Why is my CPanel DKIM record failing validation?
Summary
What email marketers say8Marketer opinions
Email marketer from EmailOnAcid explains that testing DKIM records with tools like Mail-Tester is essential to identify validation issues before sending emails. They advise regularly checking DKIM status to ensure ongoing deliverability.
Email marketer from StackOverflow explains that an incorrect selector in the DKIM record can cause validation failures. The selector must match the selector used when generating the DKIM key.
Email marketer from Web Hosting Talk Forum responds that DNS caching issues can prevent changes to the DKIM record from being immediately recognized, leading to validation errors. Flush DNS caches and try again.
Email marketer from dmarcian shares that using online DKIM record checkers can help identify errors in the record, such as incorrect syntax or key length. They suggest using multiple checkers to confirm results.
Email marketer from EasyDMARC explains that syntax errors in the DKIM record, such as extra spaces or incorrect characters, can lead to validation failures. They advise carefully reviewing the record for any typos.
Email marketer from Reddit explains that having multiple DKIM records for the same domain with conflicting information can cause validation issues. They recommend ensuring only one valid DKIM record is active.
Email marketer from MXToolbox explains that DNS record length limitations can cause DKIM records to be truncated, leading to validation failures. They recommend breaking long records into smaller parts using TXT record concatenation.
Email marketer from AuthSMTP responds that the public key in DNS not matching the private key used to sign emails will cause DKIM failure.
What the experts say4Expert opinions
Expert from Email Geeks concludes that buddyns.com can corrupt DKIM data.
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that DKIM record failures can be caused by errors introduced during DNS configuration. This includes problems like quotes in the record or DNS hosting services corrupting the data.
Expert from Spam Resource explains that a DKIM record can fail validation because of problems with the public key. The public key either is not findable, is malformed, or doesn't match the private key used to sign the messages.
Expert from Email Geeks explains that TXT records contain multiple strings, each no more than 255 characters, and DKIM validators append them together, so multiple input fields is normal.
What the documentation says4Technical articles
Documentation from RFC Editor (RFC 6376) explains that DKIM signatures can fail validation if the message content is altered in transit. This includes changes to headers or body content.
Documentation from cPanel Official Documentation explains that incorrect DNS propagation can cause DKIM validation failures. Ensure the DNS records have fully propagated after adding or modifying them.
Documentation from DKIM.org explains that using an insufficient key size (e.g., less than 1024 bits) can cause DKIM validation to fail. They recommend using a 2048-bit key for stronger security and better compatibility.
Documentation from OpenDKIM explains that the public key record (v=DKIM1; k=rsa; p=...) must adhere to very specific syntax. Check for invalid characters.