Authentication Failure Reporting Using the Abuse Reporting Format
RFC 6591

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Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)                        H. Fontana
Request for Comments: 6591                                    April 2012
Category: Standards Track
ISSN: 2070-1721

   Authentication Failure Reporting Using the Abuse Reporting Format

Abstract

   This memo registers an extension report type for the Abuse Reporting
   Format (ARF), affecting multiple registries, for use in generating
   receipt-time reports about messages that fail one or more email
   message authentication checks.

Status of This Memo

   This is an Internet Standards Track document.

   This document is a product of the Internet Engineering Task Force
   (IETF).  It represents the consensus of the IETF community.  It has
   received public review and has been approved for publication by the
   Internet Engineering Steering Group (IESG).  Further information on
   Internet Standards is available in Section 2 of RFC 5741.

   Information about the current status of this document, any errata,
   and how to provide feedback on it may be obtained at
   http://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc6591.

Copyright Notice

   Copyright (c) 2012 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the
   document authors.  All rights reserved.

   This document is subject to BCP 78 and the IETF Trust's Legal
   Provisions Relating to IETF Documents
   (http://trustee.ietf.org/license-info) in effect on the date of
   publication of this document.  Please review these documents
   carefully, as they describe your rights and restrictions with respect
   to this document.  Code Components extracted from this document must
   include Simplified BSD License text as described in Section 4.e of
   the Trust Legal Provisions and are provided without warranty as
   described in the Simplified BSD License.

Fontana                      Standards Track                    [Page 1]
RFC 6591                 Auth Failure Reporting               April 2012

Table of Contents

   1. Introduction ....................................................2
   2. Definitions .....................................................3
      2.1. Key Words ..................................................3
      2.2. Email Architecture .........................................3
      2.3. Base64 .....................................................3
      2.4. Technologies ...............................................3
   3. ARF Extension for Authentication Failure Reporting ..............3
      3.1. New ARF Feedback Type ......................................4
      3.2. New ARF Header Field Names .................................5
           3.2.1. Required for All Reports ............................5
           3.2.2. Optional for All Reports ............................5
           3.2.3. Required for DKIM Reports ...........................5
           3.2.4. Optional for DKIM Reports ...........................6
           3.2.5. Required for ADSP Reports ...........................6
           3.2.6. Required for SPF Reports ............................6
      3.3. Authentication Failure Types ...............................6
   4. Syntax for Added ARF Header Fields ..............................7
   5. IANA Considerations .............................................8
      5.1. Updates to ARF Feedback Types ..............................8
      5.2. Updates to ARF Header Field Names ..........................8
   6. Security Considerations ........................................10
      6.1. Inherited Considerations ..................................10
      6.2. Forgeries .................................................10
      6.3. Automatic Generation ......................................11
      6.4. Envelope Sender Selection .................................11
      6.5. Reporting Multiple Incidents ..............................11
      6.6. Redaction of Data in DKIM Reports .........................12
   7. References .....................................................12
      7.1. Normative References ......................................12
      7.2. Informative References ....................................13
   Appendix A. Acknowledgements ......................................14
   Appendix B. Example ...............................................14
     B.1. Example Use of ARF Extension Headers .......................14

1.  Introduction

   The Abuse Reporting Format [ARF] defines a message format for sending
   reports of abuse in the messaging infrastructure, with an eye towards
   automating both the generation and consumption of those reports.
   There is now also a desire to extend the ARF to include the reporting
   of messages that fail to authenticate using known message
   authentication methods, such as DomainKeys Identified Mail [DKIM] and
   Sender Policy Framework [SPF], as these are sometimes evidence of
   abuse that can be detected and reported through automated means.  The
   same mechanism can be used to convey forensic information about the