It is now harder for hackers and spammers to impersonate Proton Mail users that have custom domain email addresses. We have introduced the DKIM key management in beta, which allows you to manually rotate your DKIM keys. This is part of our continuing effort to make it more difficult for attackers to impersonate our users’ custom domains.
What is DKIM?
DKIM stands for DomainKeys Identified Mail. It is a form of email authentication that allows recipients to detect forged sender addresses, known as spoofed emails. It uses public key cryptography to verify that an email was sent from an authorized mail server and was not tampered with.
DKIM adds a digital signature, which is linked to a domain name, to the header of each outgoing email message. This signature is created with a private key that is specific to the sender’s custom domain. Each private key has a corresponding public key that is in their domain registrar’s DNS.
The server of the recipient of your message then looks up your public key in the domain registrar’s DNS. It uses that key to verify the digital signature in the header. It compares the result to a freshly computed version. If they match, then the recipient knows that the message came from and was not modified after the signature was added. If they do not match, the server will indicate to the recipient to treat the message with caution.
If that explanation didn’t make total sense, here’s a simple way to think about it. DKIM is a bit like signing a letter and putting it in an envelope. If the envelope is still sealed, the recipient knows that the letter has not been touched since you sent it. Your signature, which many people can recognize but only you can recreate, verifies to the recipient that the letter came from you. (This overly simplifies the concept, but you get the idea.)
We previously supported DKIM, but with the new key management feature, you can create new keys and the system will retire your old keys automatically. This lets you rotate your keys on a regular basis, which is important for maintaining your domain’s security.
Secure your custom domain, protect your reputation
Individuals and businesses(new window) rely on Proton Mail custom domains to build their brand. The trust customers and other individuals have in your brand can be destroyed if your email address is spoofed and used to deliver a phishing attack or fraudulent scams. You can assure your contacts that you take their data protection seriously by using Proton Mail and DKIM. By regularly rotating your DKIM keys, you can ensure that no outside attacker can impersonate your email address and harm your reputation.
DKIM requires the public key to be published on your domain registrar’s DNS, which means these keys can be targeted by attackers. Hackers can access your public key and try to crack its RSA encryption. If they can crack it, then they can spoof your key and impersonate your custom domain.
Currently, 1024-bit RSA keys are on the edge of what can be cracked (given very specialized equipment and plenty of time) while 2048-bit RSA keys are considered immune to cracking. This is why we recommend you use 2048-bit keys. Still, to be safe, security experts(new window) suggest you get a new DKIM public key every six months to prevent your address from being spoofed, or anytime you fear your key may have been compromised.
How to manually replace your DKIM keys
When you first set up your custom domain, Proton Mail automatically generates a DKIM key pair for you and notifies you via email your keys are ready. Your public key will be part of a TXT record that you can find in your Proton Mail account.
You need to share your DKIM public key with your domain registrar to use DKIM.
To rotate your keys, you need to update your DNS with the new public key that we generate for you.
Learn how to manually manage your DKIM keys.
We want your feedback!
Whenever we introduce a new feature in beta testing, we need your feedback to help us improve it. Your reports of problems and suggestions for improvements help us make our service better. If you have feedback, please get in touch with our Support team by following these simple instructions for web and mobile devices, or connect on our social media pages listed below.
Thank you for your support. You are helping us bring freedom and privacy to millions of users worldwide.
Best Regards,
The Proton Mail Team
You can get a free secure email account from Proton Mail here(new window).
We also provide a free VPN service(new window) to protect your privacy.
Proton Mail and Proton VPN are funded by community contributions. If you would like to support our development efforts, you can upgrade to a paid plan. Thank you for your support.
