Domainkeys identified mail

DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) is a method of authenticating the sender of an email message. It uses a digital signature to verify that the email was sent by the claimed sender and that the message has not been tampered with during transmission.

Here's how it works:

  1. The sender's email server generates a private key and a corresponding public key.
  2. The sender's email server uses the private key to create a digital signature for the email message.
  3. The digital signature is added to the email message.
  4. The email message is sent to the recipient's email server.
  5. The recipient's email server uses the public key to verify the digital signature.
  6. If the digital signature is valid, the recipient's email server knows that the email was sent by the claimed sender and that the message has not been tampered with.

DKIM is an extension of the DomainKeys (DK) system, which was developed by Yahoo! in 2003. DKIM is now a widely used standard for email authentication, and it is supported by most major email providers and email clients.

The benefits of using DKIM include:

  1. Improved email deliverability: DKIM helps to prevent spam and phishing emails from being delivered to the recipient's inbox.
  2. Increased trust: DKIM helps to establish trust between the sender and the recipient, as it verifies the authenticity of the email message.
  3. Reduced email fraud: DKIM makes it more difficult for attackers to spoof the sender's identity and send fraudulent emails.

To implement DKIM, you need to:

  1. Generate a private key and a corresponding public key.
  2. Configure your email server to use the private key to sign email messages.
  3. Publish the public key in the DNS records of your domain.
  4. Configure your email client to verify the digital signature of incoming email messages.

Here are some common DKIM record types:

  1. TXT record: This type of record is used to publish the public key in the DNS records of your domain.
  2. CNAME record: This type of record is used to redirect the DKIM query to a different server.
  3. SPF record: This type of record is used to specify the IP addresses that are authorized to send email on behalf of your domain.

Here's an example of a DKIM TXT record:

"v=DKIM1; k=rsa; p=MIGfMA0GCSqGSIb3DQEBAQUAA4GNADCBiQKBgQC4..."

This record specifies the version of DKIM, the type of key used (RSA), and the public key itself.

In summary, DKIM is a method of authenticating the sender of an email message using a digital signature. It helps to improve email deliverability, increase trust, and reduce email fraud. To implement DKIM, you need to generate a private key and a corresponding public key, configure your email server to use the private key to sign email messages, and publish the public key in the DNS records of your domain.