Email Marketing

What is DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM Record)?

April 29, 2024
DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM)

Introduction

Brief overview of DKIM and its importance in email security

Email is indispensable for personal and professional communication in today’s digital landscape. However, with the increasing reliance on email comes the risk of falling victim to various security threats, such as email spoofing and phishing attacks. This is where Domain Keys Identified Mail (DKIM) comes into play. DKIM is a crucial email authentication protocol that helps ensure the authenticity and integrity of email messages, making it an essential component of your email security arsenal.

Explanation of how DKIM helps in combating email spoofing and phishing

DKIM adds a digital signature to your outgoing email messages, allowing receiving servers to verify that the email originated from a legitimate source and hasn’t been tampered with during transit. By implementing DKIM, you can significantly reduce the chances of using your email domain for malicious activities like email spoofing and phishing attacks. These attacks often involve cybercriminals impersonating trusted entities to trick recipients into disclosing sensitive information or clicking on malicious links. With DKIM in place, it becomes much harder for attackers to forge emails from your domain, protecting both your organisation’s reputation and your recipients’ security.

What is DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM)?

Definition of DKIM

DKIM, which stands for DomainKeys Identified Mail, is an email authentication protocol designed to ensure the authenticity and integrity of email messages. It allows senders to take responsibility for their messages and recipients to verify that an email claiming to come from a specific domain was indeed authorised by the domain’s owner.

Historical context and development of DKIM

DKIM was developed to respond to the growing problem of email spoofing and phishing attacks. It builds upon the earlier DomainKeys protocol, which Yahoo! introduced in 2004. In 2005, Cisco Systems and Yahoo! collaborated to combine DomainKeys with Identified Internet Mail to create DKIM. The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) refined and standardised the protocol in 2007, becoming today’s widely adopted email authentication method.

Components of DKIM: Signing, verification, and keys

DKIM relies on three main components to ensure email authenticity:

  1. Signing: The email sender’s server uses a private key to create a digital signature for the email message. This signature is added to the email headers before the message is sent.
  2. Verification: When the email reaches the recipient’s server, it uses the sender’s public key (published in the sender’s DNS records) to verify the signature. If the signature matches, the recipient can be confident that the email hasn’t been altered during transit and that it originated from the claimed domain.
  3. Keys: DKIM uses a pair of keys – a private key and a public key – to sign and verify email messages. The email sender keeps the private key secure, while the public key is published in the domain’s Domain Name System (DNS) records, allowing recipients to access it for verification purposes.

By understanding these core components of DKIM, you can better appreciate how this protocol protects email communications from spoofing and phishing attempts.

How DKIM Works

To fully understand how DKIM protects your email, it’s important to understand the step-by-step process of DKIM email signing and verification. Let’s explore how DKIM works behind the scenes.

Step-by-step explanation of the DKIM email signing process

DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) Diagram
  1. Domain owner generates a key pair: The domain owner creates a public-private key pair for email signing. The private key is kept secure, while the public key is published in the domain’s DNS records.
  2. Email content is canonicalised: Before signing, the email content is canonicalised, which means it’s converted into a standard format to ensure consistency during verification.
  3. DKIM signature is created: The email sender’s server uses the private key to create a digital signature of the canonicalised email content and selected headers.
  4. DKIM signature is added to the email headers: The generated signature is inserted into the email’s headers as a DKIM-Signature field.
  5. Email is sent: The signed email is sent to the recipient’s mail server.
  6. Recipient server retrieves the public key: Upon receiving the email, the recipient’s server extracts the domain from the DKIM header and retrieves the corresponding public key from the sender’s DNS records.
  7. Email is verified: The recipient’s server uses the public key to verify the DKIM signature. If the signature matches the email content, the email is considered authentic and unaltered.

Key Components of DKIM

Understanding its key components is crucial to understanding how DKIM functions. In this section, we’ll focus on the DKIM signature, which is the backbone of the DKIM authentication process.

1. DKIM Signature

The DKIM signature is a vital part of the DKIM email authentication process. It is a digital signature that is added to the email headers, allowing the recipient’s server to verify the authenticity and integrity of the message.

Explanation of the DKIM signature header

The DKIM signature is included in the email headers as a “DKIM-Signature” field. This header contains all the necessary information for the recipient’s server to verify the signature and confirm the email’s authenticity.

