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Writer's pictureGajender Rawat

What is DKIM & It's Importance in Email

Updated: Aug 20, 2022

Email authentication is important in order to ensure that messages are not being spoofed or tampered with. DKIM is one email authentication technique that uses digital signatures in order to verify that a message was sent and authorized by the domain owner. This signature is added to the message as a header, and is then encrypted for security. By checking the DKIM signature, the receiver can be sure that the message is legitimate and has not been altered in any way.



The DKIM standard improves email deliverability by using a digital signature that is attached to each email message. This signature verifies that the message has not been altered in transit and that the sender is who they claim to be. By using DKIM, you can be sure that your messages are being delivered correctly and that your domain is not being used to send spam or malicious email.





In addition to DKIM, you can also use DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance) to protect your domain against email spoofing. DMARC uses both SPF (Sender Policy Framework) and DKIM to verify the identity of the sender and to ensure that the message has not been altered. By using DMARC, you can be sure that your domain is not being used to send malicious or spam email.


Together, DKIM and DMARC provide the best email security and deliverability. By using both standards, you can be sure that your messages are delivered correctly and that your domain is not being used to send spam or malicious email.



History Of DKIM ?

DKIM was formed by merging two existing specifications Domain Keys (created by Yahoo) and Identified Internet Mail (from Cisco) in 2004. It developed into a new widely adopted authentication technique which was also registered as an RFC by the IETF. All leading ISP’s (like Google, Microsoft and Yahoo) check incoming mail for DKIM signatures.



DKIM uses public-key cryptography to verify that an email message has not been tampered with during transit. A sender creates a digital signature for each message using their private key, and includes this signature in the message header. The message receiver can then use the sender's public key to verify that the signature is valid and that the message has not been altered.




DKIM provides a great deal of protection against email spoofing and phishing attacks, as well as other types of email fraud. By verifying the sender of each message, DKIM helps to ensure that only legiti


mate messages are delivered to recipients. This makes it much more difficult for criminals to spoof email addresses and send phishing messages that appear to come from a trusted source.


Overall, DKIM is an important tool for protecting email users from a variety of malicious activities. It is widely used by ISPs and email providers to help ensure the safety and security of their customers.

Importance of DKIM


DKIM And DMARC

DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) and DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance) are two important email authentication standards that help ensure that email messages are not spoofed or tampered with.


DKIM uses a digital signature that is added to an email message's headers. This signature can be verified by the recipient's email server to confirm that the message has not been modified in transit.



DMARC, on the other hand, is an email authentication standard that helps email senders ensure that their messages are not spoofed. DMARC also provides a way for email recipients to give feedback to the sender about whether or not a message passed authentication.


Together, these two standards can help make sure that email messages are not tampered with and that they come from the sender that they claim to come from.



The header contains values that allow a receiving mail server to validate the email message by looking up a sender’s DKIM key and using it to verify the encrypted signature. It looks something like this:


dkim=signature(encryption algorithm, key id, signature string, signature timestamp)

m1._domainkey.yourdomain.com | TXT | v=DKIM1\; p=MIGfMA0GDSqGSIb3DQEBAQUAA4GNADCBiQKBgQDPtW5iwpXVPiH5FzJ7Nrl8USzuY9zqqzjE0D1r04xDN6qwziDnmgcFNNfMewVKN2D1O+1J9N14hRprzByFwfQW76yojh54Xu3uSbQ3JP0A7k8o8GutRF8zbFUA8n0ZH2x0cIEjMliXY4W4LwPA7m4q0ObmvSjhd63O9d8z1XkUBwIDAQAB


Security certifications are important for businesses that rely on email for communication. They increase your sender's reputation and consequently provide you with better email deliverability. Growing businesses that depend on digital presence need to have an established practice to plan and follow these guidelines. If you are looking to create and send interactive and actionable emails that get delivered right into your user's inbox, feel free to reach out to us today.

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