The Effectiveness of DKIM and SPF in Strengthening Email Security

Abstract

Email security is of utmost importance to organizations, and to enhance it, frameworks such as Sender Policy Framework (SPF) and DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) are utilized for authentication. In this research work, we conducted a comparative analysis of the efficacy of SPF and DKIM in authenticating emails. Both frameworks offer a certain level of protection against email threats. However, our research indicates that DKIM is more effective as it adopts a more comprehensive approach. Based on our findings, we recommend that businesses prioritize the implementation of DKIM and the Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance (DMARC) framework to enhance email security and resilience against email impersonation.