Here’s an example of a DKIM signature header:

DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed;
  d=example.com; s=selector; h=From:To:Subject:Date;
  bh=MTIzNDU2Nzg5MDEyMzQ1Njc4OTAxMjM0NTY3ODkwMTI=;
  b=dzdVyOfAKCdLXdJOc9G2q8LoXSlEniSbav+yuU4zGeeruD00lszZ
            VoG4ZHRNiYzR

2. DKIM Public and Private Keys

Public and private keys are the foundation of the DKIM authentication process. They work together to ensure that emails can be signed by the sender and verified by the recipient, establishing trust and authenticity in email communication.

Setting Up DKIM

Implementing DKIM on your email server is essential for ensuring the authenticity and integrity of your outgoing emails. In this section, we’ll walk you through the general steps involved in setting up DKIM, including DNS configuration and the tools and software commonly used for DKIM setup.

General steps to implement DKIM on an email server

  1. Generate a public-private key pair: Create a key pair using encryption software or tools provided by your email service provider. The recommended key length is at least 1024 bits, with 2048 bits being even more secure.
  2. Configure your email server: Set up your email server to sign outgoing emails using the private key. This process varies depending on your email server software (e.g., Postfix, Sendmail, or Microsoft Exchange).
  3. Publish the public key in your DNS records: Add the public key to your domain’s DNS records as a TXT record. The record should be named selector._domainkey.example.com, where “selector” is your unique identifier, and “example.com” is your domain name.
  4. Test your DKIM setup: Use DKIM testing tools to ensure that your DKIM signature is being correctly added to outgoing emails and that your public key is accessible via your DNS records.

DNS configuration for DKIM

To publish your DKIM public key in your DNS records, you’ll need to add a TXT record with the following format:

Record Value: v=DKIM1; k=rsa; p=MIIBIjANBgkqhkiG9w0BAQEFAAOCAQ8AMIIBCgKCAQEAuoS3GrcI58jam+ixmw6EodDZfIXXdZk1IlvBr/KAeWQ7+7dvxEBMiVNFThWPzlGrXNhsPH4RtzLUzYgHkfEPkJ+OkAgM2lEdQ6yp6j5jFKLHzCasHDQADIIBPPDWwqtqpBnugUiFx5tpQyhyPgAWGblrGZYWhOqPrTXqZiiLiLjCTYIi+6Rq66k6sPKDFoziqXqLIgzc+VrbLgYc0OMuIx5mXIK0sMMZbOTcQgUjW/y6gzkIGWvq98LNLcFtI4+Y6KU3JRv2plRxPlt/rb53Cip4ZucrY7+ruhlAZ4b6FX4p+W3qV5vDbHOBFvL3N6Vxju2gSLMYN0JlL4FCT63CwIDAQAB (2048-bit key)

Replace the selector with the unique identifier you chose, example.com with your domain name, the unique identifier you chose, example.com with your domain name, and your_public_key_here with your actual public key.

Tools and software commonly used for DKIM setup

There are various tools and software available to help you set up DKIM on your email server, depending on your specific needs and environment:

  1. OpenDKIM: An open-source implementation of DKIM for Unix-based systems, commonly used with Postfix and Sendmail.
  2. Microsoft Exchange DKIM: Microsoft Exchange Server includes built-in support for DKIM signing and verification.
  3. DKIM Wizard: A web-based tool that guides you through the process of generating keys and configuring your DNS records for DKIM.
  4. DKIM Key Generator: A simple online tool for generating DKIM key pairs and providing the necessary DNS record information.
  5. Email service providers: Many email service providers, such as Google Workspace (formerly G Suite), Microsoft 365, and Amazon SES, offer built-in DKIM support and provide step-by-step guides for setting it up.

By following the general steps for implementing DKIM, configuring your DNS records correctly, and using the appropriate tools and software, you can effectively set up DKIM on your email server to ensure the authenticity and integrity of your outgoing emails.

DKIM Signature Syntax

To fully understand how DKIM works, diving into the details of the DKIM signature syntax is essential. The DKIM signature is added to the email headers and contains various tags that provide information about the signing process and the email itself. Let’s break down the syntax and explore the common tags found in DKIM signatures.

