. Update the Copyright year (only) when changing content.
. /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
-.set previousversion "4.92"
+.set previousversion "4.93"
.include ./local_params
.set ACL "access control lists (ACLs)"
.set I " "
.macro copyyear
-2018
+2019
.endmacro
. /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
.section "Exim documentation" "SECID1"
. Keep this example change bar when updating the documentation!
+.new
.cindex "documentation"
This edition of the Exim specification applies to version &version() of Exim.
Substantive changes from the &previousversion; edition are marked in some
renditions of this document; this paragraph is so marked if the rendition is
capable of showing a change indicator.
+.wen
This document is very much a reference manual; it is not a tutorial. The reader
is expected to have some familiarity with the SMTP mail transfer protocol and
.section "Including TLS/SSL encryption support" "SECTinctlsssl"
.cindex "TLS" "including support for TLS"
.cindex "encryption" "including support for"
-.cindex "SUPPORT_TLS"
.cindex "OpenSSL" "building Exim with"
.cindex "GnuTLS" "building Exim with"
-Exim can be built to support encrypted SMTP connections, using the STARTTLS
-command as per RFC 2487. It can also support legacy clients that expect to
+Exim is usually built to support encrypted SMTP connections, using the STARTTLS
+command as per RFC 2487. It can also support clients that expect to
start a TLS session immediately on connection to a non-standard port (see the
&%tls_on_connect_ports%& runtime option and the &%-tls-on-connect%& command
line option).
OpenSSL or GnuTLS library. There is no cryptographic code in Exim itself for
implementing SSL.
+If you do not want TLS support you should set
+.code
+DISABLE_TLS=yes
+.endd
+in &_Local/Makefile_&.
+
If OpenSSL is installed, you should set
.code
-SUPPORT_TLS=yes
+USE_OPENSL=yes
TLS_LIBS=-lssl -lcrypto
.endd
in &_Local/Makefile_&. You may also need to specify the locations of the
OpenSSL library and include files. For example:
.code
-SUPPORT_TLS=yes
+USE_OPENSSL=yes
TLS_LIBS=-L/usr/local/openssl/lib -lssl -lcrypto
TLS_INCLUDE=-I/usr/local/openssl/include/
.endd
.cindex "pkg-config" "OpenSSL"
If you have &'pkg-config'& available, then instead you can just use:
.code
-SUPPORT_TLS=yes
+USE_OPENSSL=yes
USE_OPENSSL_PC=openssl
.endd
.cindex "USE_GNUTLS"
If GnuTLS is installed, you should set
.code
-SUPPORT_TLS=yes
USE_GNUTLS=yes
TLS_LIBS=-lgnutls -ltasn1 -lgcrypt
.endd
in &_Local/Makefile_&, and again you may need to specify the locations of the
library and include files. For example:
.code
-SUPPORT_TLS=yes
USE_GNUTLS=yes
TLS_LIBS=-L/usr/gnu/lib -lgnutls -ltasn1 -lgcrypt
TLS_INCLUDE=-I/usr/gnu/include
.cindex "pkg-config" "GnuTLS"
If you have &'pkg-config'& available, then instead you can just use:
.code
-SUPPORT_TLS=yes
USE_GNUTLS=yes
USE_GNUTLS_PC=gnutls
.endd
If you are already running Exim on your host, building and installing a new
version automatically makes it available to MUAs, or any other programs that
call the MTA directly. However, if you are running an Exim daemon, you do need
+.cindex restart "on HUP signal"
+.cindex signal "HUP, to restart"
to send it a HUP signal, to make it re-execute itself, and thereby pick up the
new binary. You do not need to stop processing mail in order to install a new
version of Exim. The install script does not modify an existing runtime
configuration option. Note that the Exim group is not automatically trusted.
.cindex '&"From"& line'
+.cindex "envelope from"
.cindex "envelope sender"
Trusted users are always permitted to use the &%-f%& option or a leading
&"From&~"& line to specify the envelope sender of a message that is passed to
The SIGHUP signal
.cindex "SIGHUP"
+.cindex restart "on HUP signal"
+.cindex signal "HUP, to restart"
.cindex "daemon" "restarting"
.cindex signal "to reload configuration"
.cindex daemon "reload configuration"
+.cindex reload configuration
can be used to cause the daemon to re-execute itself. This should be done
whenever Exim's configuration file, or any file that is incorporated into it by
means of the &%.include%& facility, is changed, and also whenever a new version
When testing a filter file,
.cindex "&""From""& line"
+.cindex "envelope from"
.cindex "envelope sender"
.oindex "&%-f%&" "for filter testing"
the envelope sender can be set by the &%-f%& option,
.cindex "sender" "address"
.cindex "address" "sender"
.cindex "trusted users"
+.cindex "envelope from"
.cindex "envelope sender"
.cindex "user" "trusted"
This option sets the address of the envelope sender of a locally-generated
Bounce messages are just discarded. This option can be used only by an admin
user.
