DKIM stands for DomainKeys Identified Mail. It's an email validation system that works by authenticating email messages with digital signatures. These signatures are then used to verify the message's integrity and sender. DKIM is designed to help protect email users from spam, phishing, and other email-based threats. When an email is sent, DKIM adds a digital signature to the message. This signature is then verified by the receiving email server before the message is delivered. If the signature is not valid, the message will be marked as spam or rejected outright.