Detailed breakdown of DKIM signature syntax

A DKIM signature is a header field added to an email message and consists of a series of key-value pairs known as tags. The general format of a DKIM signature is as follows:

DKIM-Signature: tag1=value1; tag2=value2; ...; tagN=valueN;

Each tag and its corresponding value provide specific information about the signing process or the email itself. Tags are not case-sensitive, but their values may be. The order of the tags within the DKIM signature is not important.

Common tags in DKIM signatures and their meanings

DKIM tags

Here are some of the most common tags found in DKIM signatures and their meanings:

  1. v: The version of the DKIM specification used. Currently, the only valid value is “1”.
  2. a: The cryptographic algorithm used to generate the signature. Common values include “rsa-sha256” and “rsa-sha1”.
  3. b: The actual signature data is a base64-encoded string representing the signed hash of the specified header fields and the body hash.
  4. bh: The body hash is a base64-encoded hash of the canonicalised email body.
  5. c: The canonicalisation algorithm used for the header and body of the email. Common values include “simple” and “relaxed“.
  6. d: The domain name the signature covers is the email sender’s domain.
  7. h: The list of header fields included in the signature is separated by colons.
  8. i: The identifier of the signing entity, which may be different from the “d” tag if the signature was generated by a third-party service.
  9. s: The selector is used to locate the public key in the domain’s DNS records.
  10. t: The timestamp of when the signature was generated, expressed as the number of seconds since January 1, 1970 (Unix timestamp), in UTC time zone.
  11. x: The expiration time of the signature, expressed as the number of seconds since January 1, 1970.

Here’s an example of a DKIM signature with some of these common tags:

DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed;
  d=example.com; s=selector; h=From:To:Subject:Date;
  bh=MTIzNDU2Nzg5MDEyMzQ1Njc4OTAxMjM0NTY3ODkwMTI=;
  b=dzdVyOfAKCdLXdJOc9G2q8LoXSlEniSbav+yuU4zGeeruD00lszZ
            VoG4ZHRNiYzR

By understanding the DKIM signature syntax and the meaning of each tag, you can better interpret DKIM signatures and troubleshoot any issues that may arise during the setup or verification process.

DKIM Records: A Closer Look

To ensure that your DKIM setup is working correctly, it’s crucial to understand how to format your DKIM DNS record properly. This section will examine the correct formatting for a DKIM DNS record and provide an example of a typical record.

How to correctly format a DKIM DNS record

A DKIM DNS record is a TXT record that contains your public key and other relevant information. To correctly format your DKIM DNS record, follow these guidelines:

  1. Record Name: The record name should be in the format selector._domainkey.example.com, where:
    • selector is the unique identifier you chose during the DKIM setup process.
    • _domainkey is a fixed string that indicates the record is related to DKIM.
    • example.com is your domain name.
  2. Record Type: The record type must be set to “TXT“.
  3. Record Value: The record value should contain the following key-value pairs, separated by semicolons:
    • v=DKIM1: Indicates the version of DKIM being used (always “DKIM1“).
    • k=rsa: Specifies the key type (usually “rsa” for RSA keys).
    • p=your_public_key_here: Contains your public key, which is a long string of characters.

Ensure that there are no spaces before or after the semicolons or the key-value pairs.

Example of a typical DKIM DNS record

Here’s an example of a correctly formatted DKIM DNS record:

Record Name: selector._domainkey.example.com
Record Type: TXT
Record Value: v=DKIM1; k=rsa; p=MIIBIjANBgkqhkiG9w0BAQEFAAOCAQ8AMIIBCgKCAQEAuoS3GrcI58jam+ixmw6EodDZfIXXdZk1IlvBr/KAeWQ7+7dvxEBMiVNFThWPzlGrXNhsPH4RtzLUzYgHkfEPkJ+OkAgM2lEdQ6yp6j5jFKLHzCasHDQADIIBPPDWwqtqpBnugUiFx5tpQyhyPgAWGblrGZYWhOqPrTXqZiiLiLjCTYIi+6Rq66k6sPKDFoziqXqLIgzc+VrbLgYc0OMuIx5mXIK0sMMZbOTcQgUjW/y6gzkIGWvq98LNLcFtI4+Y6KU3JRv2plRxPlt/rb53Cip4ZucrY7+ruhlAZ4b6FX4p+W3qV5vDbHOBFvL3N6Vxju2gSLMYN0JlL4FCT63CwIDAQAB

In this example:

  • The record name is selector._domainkey.example.com, indicating that the selector is “selector” and the domain is “example.com“.
  • The record type is set to “TXT“.
  • The record value includes the DKIM version (v=DKIM1), key type (k=rsa), and the public key (p=MII...).