+.vitem &%-MG%&&~<&'queue&~name'&>&~<&'message&~id'&>&~<&'message&~id'&>&~...
+.oindex "&%-MG%&"
+.cindex queue named
+.cindex "named queues"
+.cindex "queue" "moving messages"
+This option requests that each listed message be moved from its current
+queue to the given named queue.
+The destination queue name argument is required, but can be an empty
+string to define the default queue.
+If the messages are not currently located in the default queue,
+a &%-qG<name>%& option will be required to define the source queue.
+
.vitem &%-Mmad%&&~<&'message&~id'&>&~<&'message&~id'&>&~...
.oindex "&%-Mmad%&"
.cindex "delivery" "cancelling all"
without &%-bd%&, this is the only way of causing Exim to write a pid file,
because in those cases, the normal pid file is not used.
+.new
+.vitem &%-oPX%&
+.oindex "&%-oPX%&"
+.cindex "pid (process id)" "of daemon"
+.cindex "daemon" "process id (pid)"
+This option is not intended for general use.
+The daemon uses it when terminating due to a SIGTEM, possibly in
+combination with &%-oP%&&~<&'path'&>.
+It causes the pid file to be removed.
+.wen
+
.vitem &%-or%&&~<&'time'&>
.oindex "&%-or%&"
.cindex "timeout" "for non-SMTP input"
remote_smtp:
driver = smtp
message_size_limit = ${if > {$max_received_linelength}{998} {1}{0}}
-.ifdef _HAVE_DANE
- dnssec_request_domains = *
- hosts_try_dane = *
-.endif
.ifdef _HAVE_PRDR
hosts_try_prdr = *
.endif
This transport is used for delivering messages over SMTP connections.
The list of remote hosts comes from the router.
The &%message_size_limit%& usage is a hack to avoid sending on messages
-with over-long lines. The built-in macro _HAVE_DANE guards configuration
-to try to use DNSSEC for all queries and to use DANE for delivery;
-see section &<<SECDANE>>& for more details.
+with over-long lines.
The &%hosts_try_prdr%& option enables an efficiency SMTP option. It is
negotiated between client and server and not expected to cause problems
tools for building the files can be found in several places:
.display
&url(https://cr.yp.to/cdb.html)
-&url(http://www.corpit.ru/mjt/tinycdb.html)
+&url(https://www.corpit.ru/mjt/tinycdb.html)
&url(https://packages.debian.org/stable/utils/freecdb)
&url(https://github.com/philpennock/cdbtools) (in Go)
.endd
-. --- 2018-09-07: corpit.ru http:-only
A cdb distribution is not needed in order to build Exim with cdb support,
because the code for reading cdb files is included directly in Exim itself.
However, no means of building or testing cdb files is provided with Exim, so
the implicit key is the host's IP address rather than its name (see section
&<<SECThoslispatsikey>>&).
-.new
&*Warning 3*&: Do not use an IPv4-mapped IPv6 address for a key; use the
IPv4, in dotted-quad form. (Exim converts IPv4-mapped IPv6 addresses to this
notation before executing the lookup.)
-.wen
.next
-.new
.cindex lookup json
.cindex json "lookup type"
.cindex JSON expansions
or array; for the latter two a string-representation os the JSON
is returned.
For elements of type string, the returned value is de-quoted.
-.wen
.next
.cindex "linear search"
.cindex "lookup" "lsearch"
With &"strict"& a response from the DNS resolver that
is not labelled as authenticated data
is treated as equivalent to a temporary DNS error.
-The default is &"never"&.
+The default is &"lax"&.
See also the &$lookup_dnssec_authenticated$& variable.
(notated using the quoting facility) so as to distinguish them from IPv4 keys.
For this reason, when the lookup type is &(iplsearch)&, IPv6 addresses are
converted using colons and not dots.
-.new
In all cases except IPv4-mapped IPv6, full, unabbreviated IPv6
addresses are always used.
The latter are converted to IPv4 addresses, in dotted-quad form.
-.wen
Ideally, it would be nice to tidy up this anomalous situation by changing to
colons in all cases, given that quoting is now available for &(lsearch)&.
options for which string expansion is performed are marked with † after
the data type. ACL rules always expand strings. A couple of expansion
conditions do not expand some of the brace-delimited branches, for security
-reasons.
+reasons,
+.cindex "tainted data" expansion
+.cindex expansion "tainted data"
+and expansion of data deriving from the sender (&"tainted data"&)
+is not permitted.
.cindex headers "authentication-results:"
.cindex authentication "expansion item"
This item returns a string suitable for insertion as an
-&'Authentication-Results"'&
+&'Authentication-Results:'&
header line.
The given <&'authserv-id'&> is included in the result; typically this
will be a domain name identifying the system performing the authentications.
object so that it doesn't reload the same object file in the same Exim process
(but of course Exim does start new processes frequently).
