In today’s digital age, email security is more important than ever. One critical technology that helps in securing email communications is DKIM. But what exactly is DKIM, and how does it contribute to email security? In this blog post, we’ll dive into the details of DKIM, explaining what it is, how it works, and the benefits it provides.
What is DKIM?
DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) is an email authentication method designed to detect forged sender addresses in emails, a technique often used in phishing and email spam. DKIM allows the receiving email server to check that an email claiming to come from a specific domain was indeed authorized by the owner of that domain.
How Does DKIM Work?
DKIM works by adding a digital signature to the headers of an email message. Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of the process:
1. Key Generation:
• The domain owner generates a pair of cryptographic keys (private and public keys).
2. DNS Entry:
• The public key is published in the DNS (Domain Name System) records of the domain, while the private key is kept secure by the email server.
3. Signing the Email:
• When an email is sent from the domain, the sending server uses the private key to generate a unique DKIM signature, which is added to the email’s header.
4. Email Reception:
• The receiving email server retrieves the public key from the DNS records and uses it to verify the DKIM signature in the email header.
5. Verification:
• If the signature is valid and matches the content of the email, it confirms that the email was indeed sent by the domain owner and has not been altered in transit.
How Can DKIM Help?
1. Enhances Email Security:
• By verifying that an email is sent from an authorized server, DKIM helps protect against email spoofing and phishing attacks. This ensures that the recipient can trust the email’s origin and content.
2. Improves Email Deliverability:
• Emails that are authenticated using DKIM are less likely to be marked as spam by receiving servers. This improves the chances of your emails reaching the recipient’s inbox.
3. Builds Trust and Reputation:
• Domains that consistently use DKIM to authenticate their emails build a reputation for sending legitimate, non-spammy emails. This trust is crucial for businesses relying on email communications.
4. Works in Conjunction with Other Email Security Protocols:
• DKIM works well with other email authentication protocols like SPF (Sender Policy Framework) and DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance). When used together, these protocols provide a robust defense against email-based threats.
How to enable DKIM on your domain
With SharedGrid, you can easily enable and disable DKIM for your domain name via our control panel. The process is automated if you are pointing your domain nameservers towards our DNS servers. We will go into further detail on how to enable this.
