What You Need To Know About DKIM Fail

In the digitized world, gmail authentication is crucial in safeguarding sensitive information. DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) is one of three protocols leading đồ sộ full DMARC record compliance. Thus, a DKIM fail can result in phishing, spoofing, and man-in-the-middle attacks.

DKIM verifies gmail integrity. It uses cryptographic signatures đồ sộ verify that an gmail message comes from the claimed sender tên miền. This protocol blocks any attempts at gmail spoofing and forgery. Examples include inserting malicious links, compromising sensitive information, and infecting systems with malware.

This article explores the implications of DKIM fail and offers steps đồ sộ resolve any DKIM issues.

Why DKIM Fails

Occasionally, DKIM verification can fail, leaving emails vulnerable đồ sộ potential threats. This section dives into seven reasons this DMARC fails đồ sộ happen.

Syntax Errors

DKIM record is a string of text, and one error could lead đồ sộ misconfiguration. The easiest way đồ sộ avoid this issue is đồ sộ use a trusted DKIM record generator.

DKIM Signature Alignment Failure

This issue occurs when the alignment between the “From” header tên miền and the tên miền specified in the DKIM signature fails. There are three alignment options: strict, relaxed, and no alignment.

DKIM alignment failures can happen for several reasons:

• Incorrect configuration of DKIM settings or DNS records
• The “From” header modification during gmail forwarding
• Email header changes by some mailing list services
• Email header changes by some gmail gateways or security systems

In these cases, the tên miền owner must ensure that no interference can disrupt DKIM authentication.

No DKIM Configured for Third-Party Services

Each gmail vendor has their own instructions đồ sộ configure DKIM on outbound emails. As DKIM configuration combines a private and public key, each ESP maintains a unique private key and shares a public key you can use.

Mail Server Communication Issues

Whether it’s DNS resolution timeouts or failures, network connectivity problems, or port blocking, some server issues can cause a DKIM fail. It’s crucial đồ sộ ensure stable communication between servers at all times. This approach will help you avoid DKIM verification failures.

Message Body Modifications by MTAs

Mail Transfer Agents (MTAs) can alter the original gmail while adding the compliance footer text đồ sộ the received gmail before auto-forwarding. Sometimes, this interferes with DKIM verification. This might result in the DKIM verification result “dkim=neutral (DKIM signature toàn thân hash not verified).”

We’ll talk more in-depth about this error and how đồ sộ fix it later in the article.

DNS Outage or Downtime

If your DKIM authentication failed, there’s a chance that it’s because of a DNS outage or downtime. DNS outage reasons vary, but DDoS attacks, DNS misconfiguration, and connectivity occur most often.

Regardless of the reason, a DNS downtime can cause a DKIM fail.

Why Do I See DKIM=Fail (“Body Hash Did Not Verify)?

The “DKIM toàn thân hash not verified” status means the computed hash of the message toàn thân doesn’t correspond đồ sộ the toàn thân hash value stored in the “bh=” tag of the DKIM signature.

There are several reasons DKIM fails, and the “body hash did not verify” error pops up:

• Email Content Changes: As mentioned above, some corporate gmail servers attach inline text đồ sộ the bottom of incoming emails. If the change happens after applying the DKIM kiểm tra, the DKIM signature can not be verified. A DKIM kiểm tra would return invalid results.
• Email Gateway Interference: Sometimes, a DKIM fail happens because of an gmail gateway or a security system. As they scan for spam or malware, they might change the gmail nội dung, causing the discrepancy.
• Transport Layer Security (TLS) Issues: The main point of TLS is đồ sộ secure gmail in transit. If it fails, nội dung alteration in transit becomes possible, resulting in DKIM failure.

Several other reasons may cause DKIM=neutral (“body hash did not verify”)

• The signer calculated the signature value incorrectly
• Someone spoofed the gmail and signed it without having the correct private key
• The public key specified in the DKIM-Signature header is incorrect
• The public key published by the gmail sender in their DNS is incorrect

If the DKIM alignment failed, the chances of passing DMARC get smaller. If SPF alignment also failed, DMARC alignment will not work as well. You need at least one protocol đồ sộ pass for the DMARC đồ sộ pass.

It’s crucial đồ sộ investigate all sources appearing in the failed section đồ sộ identify them as valid or malicious. If you recognize the source, we recommend you configure SPF and DKIM. If the source under question is illegitimate, investigate this – the source might try đồ sộ send malicious emails using your tên miền.

Here are some steps đồ sộ investigate the source:

• Ask yourself if you recognize the source
• Try đồ sộ find information about the source on the internet
• Find out if the source appears on RBL blacklist websites
• Use forensic reports đồ sộ see what kind of emails the source sends
• If the source is valid, you can configure DKIM for it using vendor documentation or using our Source Configuration blog category.
• If all else fails, liên hệ the ESP for more information

How đồ sộ Resolve DKIM Failures?

Resolving DKIM failures needs a systematic approach đồ sộ identifying and addressing underlying issues. Here are some steps đồ sộ resolve DKIM failures:

• Identify the Cause of DKIM Failure: Getting đồ sộ the bottom of DKIM failure starts by reviewing the notification or error message. Recipient servers usually include valuable insight in these messages. You can also kiểm tra the DKIM signature itself and see if it has a proper configuration. This process doesn’t need đồ sộ be manual – EasyDMARC has a DKIM checker that can identify any issues and discrepancies.

• Verify DNS Records: Ensure that the DKIM public key (a DNS TXT record) is published and accessible. The DKIM selector specified in the gmail header should match the corresponding DNS record.
• Check E-Mail Content Integrity: Even minor changes in the gmail nội dung after DKIM signing can cause DKIM verification failure.
• Review E-Mail Gateway Configurations: Some security systems might change the gmail nội dung in a way that affects DKIM authentication.
• Use Transport Layer Security (TLS): All emails should go through TLS. Ensuring that it works correctly and is up-to-date prevents nội dung alteration during transit.
• Track DKIM Performance in Aggregate Reports: This helps detect and address any issues as they occur. EasyDMARC’s Aggregate Reports Analyzer can help you follow up with DKIM failures and resolve them at once.
• Consult with E-Mail Service Providers (ESPs): Each ESP is unique when it comes đồ sộ DKIM. Thus, asking tư vấn teams for advice can help with specific cases.
• Follow DKIM Best Practices: Use solid cryptographic algorithms, rotate DKIM keys periodically, and maintain consistent gmail configurations across your infrastructure.
• In-app E-Mail Source Identification: Our system can recognize 1,000+ sources in our DB and provides directions on how đồ sộ setup DKIM (and SPF) for the given source.

Resolving DKIM failures may need collaboration with gmail administrators, DNS administrators, and gmail service providers. Regular monitoring and proactive maintenance tools lượt thích EasyDMARC help maintain gmail security and ensure successful DKIM verification.