-There may be from zero to eight arguments to the function. When compiling
-a local function that is to be called in this way, &_local_scan.h_& should be
-included. The Exim variables and functions that are defined by that API
+There may be from zero to eight arguments to the function.
+
+When compiling
+a local function that is to be called in this way,
+first &_DLFUNC_IMPL_& should be defined,
+and second &_local_scan.h_& should be included.
+The Exim variables and functions that are defined by that API
are also available for dynamically loaded functions. The function itself
must have the following type:
.code
For the &"json"& variant,
if a returned value is a JSON string, it retains its leading and
trailing quotes.
-.new
For the &"jsons"& variant, which is intended for use with JSON strings, the
leading and trailing quotes are removed from the returned value.
-.wen
. XXX should be a UTF-8 compare
The results of matching are handled as above.
For the &"json"& variant,
if a returned value is a JSON string, it retains its leading and
trailing quotes.
-.new
For the &"jsons"& variant, which is intended for use with JSON strings, the
leading and trailing quotes are removed from the returned value.
-.wen
.vitem &*${filter{*&<&'string'&>&*}{*&<&'condition'&>&*}}*&
${filter{a:b:c}{!eq{$item}{b}}}
.endd
yields &`a:c`&. At the end of the expansion, the value of &$item$& is restored
-to what it was before. See also the &*map*& and &*reduce*& expansion items.
+to what it was before. See also the &%map%& and &%reduce%& expansion items.
.vitem &*${hash{*&<&'string1'&>&*}{*&<&'string2'&>&*}{*&<&'string3'&>&*}}*&
${map{a:b:c}{[$item]}} ${map{<- x-y-z}{($item)}}
.endd
expands to &`[a]:[b]:[c] (x)-(y)-(z)`&. At the end of the expansion, the
-value of &$item$& is restored to what it was before. See also the &*filter*&
-and &*reduce*& expansion items.
+value of &$item$& is restored to what it was before. See also the &%filter%&
+and &%reduce%& expansion items.
.vitem &*${nhash{*&<&'string1'&>&*}{*&<&'string2'&>&*}{*&<&'string3'&>&*}}*&
.cindex "expansion" "numeric hash"
list is assigned to &$item$&, in turn, and <&'string3'&> is expanded for each of
them. The result of that expansion is assigned to &$value$& before the next
iteration. When the end of the list is reached, the final value of &$value$& is
-added to the expansion output. The &*reduce*& expansion item can be used in a
+added to the expansion output. The &%reduce%& expansion item can be used in a
number of ways. For example, to add up a list of numbers:
.code
${reduce {<, 1,2,3}{0}{${eval:$value+$item}}}
${reduce {3:0:9:4:6}{0}{${if >{$item}{$value}{$item}{$value}}}}
.endd
At the end of a &*reduce*& expansion, the values of &$item$& and &$value$& are
-restored to what they were before. See also the &*filter*& and &*map*&
+restored to what they were before. See also the &%filter%& and &%map%&
expansion items.
.vitem &*$rheader_*&<&'header&~name'&>&*:*&&~or&~&*$rh_*&<&'header&~name'&>&*:*&
${addresses:>:$h_from:}
.endd
-Compare the &*address*& (singular)
+Compare the &%address%& (singular)
expansion item, which extracts the working address from a single RFC2822
-address. See the &*filter*&, &*map*&, and &*reduce*& items for ways of
+address. See the &%filter%&, &%map%&, and &%reduce%& items for ways of
processing lists.
To clarify "list of addresses in RFC 2822 format" mentioned above, Exim follows
If the string is a single variable of type certificate,
returns the SHA-256 hash fingerprint of the certificate.
-.new
The operator can also be spelled &%sha2%& and does the same as &%sha256%&
(except for certificates, which are not supported).
Finally, if an underbar
and a number is appended it specifies the output length, selecting a
member of the SHA-2 family of hash functions.
Values of 256, 384 and 512 are accepted, with 256 being the default.
-.wen
.vitem &*${sha3:*&<&'string'&>&*}*& &&&
.code
${if forany{<, $recipients}{match{$item}{^user3@}}{yes}{no}}
.endd
-The value of &$item$& is saved and restored while &*forany*& or &*forall*& is
+The value of &$item$& is saved and restored while &%forany%& or &%forall%& is
being processed, to enable these expansion items to be nested.
To scan a named list, expand it with the &*listnamed*& operator.
-.new
.vitem "&*forall_json{*&<&'a JSON array'&>&*}{*&<&'a condition'&>&*}*&" &&&
"&*forany_json{*&<&'a JSON array'&>&*}{*&<&'a condition'&>&*}*&" &&&
"&*forall_jsons{*&<&'a JSON array'&>&*}{*&<&'a condition'&>&*}*&" &&&
The array separator is not changeable.
For the &"jsons"& variants the elements are expected to be JSON strings
and have their quotes removed before the evaluation of the condition.
-.wen
.vindex "&$config_file$&"
The name of the main configuration file Exim is using.
