Network Working Group A. Brotman
Internet-Draft Comcast, Inc
Intended status: Standards Track 6 August 2024
Expires: 7 February 2025
Email Feedback Reports for DKIM Signers
draft-brotman-dkim-fbl-03
Abstract
Mechanism to discover a destination used to deliver user-supplied FBL
reports to an original DKIM signer or other responsible parties.
This allows the reporting entity to deliver reports for each party
which has affixed a validating DKIM signature. The discovery is made
via DNS and the record is constructed using items within the DKIM
signature in the message.
Status of This Memo
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This Internet-Draft will expire on 7 February 2025.
Copyright Notice
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Please review these documents carefully, as they describe your rights
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provided without warranty as described in the Revised BSD License.
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Table of Contents
1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
2. Discovery using DNS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
3. DNS Record Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
4. DNS Record Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
4.1. DKIM Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
4.2. Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
5. Report Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
5.1. arf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
5.2. xarf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
5.3. Aggregate FBL Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
5.3.1. Report Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
6. Content Flag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
7. Delivery Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
7.1. mailto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
7.2. https . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
7.2.1. https Feedback-Type Header . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
8. Verifying External Destinations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
9. Security Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
9.1. Feedback to Malicious Senders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
9.2. Report Contents for ARF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
10. Other Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
10.1. Supplying FP Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
10.2. Site Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
11. Contributors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
12. Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
13. Appendex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
13.1. Samples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
13.1.1. Sample message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
13.1.2. Sample DNS and Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
14. References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
15. Normative References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Author's Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
1. Introduction
Historically, Feedback Loops (FBL), typically comprised of False
Positive (FP) and False Negative (FN) reports, have allowed users the
ability to inform their Mailbox Provider (MBP) that they disagree
with a message's placement in the Inbox or Spam folder. In some
situations, an MBP may then forward that feedback directly, or via an
intermediary, to the original source system of that message.
Traditionally, this source system identified via a registration
system, typically tying a set of IPs or DKIM-based domains to a
specific reporting location.
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By allowing reporters to discover the destination and reporting
preferences on their own, this could reduce friction getting FBLs to
the original DKIM signer(s).
2. Discovery using DNS
There are alternative approaches for discovering the feedback
information proposed. This document describes a method for using DNS
to discover a feedback address by utilizing the DKIM signature(s)
within a message itself.
The advantage of the DNS approach is that it can be changed after
messages are delivered, allowing for old reports to be processed
after migrating to a new report processing provider. It also avoids
common problems with modifying headers of messages that are already
signed by another DKIM signature.
Email service providers and intermediaries, which have a shared
responsibility with an upstream sender, will commonly add their own
DKIM signatures to the messages, thus resulting in the message having
two signatures in different DKIM d= domains. Dual-signed messages
will result in feedback going to the location specified in the DNS
for both domains. Thus there is no reason to modify any message
headers and potentially break the original DKIM signature.
3. DNS Record Location
The record will combine a label with the "d" value from the DKIM
signature in the message being sent, optionally using a DNS wildcard
(* character). Such as the case where "d=example.org", the record
would be located at:
_feedback._domainkey.example.org
or
*._feedback._domainkey.example.org
If the reporting destination needs to be different for individual
DKIM selectors, each selector will need a DNS record with a value
combined with a label with the "s=" value from the DKIM signature in
the message being sent. Such as the case where "d=example.org", and
"s=contact", for example:
contact._feedback._domainkey.example.org
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By including the selector, this allows a domain to be able to segment
the feedback to various report processing providers, but a wildcard
can no longer be used as a catch-all and an individual record must be
created for each selector in use. DKIM selectors are not supposed to
be used for identification purposes, and they should change
frequently to facilitate key rotation.
_The need for selector level feedback still needs to be assessed._
All domain owners that want to ensure they receive all feedback
should, at a minimum, publish a record at the following location as a
catch-all:
_feedback._domainkey.example.org
The DNS entry will contain a TXT record described below.
4. DNS Record Format
The DNS record MUST contain the information necessary for a report
generator to send the feedback to the proper location.
v: A string identifying the record. The value must be "DKIMRFBLv1"
ra: An address destination for reports. The address should match the
format defined in [RFC5321]. If there is a "rfr" entry, the "ra" may
be omitted. If there is more than one target address, the entries
must be separated by a comma (","). The destination MUST use a
classification of "mailto" or "https", indicating the transfer
methods supported by the DKIM signer.
rfr: An optional field to refer the report generator(s) to another
DNS entry.
c: Content flag. If set to 'n', the reporting entity SHOULD remove
all content beyond the headers of the original message that is being
reported. The default is "y".
h: The header by which the signer can identify the recipient, sender,
and campaign. If a report generator is trying to create a
minimalistic report, this would be the minimum amount of information
to properly act on the report. This field is OPTIONAL, and MUST
contain only one attribute.
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hp: The header by which the signer can only identify the campaign.
If present, the report generator may use the hp header instead of the
h header if the recipient needs to remain private and there is no
expectation of future sending to the recipient to be suppressed.
