DKIM stands for DomainKeys Identified Mail. It is an email authentication method used to verify the authenticity of the sender's domain in email messages. DKIM helps prevent email spoofing and ensures that the emails sent from a domain are not forged or tampered with during transit.

Here's how DKIM works:

1. Signing the Email: When an email is sent from a domain that has DKIM enabled, the outgoing mail server adds a digital signature to the message header. The signature is generated using a private key that belongs to the domain. This private key is known only to the domain owner or email service provider.

2. DNS Record: The domain owner publishes a public DKIM key in the DNS (Domain Name System) records for their domain. This public key is used by the recipient's mail server to verify the authenticity of the digital signature added in the email header.

3. Receiving and Verification: When the recipient's mail server receives an email, it checks if the domain in the sender's address (the "From" address) has a DKIM signature. If it does, the mail server retrieves the corresponding public key from the DNS records and uses it to verify the digital signature. If the signature is valid, it means the email has not been altered during transmission and that it genuinely originated from the claimed domain.

4. Handling Failed Verification: If the DKIM signature verification fails, the receiving mail server may take different actions depending on the policy set by the domain owner. It could flag the email as suspicious, mark it as spam, or reject it altogether.

DKIM does not provide end-to-end encryption for email content. Instead, its primary purpose is to add a level of authentication and integrity to the email's header information. While DKIM helps prevent spoofing and tampering of the email headers, it does not guarantee that the email's content itself is secure or confidential.

DKIM is one of the several email authentication mechanisms used today, along with SPF (Sender Policy Framework) and DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance). When implemented together, these mechanisms provide a more robust and reliable way to combat email phishing, spoofing, and other email-based attacks.

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