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Re: [ietf-dkim] Not exactly not a threat analysis

2005-08-15 10:00:43

On Aug 15, 2005, at 9:36 AM, SM wrote:

At 22:30 14-08-2005, Dave Crocker wrote:

I'll give it a try.

There is nothing in an ordinary email message, except for the IP address of the host that sent it to you, that is a reliable identifier. A validated DKIM signature adds a level of authentication by identifying the domain responsible for the message.

The main benefit of DKIM is that a validating agent can know who is responsible for the message. This is more reliable than email source identification has ever been before. Furthermore, DKIM does not put any constraints on the delivery path.

The term "responsible for the message" gives the impression of authorship. How about "accountable for permitting the submission of the message (by an unknown author)"?

Using the term "who is responsible for" should not be used to avoid confusion with the message's author. Be explicit about roles. The benefit of DKIM is that the validating agent can verify the domain accountable for permitting the submission of the message beyond the immediate server.

-Doug


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