+.vitem &$dmarc_domain_policy$& &&&
+ &$dmarc_status$& &&&
+ &$dmarc_status_text$& &&&
+ &$dmarc_used_domains$&
+Results of DMARC verification.
+For details see section &<<SECDMARC>>&.
+
.vitem &$dkim_verify_status$&
Results of DKIM verification.
For details see section &<<SECDKIMVFY>>&.
.cindex authentication "expansion item"
Performing these checks sets up information used by the
-&$authresults$& expansion item.
+&%authresults%& expansion item.
.vitem &$host_lookup_failed$&
.cindex queues named
The name of the spool queue in use; empty for the default queue.
+.vitem &$r_...$&
+.vindex &$r_...$&
+.cindex router variables
+Values can be placed in these variables by the &%set%& option of a router.
+They can be given any name that starts with &$r_$&.
+The values persist for the address being handled through subsequent routers
+and the eventual transport.
+
.vitem &$rcpt_count$&
.vindex "&$rcpt_count$&"
When a message is being received by SMTP, this variable contains the number of
&*Note*&: Under versions of OpenSSL preceding 1.1.1,
when a list of more than one
file is used for &%tls_certificate%&, this variable is not reliable.
+The macro "_TLS_BAD_MULTICERT_IN_OURCERT" will be defined for those versions.
.vitem &$tls_in_peercert$&
.vindex "&$tls_in_peercert$&"
but in the context of an outward SMTP delivery taking place via the &(smtp)& transport
becomes the same as &$tls_out_cipher$&.
-.new
.vitem &$tls_in_cipher_std$&
.vindex "&$tls_in_cipher_std$&"
As above, but returning the RFC standard name for the cipher suite.
-.wen
.vitem &$tls_out_cipher$&
.vindex "&$tls_out_cipher$&"
&<<CHAPTLS>>& for details of TLS support and chapter &<<CHAPsmtptrans>>& for
details of the &(smtp)& transport.
-,new
.vitem &$tls_out_cipher_std$&
.vindex "&$tls_out_cipher_std$&"
As above, but returning the RFC standard name for the cipher suite.
-.wen
.vitem &$tls_out_dane$&
.vindex &$tls_out_dane$&
.vindex &$tls_out_tlsa_usage$&
Bitfield of TLSA record types found. See section &<<SECDANE>>&.
+.vitem &$tls_in_ver$&
+.vindex "&$tls_in_ver$&"
+When a message is received from a remote host over an encrypted SMTP connection
+this variable is set to the protocol version, eg &'TLS1.2'&.
+
+.vitem &$tls_out_ver$&
+.vindex "&$tls_out_ver$&"
+When a message is being delivered to a remote host over an encrypted SMTP connection
+this variable is set to the protocol version.
+
+
.vitem &$tod_bsdinbox$&
.vindex "&$tod_bsdinbox$&"
The time of day and the date, in the format required for BSD-style mailbox
See also the &'Policy controls'& section above.
.table2
-.row &%dkim_verify_signers%& "DKIM domain for which DKIM ACL is run"
+.row &%dkim_verify_hashes%& "DKIM hash methods accepted for signatures"
+.row &%dkim_verify_keytypes%& "DKIM key types accepted for signatures"
+.row &%dkim_verify_signers%& "DKIM domains for which DKIM ACL is run"
.row &%host_lookup%& "host name looked up for these hosts"
.row &%host_lookup_order%& "order of DNS and local name lookups"
.row &%recipient_unqualified_hosts%& "may send unqualified recipients"
.row &%ignore_fromline_hosts%& "allow &""From ""& from these hosts"
.row &%ignore_fromline_local%& "allow &""From ""& from local SMTP"
.row &%pipelining_advertise_hosts%& "advertise pipelining to these hosts"
+.row &%pipelining_connect_advertise_hosts%& "advertise pipelining to these hosts"
.row &%prdr_enable%& "advertise PRDR to all hosts"
.row &%smtputf8_advertise_hosts%& "advertise SMTPUTF8 to these hosts"
.row &%tls_advertise_hosts%& "advertise TLS to these hosts"
.option add_environment main "string list" empty
.cindex "environment" "set values"
-This option allows to set individual environment variables that the
-currently linked libraries and programs in child processes use.
+This option adds individual environment variables that the
+currently linked libraries and programs in child processes may use.
+Each list element should be of the form &"name=value"&.
+
See &<<SECTpipeenv>>& for the environment of &(pipe)& transports.
.option admin_groups main "string list&!!" unset
.cindex "UTF-8" "in domain name"
Lots of discussion is going on about internationalized domain names. One
camp is strongly in favour of just using UTF-8 characters, and it seems
-that at least two other MTAs permit this. This option allows Exim users to
-experiment if they wish.
+that at least two other MTAs permit this.
+This option allows Exim users to experiment if they wish.
