DKIMAlignment

DKIMAlignment is a concept used in email authentication that pertains to the alignment of domain names in the DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) protocol. DKIM is a method for validating the authenticity of an email message by associating a domain with the message through a digital signature. This signature is generated using a private key, and its validity can be verified by recipients using the sender’s public key published in DNS records.

Alignment in DKIM refers to the relationship between the domain name in the DKIM signature and the domain in the "From" header of the email. For a message to pass DKIM alignment checks, the signing domain (d= tag in the DKIM signature) must align with the domain in the "From" address. There are two types of alignment: strict and relaxed. In strict alignment, the domains must be an exact match. In relaxed alignment, subdomains are acceptable; for example, a signature from mail.example.com would align with a From address of [email protected] under relaxed rules.

DKIMAlignment plays a pivotal role in email security frameworks like DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance). DMARC policies specify the required alignment mode for emails to be considered authentic, helping to prevent email spoofing and phishing. Proper implementation of DKIM alignment ensures that email recipients can reliably verify that messages genuinely originate from the claimed domain, thereby reducing the risk of fraudulent communication.

Overall, DKIMAlignment is integral to robust email security, enhancing trustworthiness and integrity of email communications by ensuring domain consistency between signatures and sender addresses.