DKIM

As explained in AI for Everyday IT

DKIM is an email-authentication standard that uses domain-associated digital signatures to verify message integrity and claimed origin.

DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) uses digital signatures to help verify that an email has not been tampered with. In phishing analysis, it is checked alongside SPF and DMARC to identify authentication failures. section 7.1.3

Checking a suspicious email

Copy an email’s source text and headers into an AI assistant and ask whether it shows signs of phishing. The analysis can flag DKIM, SPF, or DMARC failures, alongside suspicious sender information such as a supposed SharePoint message using an unofficial domain. section 7.1.3

Figure 7.2 Finding the source text and headers of an email in Outlook for Mac and PC

Locate the email’s source text and headers before analyzing its authentication results. section 7.1.3

Figure 7.3 M365 Copilot analysis of email source text

Review an example of M365 Copilot analyzing pasted email source text. section 7.1.3

How AI for Everyday IT covers it

How deep it goes

Defines DKIM’s signature-based integrity check but does not explain signature mechanics or deployment.

Examples

Uses pasted email source text, authentication failures, and a suspicious SharePoint-style sender domain.

What it assumes

Assumes access to email source text and headers while allowing AI-assisted analysis without detailed protocol knowledge.

What you can do after

Diagnose phishing indicators by interpreting DKIM results alongside SPF and DMARC findings.

How it connects

Connects DKIM with SPF, DMARC, phishing, email headers, and digital signatures.

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Related concepts

• DNS recordconfigures · A DNS record is a structured Domain Name System entry associating a domain name with information such as an address, service target, or administrative value.
• private keyuses · A private key is the secret component of an asymmetric cryptographic key pair used by its holder for operations such as authentication, decryption, or digital signing.
• public keyuses · A public key is the openly distributable component of an asymmetric cryptographic key pair, used for encryption, authentication, or signature verification.
• email authentication protocolkind of · An email authentication protocol is a standard that enables receiving systems to verify the authorized origin or integrity of an email message.

This explainer was generated by Manning's knowledge graph from the text of AI for Everyday IT. The section links point to the parts of the book it draws on.