If it is set true, Exim's domain parsing function allows valid
UTF-8 multicharacters to appear in domain name components, in addition to
-letters, digits, and hyphens. However, just setting this option is not
-enough; if you want to look up these domain names in the DNS, you must also
+letters, digits, and hyphens.
+
+If Exim is built with internationalization support
+and the SMTPUTF8 ESMTP option is in use (see chapter &<<CHAPi18n>>&)
+this option can be left as default.
+Without that,
+if you want to look up such domain names in the DNS, you must also
adjust the value of &%dns_check_names_pattern%& to match the extended form. A
suitable setting is:
.code
to handle IPv6 literal addresses.
+.new
+.option dkim_verify_hashes main "string list" "sha256 : sha512"
+.cindex DKIM "selecting signature algorithms"
+This option gives a list of hash types which are acceptable in signatures,
+.wen
+and an order of processing.
+Signatures with algorithms not in the list will be ignored.
+
+Acceptable values include:
+.code
+sha1
+sha256
+sha512
+.endd
+
+Note that the acceptance of sha1 violates RFC 8301.
+
+.option dkim_verify_keytypes main "string list" "ed25519 : rsa"
+This option gives a list of key types which are acceptable in signatures,
+and an order of processing.
+Signatures with algorithms not in the list will be ignored.
+
+.option dkim_verify_minimal main boolean false
+If set to true, verification of signatures will terminate after the
+first success.
+
.option dkim_verify_signers main "domain list&!!" $dkim_signers
.cindex DKIM "controlling calls to the ACL"
This option gives a list of DKIM domains for which the DKIM ACL is run.
This is a fudge to help with name servers that give big delays or otherwise do
not work for the AAAA record type. In due course, when the world's name
servers have all been upgraded, there should be no need for this option.
+Note that all lookups, including those done for verification, are affected;
+this will result in verify failure for IPv6 connections or ones using names
+only valid for IPv6 addresses.
.option dns_retrans main time 0s
.cindex "Exim version"
.cindex customizing "version number"
.cindex "version number of Exim" override
-This option allows to override the &$version_number$&/&$exim_version$& Exim reports in
-various places. Use with care, this may fool stupid security scanners.
+This option overrides the &$version_number$&/&$exim_version$& that Exim reports in
+various places. Use with care; this may fool stupid security scanners.
.option extra_local_interfaces main "string list" unset
&'Sender:'& header lines supplied by untrusted users, you must also set
&%local_sender_retain%& to be true.
+.cindex "envelope from"
.cindex "envelope sender"
These options affect only the header lines in the message. The envelope sender
is still forced to be the login id at the qualify domain unless
name. If no specific path is set for the log files at compile or runtime,
or if the option is unset at runtime (i.e. &`log_file_path = `&)
they are written in a sub-directory called &_log_& in Exim's spool directory.
+A path must start with a slash.
+To send to syslog, use the word &"syslog"&.
Chapter &<<CHAPlog>>& contains further details about Exim's logging, and
section &<<SECTwhelogwri>>& describes how the contents of &%log_file_path%& are
used. If this string is fixed at your installation (contains no expansion
transport driver.
-.option openssl_options main "string list" "+no_sslv2 +no_sslv3 +single_dh_use +no_ticket"
+.option openssl_options main "string list" "+no_sslv2 +no_sslv3 +single_dh_use +no_ticket +no_renegotiation"
.cindex "OpenSSL "compatibility options"
This option allows an administrator to adjust the SSL options applied
by OpenSSL to connections. It is given as a space-separated list of items,
This option is available only when Exim is built with an embedded Perl
interpreter. See chapter &<<CHAPperl>>& for details of its use.
-.option perl_startup main boolean false
+.option perl_taintmode main boolean false
.cindex "Perl"
-This Option enables the taint mode of the embedded Perl interpreter.
+This option enables the taint mode of the embedded Perl interpreter.
.option pgsql_servers main "string list" unset
that clients will use it; &"out of order"& commands that are &"expected"& do
not count as protocol errors (see &%smtp_max_synprot_errors%&).
+.option pipelining_connect_advertise_hosts main "host list&!!" *
+.cindex "pipelining" "early connection"
+.cindex "pipelining" PIPE_CONNECT
+If Exim is built with the SUPPORT_PIPE_CONNECT build option
+this option controls which hosts the facility is advertised to
+and from which pipeline early-connection (before MAIL) SMTP
+commands are acceptable.
+When used, the pipelining saves on roundtrip times.
+
+See also the &%hosts_pipe_connect%& smtp transport option.
+
+Currently the option name &"X_PIPE_CONNECT"& is used.
+
.option prdr_enable main boolean false
.cindex "PRDR" "enabling on server"
added to the message. Otherwise, the string should start with the text
&"Received:"& and conform to the RFC 2822 specification for &'Received:'&
header lines.
