Which element of an email header helps safeguard senders and recipients from phishing, spoofing, and spamming?

The element of an email header that helps safeguard senders and recipients from phishing, spoofing, and spamming is DKIM, or DomainKeys Identified Mail. DKIM is an email authentication method that allows the sender to digitally sign their messages, ensuring that the content of the email has not been altered in transit and verifying that the sender's domain is legitimate.

When an email is sent, DKIM adds a digital signature in the header section that is created by encrypting a hash of the email's message body and certain headers. The receiving email system can then use the public key published in the sender’s DNS records to verify that the signature is valid. If the signature matches, it provides assurance that the email was sent from the legitimate domain and has not been tampered with, making it much harder for attackers to impersonate the sender.

While SPF (Sender Policy Framework) and DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance) also contribute to email authentication and help combat phishing and spoofing, DKIM specifically deals with validating the integrity and authenticity of the email content. In combination with SPF and DMARC, DKIM provides a stronger overall defense against fraudulent emails.

The IP address, while it can provide some indication of the