DKIM and SPF: What Are They & What do They Do?#

DKIM#

DKIM verifies the sender and integrity of a message. It allows an email system to prove that spammers did not alter an incoming message while in transit (which means that it is not forged), and that the messages that your domains receive come from the specified domain.

SPF#

SPF attempts to deny spammers the ability to send email while they forge your domain’s name as the sender (spoofing). This authentication function adds IP addresses to a list that specifies computers that can send mail from your domains. It verifies that messages that your domains send come from the listed server, which reduces the amount of backscatter that you receive.

How to enable DKIM in cPanel#

cPanel’s Email Authentication features provide information about outgoing messages. This helps the server that receives the messages verify that the email comes from a trusted sender.

1. In the Mail section of the cPanel home screen, click Email Authentication.
2. Under DKIM, click Enable.

How to enable SPF in cPanel#

To change SPF advanced settings, follow these steps:

1. In the Mail section of the cPanel home screen, click Email Authentication.
2. To add additional hosts, servers, IP blocks, or include lists to your SPF configuration, click Add in the corresponding section.