-.new
The default setting is:
.code
${if def:sender_helo_name {(helo=$sender_helo_name)\n\t}}}}\
by $primary_hostname \
${if def:received_protocol {with $received_protocol }}\
+ ${if def:tls_ver { ($tls_ver)}}\
${if def:tls_in_cipher_std { tls $tls_in_cipher_std\n\t}}\
(Exim $version_number)\n\t\
${if def:sender_address \
id $message_exim_id\
${if def:received_for {\n\tfor $received_for}}
.endd
-.wen
The reference to the TLS cipher is omitted when Exim is built without TLS
support. The use of conditional expansions ensures that this works for both
&%sender_unqualified_hosts%&, or if the message was submitted locally (not
using TCP/IP), and the &%-bnq%& option was not set.
-.option set_environment main "string list" empty
-.cindex "environment"
-This option allows to set individual environment variables that the
-currently linked libraries and programs in child processes use. The
-default list is empty,
-
.option slow_lookup_log main integer 0
.cindex "logging" "slow lookups"
.cindex "TLS" "server certificate; location of"
.cindex "certificate" "server, location of"
The value of this option is expanded, and must then be a list of absolute paths to
-files which contains the server's certificates. Commonly only one file is
-needed.
+files which contain the server's certificates (in PEM format).
+Commonly only one file is needed.
The server's private key is also
assumed to be in this file if &%tls_privatekey%& is unset. See chapter
&<<CHAPTLS>>& for further details.
&*Note*&: Under versions of OpenSSL preceding 1.1.1,
when a list of more than one
file is used, the &$tls_in_ourcert$& variable is unreliable.
-
-&*Note*&: OCSP stapling is not usable under OpenSSL
-when a list of more than one file is used.
+The macro "_TLS_BAD_MULTICERT_IN_OURCERT" will be defined for those versions.
If the option contains &$tls_out_sni$& and Exim is built against OpenSSL, then
if the OpenSSL build supports TLS extensions and the TLS client sends the
The value of this option is expanded and indicates the source of DH parameters
to be used by Exim.
-&*Note: The Exim Maintainers strongly recommend using a filename with site-generated
+This option is ignored for GnuTLS version 3.6.0 and later.
+The library manages parameter negotiation internally.
+
+&*Note: The Exim Maintainers strongly recommend,
+for other TLS library versions,
+using a filename with site-generated
local DH parameters*&, which has been supported across all versions of Exim. The
other specific constants available are a fallback so that even when
"unconfigured", Exim can offer Perfect Forward Secrecy in older ciphersuites in TLS.
Certificate Authority.
Usable for GnuTLS 3.4.4 or 3.3.17 or OpenSSL 1.1.0 (or later).
+The macro "_HAVE_TLS_OCSP" will be defined for those versions.
-For GnuTLS 3.5.6 or later the expanded value of this option can be a list
+For OpenSSL 1.1.0 or later, and
+for GnuTLS 3.5.6 or later the expanded value of this option can be a list
of files, to match a list given for the &%tls_certificate%& option.
The ordering of the two lists must match.
-
+The macro "_HAVE_TLS_OCSP_LIST" will be defined for those versions.
+
+The file(s) should be in DER format,
+except for GnuTLS 3.6.3 or later
+or for OpenSSL,
+when an optional filetype prefix can be used.
+The prefix must be one of "DER" or "PEM", followed by
+a single space. If one is used it sets the format for subsequent
+files in the list; the initial format is DER.
+If multiple proofs are wanted, for multiple chain elements
+(this only works under TLS1.3)
+they must be coded as a combined OCSP response.
+
+Although GnuTLS will accept PEM files with multiple separate
+PEM blobs (ie. separate OCSP responses), it sends them in the
+TLS Certificate record interleaved with the certificates of the chain;
+although a GnuTLS client is happy with that, an OpenSSL client is not.
.option tls_on_connect_ports main "string list" unset
.cindex SSMTP
.cindex "sender" "setting by untrusted user"
.cindex "untrusted user setting sender"
.cindex "user" "untrusted setting sender"
+.cindex "envelope from"
.cindex "envelope sender"
When an untrusted user submits a message to Exim using the standard input, Exim
normally creates an envelope sender address from the user's login and the
This makes the configuration file less messy, and also reduces the number of
lookups (though Exim does cache lookups).
+See also the &%set%& option below.
+
.vindex "&$sender_address_data$&"
.vindex "&$address_data$&"
The &%address_data%& facility is also useful as a means of passing information
unless you really, really know what you are doing. See also the generic
transport option of the same name.
-.option dnssec_request_domains routers "domain list&!!" unset
+.option dnssec_request_domains routers "domain list&!!" *
.cindex "MX record" "security"
.cindex "DNSSEC" "MX lookup"
.cindex "security" "MX lookup"
.option errors_to routers string&!! unset
+.cindex "envelope from"
.cindex "envelope sender"
.cindex "router" "changing address for errors"
If a router successfully handles an address, it may assign the address to a
This option controls whether the local part is used to form the key for retry
hints for addresses that suffer temporary errors while being handled by this
-router. The default value is true for any router that has &%check_local_user%&
+router. The default value is true for any router that has any of
+&%check_local_user%&,
+&%local_parts%&,
+&%condition%&,
+&%local_part_prefix%&,
+&%local_part_suffix%&,
+&%senders%& or
+&%require_files%&
set, and false otherwise. Note that this option does not apply to hints keys
for transport delays; they are controlled by a generic transport option of the
same name.
