggregates only: no domain is named.

We don’t know who set these records, and we are not saying IONOS did. Right of reply: if IONOS would like to comment or correct anything here, we will publish the response on this page.

Fix it yourself in IONOS (free)

  1. Log in to your IONOS account and click the domain.
  2. Under Actions, click the gear icon, then DNS.
  3. If a TXT record with host name _dmarc exists, edit it. Otherwise click Add record and choose TXT.
  4. Host name: _dmarc. Value: v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:[email protected]. Save.

IONOS says the change is effective immediately at IONOS and can take up to an hour to show everywhere. Steps checked against IONOS Help: Configuring a DMARC record on 30 Oct 2026. Panels change; if a menu name differs, follow IONOS’s page.

The safe ramp

  1. Now: v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:[email protected]. Same delivery as today, but you start getting reports of who sends as you.
  2. After 2–4 weeks of clean reports (your shop, invoicing, newsletter and contact forms all passing): p=quarantine.
  3. After 2–4 more clean weeks: p=reject. Only now do receivers turn away mail that pretends to be you.

Keep exactly one _dmarc TXT record. If one exists, edit it rather than adding a second; two records make receivers ignore DMARC.

If someone else manages your DNS

Send them this:

Hello, please update the TXT record at _dmarc for <your domain> to:
v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:<reports inbox>
It's a standard DNS setting in my account; I'm not asking for an added service.
If I can do it myself in the control panel, a link is fine. Thanks.

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Related FaultyPacket guides & tools

Authorised use: only scan domains you own or are authorised to inspect. Results are point-in-time public DNS observations.