By ensuring that your DKIM DNS record is formatted correctly and contains the necessary information, you can help ensure that your DKIM setup is working as intended and that your emails are being properly authenticated.

Verifying DKIM Signatures

DKIM verification is a crucial process that helps receiving email servers determine the authenticity of incoming messages. By verifying DKIM signatures, servers can ensure that the email has not been tampered with during transit and that it originates from the claimed domain. In this section, we’ll explore how email servers verify DKIM signatures and discuss some tools and techniques used for DKIM verification.

How email servers verify the authenticity of a DKIM signature

When an email server receives a message with a DKIM signature, it follows these steps to verify the signature’s authenticity:

  1. Extract the DKIM signature: The server locates the DKIM-Signature header in the email and extracts the necessary information, such as the selector and the domain name.
  2. Retrieve the public key: Using the selector and sending the domain name from the DKIM signature, the server queries the sender’s DNS records to retrieve the corresponding public key. The server looks for a TXT record with the name selector._domainkey.example.com, where “selector” and “example.com” are replaced with the actual values from the signature.
  3. Canonicalise the email: The server applies the same canonicalisation algorithm specified in the DKIM signature (usually “simple” or “relaxed”) to the email headers and body. This process ensures that the email is in a standard format for verification.
  4. Compute the hash: The server computes the canonicalised email headers and body hash using the algorithm specified in the DKIM signature (e.g., SHA-256).
  5. Verify the signature: The server verifies the DKIM signature using the public key retrieved from the DNS. If the computed hash matches the hash in the signature, the server considers the email authentic and unaltered.

If any of these steps fail, such as the public key not being found or the signature not matching the computed hash, the server may consider the email unauthenticated and may take appropriate action, such as marking the email as spam or rejecting it altogether.

Tools and techniques for DKIM verification

Various tools and techniques are available for verifying DKIM signatures for individual emails and monitoring DKIM setup across an entire domain. Some popular options include:

  1. Email headers: Most email clients allow users to view an email’s raw headers, which include the DKIM signature. By examining the headers, users can manually verify the presence and validity of the DKIM signature.
  2. Online DKIM validators: Several web-based tools allow users to input an email’s headers and body to verify the DKIM signature. These tools perform the verification steps described above and provide a report on the signature’s validity.
  3. DMARC reports: Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance (DMARC) is an email authentication protocol that builds upon DKIM and SPF. DMARC allows domain owners to receive reports on the DKIM and SPF verification status of emails sent from their domain, helping them monitor their DKIM setup and identify any issues.
  4. Email authentication monitoring services: Some third-party services offer comprehensive email authentication monitoring, including DKIM verification. These services can help domain owners track their DKIM performance, identify issues, and maintain a good sending reputation.

By understanding how DKIM verification works and utilising the available tools and techniques, email servers and domain owners can ensure that DKIM works effectively to authenticate email messages and prevent spam and phishing attempts.

Use Cases of DKIM

DKIM is a powerful email authentication protocol that offers numerous benefits to organisations of all sizes. From enhancing email deliverability to protecting brand reputation, DKIM plays a crucial role in ensuring the integrity and authenticity of email communications. In this section, we’ll explore some key use cases of DKIM and provide case studies of successful DKIM implementations in large organisations.

Enhancing email deliverability

One of the primary benefits of implementing DKIM is improved email deliverability. When an email server receives a message with a valid DKIM signature, it can be confident that the email originated from the claimed domain and has not been tampered with during transit. This trust factor can help increase the chances of your emails landing in recipients’ inboxes rather than being flagged as spam or rejected outright.

DKIM helps maintain your domain’s reputation as a trustworthy sender by combating email spoofing and phishing attempts. Over time, this can lead to higher email deliverability rates, ensuring that your important messages reach their intended recipients.

Protecting brand reputation through verified emails

Email is often a primary channel for customer communication, marketing campaigns, and sensitive information exchange in today’s digital landscape. By implementing DKIM, you can protect your brand’s reputation by ensuring that emails sent from your domain are authentic and have not been altered by malicious email actors.