+Failing to set this option when it is needed
+(because a remote router handles only some of the local-parts for a domain)
+can result in incorrect error messages being generated.
+
The setting of &%retry_use_local_part%& applies only to the router on which it
appears. If the router generates child addresses, they are routed
independently; this setting does not become attached to them.
matters.
+.option set routers "string list" unset
+.cindex router variables
+This option may be used multiple times on a router;
+because of this the list aspect is mostly irrelevant.
+The list separator is a semicolon but can be changed in the
+usual way.
+
+Each list-element given must be of the form &"name = value"&
+and the names used must start with the string &"r_"&.
+Values containing a list-separator should have them doubled.
+When a router runs, the strings are evaluated in order,
+to create variables which are added to the set associated with
+the address.
+The variable is set with the expansion of the value.
+The variables can be used by the router options
+(not including any preconditions)
+and by the transport.
+Later definitions of a given named variable will override former ones.
+Variable use is via the usual &$r_...$& syntax.
+
+This is similar to the &%address_data%& option, except that
+many independent variables can be used, with choice of naming.
+
+
.option translate_ip_address routers string&!! unset
.cindex "IP address" "translating"
.cindex "packet radio"
.option return_path transports string&!! unset
.cindex "envelope sender"
+.cindex "envelope from"
.cindex "transport" "return path; changing"
.cindex "return path" "changing in transport"
If this option is set, the string is expanded at transport time and replaces
Section &<<SECID136>>& contains further information.
+This option should not be used when other message-handling software
+may duplicate messages by making hardlinks to the files. When that is done Exim
+will count the message size once for each filename, in contrast with the actual
+disk usage. When the option is not set, calculating total usage requires
+a system-call per file to get the size; the number of links is then available also
+as is used to adjust the effective size.
+
.option quota_warn_message appendfile string&!! "see below"
See below for the use of this option. If it is not set when
.option use_bsmtp appendfile boolean false
+.cindex "envelope from"
.cindex "envelope sender"
If this option is set true, &(appendfile)& writes messages in &"batch SMTP"&
format, with the envelope sender and recipient(s) included as SMTP commands. If
avoids any problems with spaces or shell metacharacters, and is of use when a
&(pipe)& transport is handling groups of addresses in a batch.
-If &%force_command%& is enabled on the transport, Special handling takes place
+If &%force_command%& is enabled on the transport, special handling takes place
for an argument that consists of precisely the text &`$address_pipe`&. It
is handled similarly to &$pipe_addresses$& above. It is expanded and each
argument is inserted in the argument list at that point
.option dkim_canon smtp string&!! unset
+DKIM signing option. For details see section &<<SECDKIMSIGN>>&.
.option dkim_domain smtp string list&!! unset
+DKIM signing option. For details see section &<<SECDKIMSIGN>>&.
.option dkim_hash smtp string&!! sha256
+DKIM signing option. For details see section &<<SECDKIMSIGN>>&.
.option dkim_identity smtp string&!! unset
+DKIM signing option. For details see section &<<SECDKIMSIGN>>&.
.option dkim_private_key smtp string&!! unset
+DKIM signing option. For details see section &<<SECDKIMSIGN>>&.
.option dkim_selector smtp string&!! unset
+DKIM signing option. For details see section &<<SECDKIMSIGN>>&.
.option dkim_strict smtp string&!! unset
+DKIM signing option. For details see section &<<SECDKIMSIGN>>&.
.option dkim_sign_headers smtp string&!! "per RFC"
+DKIM signing option. For details see section &<<SECDKIMSIGN>>&.
.option dkim_timestamps smtp string&!! unset
-DKIM signing options. For details see section &<<SECDKIMSIGN>>&.
+DKIM signing option. For details see section &<<SECDKIMSIGN>>&.
.option delay_after_cutoff smtp boolean true
details.
-.option dnssec_request_domains smtp "domain list&!!" unset
+.option dnssec_request_domains smtp "domain list&!!" *
.cindex "MX record" "security"
.cindex "DNSSEC" "MX lookup"
.cindex "security" "MX lookup"
.cindex "DNS" "DNSSEC"
DNS lookups for domains matching &%dnssec_request_domains%& will be done with
-the dnssec request bit set.
-This applies to all of the SRV, MX, AAAA, A lookup sequence.
+the dnssec request bit set. Setting this transport option is only useful if the
+transport overrides or sets the host names. See the &%dnssec_request_domains%&
+router option.
