Posted by Introduction
Email authentication is important in the digital arena as it protects sensitive data. One of these protective measures is Domain Keys Identified Mail (DKIM). It’s vital in achieving full DMARC record compliance. Therefore, this failure may lead to harmful activities like phishing, spoofing, and intermediary attacks.
Basically, DKIM checks email correctness using cryptographic signatures. So, it confirms that an email input comes from the declared sender domain. The protocol averts email spoofing and forgery attempts, including harmful links, leaking secure information, or distributing malware.
This document discusses what happens when DKIM fails and provides solutions for DKIM-related problems.
What is DKIM?
DKIM is an email verification tool. It allows received mail servers to confirm if incoming mail is legitimate for the sender domain. Additionally, with each outgoing email sent, DKIM attaches a cryptographic signature. This lets the receiving server validate and approve the transmitted email.
In certain situations, an error ensues when the receiving server cannot identify whether the DKIM signature isn’t valid, outdated, or missing in public DNS domain records.
What Constitutes a 550 DKIM Verification Error?
A 550 verification error alert occurs when external services for DKIM validation state that the scenario is invalid because the public key isn’t accessible after a DNS lookup.
The problem also occurs when the public DKIM key and the private key on the sender’s email server conflict. Regardless of the reasons leading up to this kind of error, our support team has simplified solutions ready at its disposal.
Reasons behind DMARC failures
Sometimes, DMARC verifications fail, exposing emails to potential risks. In this part, we’ll discuss the known reasons for these DMARC errors.
Syntax problems
DKIM record is text-based, and even a single mistake can cause misconfiguration. So, to avoid such problems, the best preventive measure is to use a reliable record generator.
DKIM Signature Does Not Align
The problem occurs when the “From” header “email” does not match the domain in the DKIM signature. So, you have three alignment choices available: strict, relaxed, or none at all.
A few reasons can cause failure:
- Wrong configuration of settings or DNS records
- Changes in the “From” header “ruin” email forwarding
- Changes in email headers by some mailing list providers
The domain owner must prevent these interferences that might disrupt authentication.
Server Communication Issues
Issues with Mail Server Communication Situations like DNS resolution timeouts or failures, network connection issues, or blocked ports could result in a DKIM fail. So, servers must maintain smooth communication at all times to avoid any failures during verification.
Changes By MTA
Email Body Changes by MTA Mail Transfer Agents can change an original email’s body when adding compliance footer text before auto-forwarding it.
Basically, this could interfere with the verification process under DKIM, resulting in the message “dkim=neutral “(body hash not verified). The error and its troubleshooting will be discussed further.
Downtimes of DNS
If your authentication via DKIM fails, it could be linked to DNS downtime or outages. Reasons for failure range from common occurrences like DDoS attacks, incorrect DNS setup, and connectivity issues. If your DNS is down for any reason,then it might result in failing.
Fixing DKIM Error Using myEmailVerifier
To address a 550 validation error with myEmailVerifier, consider these actions,
Assess DNS Configuration
Check if your DNS setup is accurate and current, examining any DNS service disruptions, damaged or removed linked DKIM DNS resource records, or errors in the DNS service setup.
Test Domain Name
Verify the email contains the right domain name. The domain must correspond to a legitimate worldwide IP, and all related DKIM DNS resources should be in the domain zone.
Turn Off/On Email Signing
Switch off and switch on email signing using DKIM in cPanel to ascertain the correct DKIM configuration.
Wait For DNS propagation
Maintain patience during DNS propagation, which can last up to 48 hours. Basically, this enables changes to load, refresh, and sync with DNS.
Inspect DKIM Configuration
Examine the setup on your mail server, guaranteeing the right configuration aligned with the public DKIM key.
Adhering to these steps can resolve the 550 validation error and ensure email delivery. myEmailVerifier’s tool lets you confirm and protect email communication . This validates the authenticity of the DKIM sign and confirms that it corresponds to the domain of the email message.