When recipients see a valid DKIM signature on an email from your organisation, they can trust that the message is genuine and that any links, attachments, or information within the email are trustworthy. This trust is essential for maintaining strong relationships with customers, partners, and other stakeholders.

Furthermore, DKIM can help prevent cybercriminals from using your domain to send fraudulent emails, which could damage your brand’s reputation and lead to financial losses for both your organisation and your customers.

Case studies of DKIM implementation in large organisations

Many large organisations have successfully implemented DKIM to enhance their email security and protect their brand reputation. Here are a few notable case studies:

  1. Google: As one of the world’s largest email providers, Google has strongly advocated email authentication protocols like DKIM. Google uses DKIM to verify the authenticity of emails sent from its own domains and encourages all Gmail users to implement DKIM to improve the overall security of the email ecosystem.
  2. PayPal: As a financial services company, PayPal is a frequent target for email spoofing and phishing attempts. To combat these threats, PayPal has implemented DKIM across its domains, ensuring that customers can trust emails claiming to be from PayPal. This has helped reduce the risk of customers falling victim to fraudulent emails and has strengthened PayPal’s reputation as a secure online payment platform.
  3. U.S. Federal Government: In 2018, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued a directive requiring all federal agencies to implement DKIM (along with SPF and DMARC) to enhance email security and prevent email spoofing. This initiative has helped protect government communications and reduce the risk of cybercriminals using government domains for malicious purposes.

These case studies demonstrate the value of DKIM implementation for organisations of all types and sizes. By adopting DKIM as part of a comprehensive email authentication strategy, organisations can improve email deliverability, protect their brand reputation, and create a more secure email environment for their customers and employees.

Integrating DKIM with Other Email Authentication Methods

While DKIM is a powerful email authentication protocol on its own, it is most effective when used in conjunction with other authentication methods, such as Sender Policy Framework (SPF) and Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance (DMARC). In this section, we’ll explore the relationship between DKIM, SPF, and DMARC and how these technologies work together to enhance email security.

Relationship and integration with SPF and DMARC

  1. Sender Policy Framework (SPF): SPF is an email authentication protocol that allows domain owners to specify which IP addresses are authorised to send emails on behalf of their domain. When an email server receives a message, it checks the SPF record of the sender’s domain to verify that the email originated from an authorised IP address. SPF helps prevent spam by ensuring that only authorised servers can send emails from a particular domain.
  2. Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance (DMARC): DMARC is an email authentication protocol that builds upon DKIM and SPF. It allows domain owners to specify how receiving servers should handle emails that fail DKIM or SPF checks. DMARC also provides a mechanism for domain owners to receive reports on the DKIM and SPF verification status of emails sent from their domain, helping them monitor their email authentication setup and identify any issues.

How DKIM complements these technologies to enhance email security

DKIM works in harmony with SPF and DMARC to provide a multi-layered approach to email authentication:

  1. Complementing SPF: While SPF verifies the email sender’s IP address’s authenticity, DKIM verifies the email content’s authenticity. By using both SPF and DKIM, receiving servers can ensure that an email originated from an authorised IP address and that its content has not been altered during transit. This combination provides a stronger defence against email spoofing and phishing attempts.
  2. Enabling DMARC: DMARC relies on the results of DKIM and SPF checks to determine how receiving servers should handle emails that fail authentication. Without DKIM and SPF, DMARC would not have the necessary information to make these decisions. By implementing DKIM and SPF, domain owners can take full advantage of DMARC’s features, such as specifying quarantine or reject policies for failed authentication and receiving detailed reports on their email authentication status.
  3. Improving email deliverability: When used together, DKIM, SPF, and DMARC can significantly improve email deliverability. Receiving servers are likelier to trust emails that pass DKIM and the other two authentication checks, reducing the chances of legitimate emails being marked as spam or rejected outright. This can help ensure that important communications reach their intended recipients and maintain a strong sending reputation for the domain.

By integrating DKIM with SPF and DMARC, organisations can create a robust email authentication framework that protects against various email-based threats. This multi-layered approach helps maintain the integrity of email communications, safeguard sensitive information, and protect the organisation’s reputation.