This field is OPTIONAL, and MUST contain only one attribute.
f: Format requested by report receiver. Options are "arf" or "xarf".
Default is "arf", and multiple values may be separated by a comma
(,). If a report sender is unable to generate a report in a
requested format, they SHOULD NOT send a report.
4.1. DKIM Requirements
If a sender utilizes the h or hp attributes in their DNS record,
those fields MUST be covered by the DKIM signature that is requesting
the report. If the header is not signed by the proper requestor (or
not valid), the receiver SHOULD refuse to generate any reports for
those related messages.
4.2. Examples
_feedback._domainkey.example.org TXT
"v=DKIMRFBLv1;ra=mailto:reporting@feedback.example.org"
(mailto:reporting@feedback.example.org")
contact._feedback._domainkey.example.org TXT
"v=DKIMRFBLv1;rfr=_feedback._domainkey.example.org"
contact._feedback._domainkey.example.org TXT
"v=DKIMRFBLv1;ra=mailto:fbl@example.org;rfr=_feedback._domainkey.exam
ple.org"
(mailto:fbl@example.org;rfr=_feedback._domainkey.example.org")
*._feedback._domainkey.example.org TXT
"v=DKIMRFBLv1;ra=mailto:other_fbl@example.org"
(mailto:other_fbl@example.org")
_feedback._domainkey.example.org TXT
"v=DKIMRFBLv1;c=n;ra=https://ra.example.org/
reports;h=SendingIdentifer" (https://ra.example.org/
reports;h=SendingIdentifer")
_feedback._domainkey.example.org TXT
"v=DKIMRFBLv1;ra=mailto:fbl@example.org;hp=Campaign-Id;c=n"
(mailto:fbl@example.org;hp=Campaign-Id;c=n")
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_feedback.domainkey.sender.com TXT
"v=DKIMRFBLv1;ra=mailto:fbl@other.com;h=SendingIdentifier;hp=Capaign-
Id;c=y;f=xarf" (mailto:fbl@other.com;h=SendingIdentifier;hp=Capaign-
Id;c=y;f=xarf")
5. Report Contents
5.1. arf
When the report format is specified as "arf", the report contents
should adhere to [RFC5965]
5.2. xarf
When the report format is chosen as "xarf" [XARF], the report
generator should reference the materials below as to the format.
XARF follows a JSON format and the format may change over time to
match that specification.
The current format can be referenced:
https://github.com/abusix/xarf/blob/master/schemas/3/spam.schema.json
(https://github.com/abusix/xarf/blob/master/schemas/3/
spam.schema.json)
5.3. Aggregate FBL Reports
A reporting entity may desire to send only aggregate data for a given
time period, and that report may not contain any content of the
original messages. When this is the case, the reporter should
utilize the hp field in the DNS declaration to be used as the value
by which the sender will be able to recognize the message stream.
The hp field MUST be signed by the corresponding DKIM signature, and
that signature must validate. As a message may be signed by multiple
signatures, it's possible that there could be multiple headers match
an hp definition.
If the DNS declaration does not include an hp field, or the signature
is valid, a reporting entity MUST NOT generate a report for the
related messages.
5.3.1. Report Format
NOTE: This could be created as an XARF, TBD
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15141231
15152525
20231212-8gKW3RA34VWa3ra
dkim_sel
dkim_domain
HeaderName
123:c21vRA3-V3A
1.2.3.4
3
6. Content Flag
Some DKIM signers may prefer that they only receive headers from a
reporter. The reporter SHOULD attempt to adhere to those wishes of
the signer. In a situation where c=n and h has a value, the report
generator would send a report with only that single header. if the
'hp' tag has a value then the report generator MAY use that value
instead of the 'h' tag if the recipient's privacy needs to be
preserved at the expense of future sending possibly not being
suppressed to that address.
7. Delivery Methods
Reports MUST be sent to the address specified by the "ra" tag.
7.1. mailto
Refer to [RFC5965]
7.2. https
A DKIM signer may specify that they wish to receive reports via
HTTPS. When doing so, the reporter should continue to use the format
specifed by the rest of the declaration.
NOTE: Consider if HTTPS should be supported, based on historical
usage patterns for other similar mechanisms
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The report generator SHOULD follow redirects.
The HTTPS method MUST be POST.
HTTPS GET requests to the URL MUST provide easy to follow
instructions for users to report complaints.
The report generator SHOULD NOT remove parameters from the URL before
submitting the report unless the 'hp' tag is specified. If the 'hp'
tag is specified then the parameters can be removed if the report
generator needs to preserve the privacy of the recipient at the
expense of the report not causing suppressed sending to that
recipient in the future.
