DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) is a critical email authentication method that helps prevent email spoofing and phishing attacks. However, DKIM signatures may not always work as expected, leading to email delivery issues or potential security vulnerabilities. In this article, we will explore how to diagnose and troubleshoot DKIM signature problems using OpenSSL and Bash scripts. These tools allow you to verify the integrity of the DKIM signature and identify any misconfigurations that could be affecting email deliverability.
Step 1: Understanding DKIM Signatures
A DKIM signature is added to the header of an email message. The signature is a cryptographic hash of the email content and certain headers, which is signed by the sending mail server’s private key. The recipient mail server can then verify this signature by using the sender’s public key, published in the domain’s DNS records.
Common DKIM issues include:
Incorrect DKIM Signature: The public key in DNS doesn’t match the signature.
Expired DKIM Key: The private/public key pair is no longer valid.
Misaligned DKIM Header: The headers used in the DKIM signature are altered or corrupted.
Missing DKIM Signature: Some emails fail to include the DKIM signature, even when they should.
Step 2: Prerequisites
To troubleshoot DKIM signatures, you will need the following tools:
OpenSSL: OpenSSL is a robust toolkit for working with SSL/TLS protocols and performing cryptographic operations, including verifying DKIM signatures.
Bash: Bash is a command-line interpreter used to automate tasks, such as fetching email headers and running OpenSSL commands.
Step 3: Extracting the DKIM-Signature Header
The first step in troubleshooting DKIM signatures is to extract the DKIM signature from the email header. If the email is stored as a file, you can manually inspect the headers. Alternatively, you can use a Bash script to extract this information programmatically.
Here’s an example of extracting the DKIM signature from an email file:
bashCopy codegrep -i "DKIM-Signature" email.txt
This command will return the DKIM-Signature header from the email. You can then manually inspect the components of the DKIM signature, including the d=, s=, h=, and b= tags, to ensure they are correct.
Step 4: Verifying the DKIM Signature with OpenSSL
Once you have extracted the DKIM signature, you can verify it using OpenSSL. To verify a DKIM signature, you need to perform a series of steps:
Retrieve the public key from DNS.
Use OpenSSL to verify the cryptographic signature.
4.1: Retrieve the DKIM Public Key from DNS
The DKIM public key is published in the domain’s DNS records. The s= tag in the DKIM signature contains the selector, which is used to retrieve the public key from DNS.
For example, if the DKIM signature includes s=default;, you can query the public key using dig:
bashCopy codedig +short default._domainkey.yourdomain.com TXT
This command will return the public key that is used to verify the DKIM signature.
4.2: Verifying the Signature
Now that you have the public key, you can use OpenSSL to verify the signature. Here’s a basic script to do this:
bashCopy code#!/bin/bash # The email headers and body to be verified email_header="email-header.txt" email_body="email-body.txt" # The public key retrieved from DNS public_key="public_key.pem" # Extract the DKIM signature from the email header dkim_signature=$(grep -i "DKIM-Signature" $email_header) # Extract the signature value (the 'b' tag) signature_value=$(echo "$dkim_signature" | sed -n 's/.*b=\([A-Za-z0-9+\/=]\+\).*/\1/p') # Create the canonicalized headers and body for verification # (This is a simplified version; a more complex implementation will handle canonicalization) canonicalized_header=$(cat $email_header | sed -e 's/\r//' | tr -d '\n') canonicalized_body=$(cat $email_body) # Verify the signature using OpenSSL echo -n "$canonicalized_header$canonicalized_body" | openssl dgst -sha256 -verify $public_key -signature <(echo "$signature_value" | base64 --decode)
In this script:
The
dkim_signatureis extracted from the email header usinggrep.The
signature_valueis decoded from Base64 and then verified using OpenSSL.The
openssl dgst -sha256command is used to verify the hash using the public key retrieved from DNS.
If the signature is valid, OpenSSL will return "Verified OK". If the signature is invalid, OpenSSL will return an error message indicating that the verification failed.
Step 5: Common DKIM Errors and How to Fix Them
While verifying the DKIM signature, you may encounter several common errors. Here are a few common issues and how to fix them:
5.1: Incorrect Signature Format
If the signature format is incorrect or the email body has been altered, OpenSSL will report a mismatch. This could happen if the canonicalization of the email’s headers and body wasn’t done correctly.
Fix: Ensure that the canonicalization process matches the method used to generate the DKIM signature. Refer to the DKIM specification for details on how to handle header and body canonicalization.
5.2: Expired or Invalid DKIM Key
If the public key retrieved from DNS is expired or invalid, OpenSSL will report that the signature cannot be verified.
Fix: Update the DKIM key in your DNS settings with a new valid key. Make sure to rotate keys regularly to avoid security vulnerabilities.
5.3: DNS Resolution Issues
If you’re unable to retrieve the public key from DNS, OpenSSL may not be able to verify the signature.
Fix: Ensure that your DNS is functioning correctly and that the DKIM record is properly published for the specified selector.
Step 6: Automating the Diagnosis with a Bash Script
To simplify the diagnosis process, you can automate the entire procedure by creating a Bash script that performs all the steps mentioned above. Here’s an example script to automate DKIM signature verification:
bashCopy code#!/bin/bash # Path to email file email_file="email.txt" # Extract DKIM signature from the email dkim_signature=$(grep -i "DKIM-Signature" $email_file) # Extract the domain and selector from the DKIM signature selector=$(echo "$dkim_signature" | sed -n 's/.*s=\([^;]*\);.*/\1/p') domain=$(echo "$dkim_signature" | sed -n 's/.*d=\([^;]*\);.*/\1/p') # Retrieve public key from DNS public_key=$(dig +short ${selector}._domainkey.${domain} TXT) # Extract the body and headers from the email (simplified) email_header=$(cat $email_file | head -n 20) email_body=$(cat $email_file | tail -n +21) # Verify the DKIM signature using OpenSSL echo -n "$email_header$email_body" | openssl dgst -sha256 -verify <(echo "$public_key" | base64 --decode) -signature <(echo "$dkim_signature" | sed 's/.*b=//;s/\s//g')
Conclusion
Diagnosing DKIM signature issues can be challenging, but using tools like OpenSSL and Bash scripts can simplify the process. By automating the verification of DKIM signatures and troubleshooting common issues, you can ensure that your email authentication setup is working properly. If DKIM signatures fail, it’s important to investigate potential issues with the public key, signature format, or email content to prevent spoofing and phishing attacks.
Pro Tip: Regularly monitor your DKIM signatures and rotate keys to ensure the integrity and security of your email system.