Common Issues and Troubleshooting DKIM

While DKIM is a powerful tool for enhancing email security, it’s not uncommon to encounter issues during setup or ongoing use. In this section, we’ll explore some common problems related to DKIM signature failures and provide guidance on troubleshooting these issues.

1. DKIM Signature Failures

DKIM signature failures occur when the receiving email server cannot verify the authenticity of the DKIM signature on an incoming email. This can happen for various reasons and lead to emails being marked as spam, quarantined, or outright rejected.

Common reasons why DKIM signatures fail

  1. Incorrect DNS record: One of the most common causes of DKIM signature failures is an incorrect or missing DKIM DNS record. If the DKIM public key is not properly published in the sender’s DNS or if the record is formatted incorrectly, receiving servers will be unable to verify the signature.
  2. Altered email content: DKIM signatures are based on the content of the email, including the headers and body. If any part of the email is altered after the signature is applied, such as by an email forwarding service or mailing list software, the signature will no longer match the email content, resulting in a failure.
  3. Expired keys: DKIM keys can be set to expire after a certain period. If a signing key expires and is not replaced with a new one, any signatures created with the old key will fail verification.
  4. Mismatched signing domain: The domain used to sign the email (specified in the d= tag of the DKIM signature) must match the domain in the email’s From header. If these domains do not match, the DKIM signature will fail.
  5. Insufficient cryptographic strength: Receiving servers may reject DKIM signatures created with weak cryptographic algorithms or short keys. Using strong, up-to-date cryptographic methods when generating DKIM keys is important.

How to troubleshoot these failures

  1. Check your DNS record: Verify that your DKIM DNS record is correctly formatted and contains the right public key. Use online tools to query your DNS and ensure that the record is accessible from outside your network.
  2. Inspect email headers: Look at the raw headers of the email that failed DKIM verification. Check for any modifications to the email content after the signature is applied. If necessary, adjust your email processing workflow to avoid altering signed emails.
  3. Rotate your keys: Regularly rotate your DKIM signing keys to prevent expiration issues. Keep track of when your keys are set to expire and generate new ones well in advance.
  4. Verify signing domain: Ensure that the domain used to sign your emails (the d= tag) matches the domain in your email’s From header. If you use multiple domains or subdomains, you may need to create separate DKIM keys for each one.
  5. Use strong cryptography: When generating your DKIM keys, use strong, modern cryptographic algorithms (like RSA with at least 2048-bit keys) and ensure that your signing software is up to date with the latest security standards.

By understanding the common causes of DKIM signature failures and following these troubleshooting steps, you can quickly identify and resolve issues, maintaining the effectiveness of your DKIM implementation and the security of your email communications.

2. DNS Issues

DNS plays a crucial role in DKIM, as it publishes the public keys that receiving servers use to verify DKIM signatures. However, managing DNS records for DKIM can present some challenges, especially for organisations with complex DNS setups or multiple domains.

Challenges with DKIM DNS records

  1. Record format: DKIM DNS records have a specific format that must be followed exactly. Any errors in the record format, such as missing semicolons or incorrect tag names, can cause the record to be invalid and prevent DKIM verification from succeeding.
  2. Record propagation: DNS records can take time to propagate across the Internet after they are published or updated. If a receiving mail server attempts to verify a signature using an outdated or cached DNS record, this can lead to temporary DKIM failures.
  3. Multiple selectors: Organisations may use multiple DKIM selectors for different purposes, such as separating marketing and transactional emails. Managing multiple DNS records for each selector can be complex and increase the risk of configuration errors.
  4. Key rotation: As mentioned earlier, DKIM keys should be rotated regularly to maintain security. However, updating DNS records with new public keys can be manual and error-prone, especially for organisations with many domains or selectors.
  5. DNS provider limitations: Some DNS providers may restrict the length or content of TXT records, which can cause issues with DKIM records. Choosing a DNS provider that supports the necessary record types and sizes for DKIM is important.