DNS record
v=DKIMRFBLv1;c=n;ra=https://ra.example.org/dkim-
fbl?track=xzy;h=Message-Id;hp=Feedback-Id (https://ra.example.org/
dkim-fbl?track=xzy;h=Message-Id;hp=Feedback-Id)
Header in Email
DKIM-FBL: https://ra.example.com/reports (https://ra.example.com/
reports) Message-Id: opaque@example.com Feedback-Id: opaque
Resulting POST request
POST /dkim-fbl?optional=opaquePart HTTP/1.1 Host: ra.example.com
Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded Feedback-Type: abuse
Content-Length: 26
... NEED examples of each: arf and xarf to provide the 'h' or 'hp'
7.2.1. https Feedback-Type Header
A reporter MAY include a HTTP header that denotes which report type
is being delivered. If used, the header MUST be titled "Feedback-
Type", and adhere to the definition referenced in [RFC5965] section
7.3 or the associated IANA declarations. If this header is absent,
the Feedback-Type MUST be considered "abuse".
8. Verifying External Destinations
In order to limit the possibility of misdirected reports, if the
receiving entity domain does not align to the d= of the DKIM
signature, there must be a DNS record to verify the external
destination.
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Domain alignment is determined by the logic defined by [DMARCbis].
Domain alignment applies to domain of the email address in the 'rua'
tag if the 'f' tag is 'arf' or 'xarf'. Domain alignment applies to
the domain defined in the URI of the header referenced by the 'rua'
tag if the 'f' tag is 'https'
Consider the record:
foo._feedback._domainkey.example.org TXT
"v=DKIMRFBLv1;ra=mailto:reporting@othersite.com"
(mailto:reporting@othersite.com")
In order for "othersite.com" to receive reports for this DKIM
signature, a record must exist at specified location, and contain a
specified value.
1. Using the domain of the destination
2. Prepend "_report._feedback"
3. Prepend the values from d= and s= from the original signature.
4. Ensure the value is set to "v=DKIMRFBLv1"
foo.example.org._report._feedback.othersite.com TXT "v=DKIMRFBLv1"
If the feedback receiver is comfortable with receiving feedback for
all selectors within a domain, then they may omit the s= value from
the DNS record location. The record would be named:
example.org._report._feedback.othersite.com TXT "v=DKIMRFBLv1"
9. Security Considerations
9.1. Feedback to Malicious Senders
There is some concern that a MBP may provide some advantage or useful
information to a malicious entity by providing them with FBL data.
Each MBP should use their own judgement when deciding where to send
reports. It is possible that an attacker could use this information
to attempt to bypass anti-spam filters, or to validate a recipient at
a given site.
9.2. Report Contents for ARF
Noting in [RFC5965] section 2.g, there should be enough information
for most senders to process a complaint without the content of the
message. While the c flag allows the report receiver to state that
they do not wish to receive content, the report generator, as per
[RFC5965] does not need to include that information, regardless of
the flag settings.
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10. Other Considerations
10.1. Supplying FP Reports
It is at the discretion of the report generator as to whether they
supply False Positive reports, or aggregate information, to the
report requester.
10.2. Site Requirements
A report generator may place some requirements on the sender in order
to be eligible to receive reports. This could include something such
as a DMARC policy requirements, TLS usage, or some level of
reputation.
11. Contributors
12. Notes
13. Appendex
13.1. Samples
13.1.1. Sample message
DKIM-Signature: d=example.com;s=Selector1;h=From:To:Subject:Message-
Id:Campaign-Id:Date From: "Sender" marketing@example.com
(mailto:marketing@example.com) To: "Customer" recipient@example.net
(mailto:recipient@example.net) Subject: SubjectHere Message-Id:
awav4w4vaw.aw4473737bab.AWAe@sender
(mailto:awav4w4vaw.aw4473737bab.AWAe@sender) Campaign-Id:
20240314a_Sender FBL-Message-Id:
fgjm7Bbbse56b.Sender.recipient.example.net Date: March 24th, 2024
12:34.000UTC
Click here for stuff
13.1.2. Sample DNS and Reports
13.1.2.1. Content-requested
DNS: v=DKIMRFBLv1;ra=mailto:fbl@example.com;c=y;f=arf
(mailto:fbl@example.com;c=y;f=arf)
13.1.2.2. No Content Requested
DNS: v=DKIMRFBLv1;ra=mailto:fbl@example.com;c=n;h=Campaign-Id
(mailto:fbl@example.com;c=n;h=Campaign-Id)
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13.1.2.3. No Content, Summmary only
DNS: v=DKIMRFBLv1;ra=mailto:fbl@example.com;c=n;hp=FBL-Message-Id
(mailto:fbl@example.com;c=n;hp=FBL-Message-Id)
Nothing should be delivered, as the FBL-Message-Id is not signed
14. References
[DMARCbis] https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/draft-ietf-dmarc-
dmarcbis/ (https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/draft-ietf-dmarc-
dmarcbis/)
15. Normative References
[RFC5321] Klensin, J., "Simple Mail Transfer Protocol", RFC 5321,
DOI 10.17487/RFC5321, October 2008,
.
[RFC5965] Shafranovich, Y., Levine, J., and M. Kucherawy, "An
Extensible Format for Email Feedback Reports", RFC 5965,
DOI 10.17487/RFC5965, August 2010,
.
Author's Address
Alex Brotman
Comcast, Inc
Email: alex_brotman@comcast.com
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