Tips for maintaining DNS records for DKIM

  1. Use a DKIM record generator: Many online tools and DKIM software packages include DKIM record generators that can help you create correctly formatted DNS records based on your public key and other settings. Using these tools can reduce the risk of manual errors.
  2. Monitor DNS propagation: After publishing or updating a DKIM DNS record, use online tools to monitor its propagation across different DNS servers. This can help you identify any delays or issues with record updates and ensure that your DKIM signatures can be verified consistently.
  3. Implement a key rotation schedule: Establish a regular schedule for rotating your DKIM keys, such as every 6 months or annually. Use automation tools or scripts to generate new key pairs and update your DNS records to minimise manual effort and reduce the risk of errors.
  4. Use a DKIM monitoring service: Consider using a third-party DKIM monitoring service that can continuously check your DKIM DNS records for validity and alert you to any issues or misconfigurations. These services can help you proactively identify and resolve DNS-related DKIM problems.
  5. Document your DKIM setup: Maintain clear documentation of your DKIM setup, including selector names, key lengths, expiration dates, and DNS record contents. This can help you quickly troubleshoot issues and ensure consistency across your organisation.

By being aware of the challenges associated with DKIM DNS records and following these tips for maintaining them, you can help ensure that your DKIM implementation remains effective and secure over time. Regular monitoring, automation, and documentation can go a long way in preventing DNS-related issues from impacting your email authentication and deliverability.

3. Key Management

Effective management of DKIM keys is essential for maintaining the security and reliability of your email authentication setup. This involves implementing best practices for key generation, storage, and rotation and ensuring that your keys are protected against unauthorised access or misuse.

Best practices for managing DKIM keys

  1. Use strong key lengths: When generating DKIM keys, use key lengths of at least 2048 bits for RSA keys. Longer keys provide greater security against brute-force attacks and are more future-proof as computing power increases.
  2. Store keys securely: Private keys used for DKIM signing should be stored securely on your email servers or signing appliances. Use strong access controls, such as file permissions and encryption, to prevent unauthorised access to your keys.
  3. Separate keys for different purposes: Consider using different DKIM selectors and key pairs for different types of email, such as marketing, transactional, and corporate communications. This can help isolate any issues that may arise with a particular key and provide more granular control over your DKIM setup.
  4. Monitor key usage: Regularly monitor your DKIM keys for signs of misuse or compromise, such as unexpected signature failures or anomalies in email-sending patterns. Use DKIM monitoring tools or services to alert you to any suspicious activity.
  5. Have a key compromise plan: Develop a plan for responding to a DKIM key compromise, including procedures for revoking the compromised key, generating a new key pair, and updating your DNS records. Regularly review and update this plan to ensure that it remains effective.

By following these best practices for DKIM key management and implementing a regular key rotation schedule, you can help ensure the ongoing security and effectiveness of your DKIM setup. Remember to document your key management procedures and regularly review them to identify any areas for improvement.

Advanced Topics in DKIM

While the basic concepts of DKIM are relatively straightforward, some advanced topics and scenarios can pose challenges for organisations implementing DKIM. In this section, we’ll explore two such topics: the effects of email forwarding on DKIM signatures and how to handle DKIM for subdomains and third-party senders.

Effects of email forwarding on DKIM signatures

Email forwarding is a common practice in which an email received at one address is automatically sent to another address. However, forwarding can have unintended consequences for DKIM signatures, as it often involves modifying the email headers or content, which can invalidate the original signature.

  1. Altered headers: Email forwarding services may add or modify headers, such as Received or Return-Path, to indicate that the email has been forwarded. These changes can cause DKIM signature verification to fail, as the signature no longer matches the altered email headers.
  2. Modified content: Some email forwarding services may modify the content of the email, such as by adding a footer or disclaimer indicating that the message has been forwarded. These modifications can also break DKIM signatures, as the email body no longer matches the original signed content.

To mitigate these issues, consider the following strategies:

  1. Use relaxed canonicalisation: When generating DKIM signatures, use the “relaxed” canonicalisation algorithm for both headers and body. Relaxed canonicalisation allows for some minor modifications to the email, such as whitespace changes or header reordering, without invalidating the signature.
  2. Educate users: Inform your email users about the potential impact of forwarding on DKIM signatures and encourage them to use alternative methods, such as email aliases or distribution lists, when possible.

Handling DKIM for subdomains and third-party senders

Organisations often use subdomains for different purposes, such as separating transactional and marketing emails. Additionally, they may use third-party email services or senders to handle specific types of email on their behalf. Managing DKIM for these scenarios can be complex, but there are best practices that can help.

  1. Subdomains: When using subdomains for email, you can either use a single DKIM key pair for all subdomains or generate separate key pairs for each subdomain. Using separate keys can provide more granular control and help isolate any issues that may arise with a particular subdomain. However, it also requires managing multiple DNS records and keys.
  2. Third-party senders: When using third-party email services or senders, you have two main options for handling DKIM: a. Delegate signing: Allow the third-party sender to sign emails on your behalf using their own DKIM keys. This requires adding a special DNS TXT record (e.g., example._domainkey.yourdomain.com) that points to the third-party sender’s DKIM public key. The format of this DNS record should be: Record Name: example._domainkey.yourdomain.com
    Record Type: TXT
    Record Value: v=DKIM1; k=rsa; p=third_party_public_key_here b. Provide your own keys: Generate your own DKIM key pair and provide the private key to the third-party sender to use for signing emails. This allows you to maintain control over your DKIM keys but requires coordination with the third-party sender to ensure they use the correct key.

Regardless of your approach, it’s important to carefully manage your DKIM setup and monitor it regularly to ensure that emails sent from your subdomains or by third-party senders are being properly signed and verified.

By understanding these advanced topics and implementing appropriate strategies to address them, you can help ensure that your DKIM setup remains effective and secure, even in complex email environments.

To end off

In this comprehensive guide, we have explored the ins and outs of DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM), a crucial email authentication protocol that helps protect email senders and recipients from spam, phishing, and email spoofing.

The future of DKIM and ongoing developments

As email remains a critical communication channel for businesses and individuals alike, the importance of email authentication protocols like DKIM will only continue to grow. Here are some ongoing developments and future trends in DKIM:

  1. Increased adoption: As awareness of email security threats grows, more organisations will likely implement DKIM and other authentication protocols to protect their email communications.
  2. Stronger cryptography: As computing power increases and cryptographic methods evolve, DKIM may adopt stronger algorithms and key lengths to maintain its resilience against attacks.
  3. Automation and tooling: Developing more sophisticated automation tools and services for managing DKIM setup, monitoring, and troubleshooting will help organisations implement and maintain DKIM more efficiently.
  4. Integration with other security technologies: DKIM will continue to be used in conjunction with other email security technologies, such as a DMARC record, SPF, and BIMI (Brand Indicators for Message Identification), to provide a comprehensive email authentication and brand protection solution.
  5. Regulatory compliance: As email security becomes an increasingly important aspect of data protection and privacy regulations, DKIM may help organisations comply with these requirements.

By staying informed about these developments and continuing to follow best practices for implementing and managing DKIM, organisations can help ensure the ongoing security and reliability of their email communications in the face of evolving threats and challenges.

Additional Resources

Here are some valuable resources, including official documentation, specifications, and recommended tools and services, to further your understanding of DKIM and assist with its implementation.

  1. RFC 6376 – DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) Signatures: This is the official IETF specification document for DKIM, providing a detailed technical description of the protocol, its components, and its operation.
  2. DKIM Technical Overview: This document, published by the DKIM.org working group, provides a high-level technical overview of DKIM, including its benefits, how it works, and how it relates to other email authentication protocols.
  3. DKIM Frequently Asked Questions: This FAQ, maintained by the DKIM.org working group, answers common questions about DKIM, its implementation, and its use cases.
  4. DMARC.org DKIM Resources: DMARC.org, a leading industry group focused on email authentication, provides various DKIM resources, including guides, tools, and best practices.
  1. OpenDKIM: OpenDKIM is a widely-used open-source implementation of DKIM, designed to be integrated with popular email servers such as Postfix and Sendmail.
  2. DKIM Wizard: This web-based tool, provided by Port25 Solutions, helps generate DKIM key pairs and DNS records based on your domain and selector information.
  3. MxToolbox DKIM Record Lookup: MxToolbox offers a free tool for checking the validity and correctness of your DKIM DNS records.
  4. DKIM Key Rotation Checker: This tool, provided by dmarcian, helps you monitor your DKIM key rotation status and alerts you when your keys are nearing expiration.
  5. EasyDMARC: EasyDMARC is a comprehensive email authentication monitoring and reporting service that includes DKIM analysis and support.

By leveraging these resources and tools, you can deepen your knowledge of DKIM, streamline your implementation process, and ensure the ongoing effectiveness of your email authentication setup. Remember to stay updated with the latest developments in DKIM and email security to safeguard your organisation’s email communications.