.cindex "security" "MX lookup"
.cindex "DNS" "DNSSEC"
DNS lookups for domains matching &%dnssec_require_domains%& will be done with
-the dnssec request bit set. Any returns not having the Authenticated Data bit
-(AD bit) set will be ignored and logged as a host-lookup failure.
-This applies to all of the SRV, MX, AAAA, A lookup sequence.
+the dnssec request bit set. Setting this transport option is only
+useful if the transport overrides or sets the host names. See the
+&%dnssec_require_domains%& router option.
Exim will not use the SMTP PIPELINING extension when delivering to any host
that matches this list, even if the server host advertises PIPELINING support.
+.option hosts_pipe_connect smtp "host list&!!" unset
+.cindex "pipelining" "early connection"
+.cindex "pipelining" PIPE_CONNECT
+If Exim is built with the SUPPORT_PIPE_CONNECT build option
+this option controls which to hosts the facility watched for
+and recorded, and used for subsequent connections.
+
+The retry hints database is used for the record,
+and records are subject to the &%retry_data_expire%& option.
+When used, the pipelining saves on roundtrip times.
+It also turns SMTP into a client-first protocol
+so combines well with TCP Fast Open.
+
+See also the &%pipelining_connect_advertise_hosts%& main option.
+
+Note:
+When the facility is used, the transport &%helo_data%& option
+will be expanded before the &$sending_ip_address$& variable
+is filled in.
+A check is made for the use of that variable, without the
+presence of a &"def:"& test on it, but suitably complex coding
+can avoid the check and produce unexpected results.
+You have been warned.
+
.option hosts_avoid_tls smtp "host list&!!" unset
.cindex "TLS" "avoiding for certain hosts"
message on the same connection. See section &<<SECTmulmessam>>& for an
explanation of when this might be needed.
-.new
.option hosts_noproxy_tls smtp "host list&!!" unset
.cindex "TLS" "passing connection"
.cindex "multiple SMTP deliveries"
For any host that matches this list, a TLS session which has
been started will not be passed to a new delivery process for sending another
message on the same session.
-.wen
The traditional implementation closes down TLS and re-starts it in the new
process, on the same open TCP connection, for each successive message
.cindex DANE "requiring for certain servers"
If built with DANE support, Exim will require that a DNSSEC-validated
TLSA record is present for any host matching the list,
-and that a DANE-verified TLS connection is made.
+and that a DANE-verified TLS connection is made. See
+the &%dnssec_request_domains%& router and transport options.
There will be no fallback to in-clear communication.
See section &<<SECDANE>>&.
.cindex "RFC 3030" "CHUNKING"
This option provides a list of servers to which, provided they announce
CHUNKING support, Exim will attempt to use BDAT commands rather than DATA.
+.new
+Unless DKIM signing is being done,
+.wen
BDAT will not be used in conjunction with a transport filter.
-.option hosts_try_dane smtp "host list&!!" unset
+.option hosts_try_dane smtp "host list&!!" *
.cindex DANE "transport options"
.cindex DANE "attempting for certain servers"
-If built with DANE support, Exim will lookup a
-TLSA record for any host matching the list.
-If found and verified by DNSSEC,
-a DANE-verified TLS connection is made to that host;
-there will be no fallback to in-clear communication.
+If built with DANE support, Exim will require that a DNSSEC-validated
+TLSA record is present for any host matching the list,
+and that a DANE-verified TLS connection is made. See
+the &%dnssec_request_domains%& router and transport options.
+There will be no fallback to in-clear communication.
See section &<<SECDANE>>&.
-.option hosts_try_fastopen smtp "host list&!!" unset
+.option hosts_try_fastopen smtp "host list&!!" *
.cindex "fast open, TCP" "enabling, in client"
.cindex "TCP Fast Open" "enabling, in client"
.cindex "RFC 7413" "TCP Fast Open"
rewriting is applied immediately to child addresses that are generated by
redirection, unless &%no_rewrite%& is set on the router.
+.cindex "envelope from"
.cindex "envelope sender" "rewriting at transport time"
.cindex "rewriting" "at transport time"
.cindex "header lines" "rewriting at transport time"
the Cyrus SASL authentication library.
The third is an interface to Dovecot's authentication system, delegating the
work via a socket interface.
-.new
The fourth provides for negotiation of authentication done via non-SMTP means,
as defined by RFC 4422 Appendix A.
-.wen
The fifth provides an interface to the GNU SASL authentication library, which
provides mechanisms but typically not data sources.
The sixth provides direct access to Heimdal GSSAPI, geared for Kerberos, but
.cindex authentication "expansion item"
Successful authentication sets up information used by the
-&$authresults$& expansion item.
+&%authresults%& expansion item.
use unencrypted plain text, you should not use the same passwords for SMTP
connections as you do for login accounts.
-.section "Plaintext options" "SECID171"
+.section "Avoiding cleartext use" "SECTplain_TLS"
+The following generic option settings will disable &(plaintext)& authenticators when
+TLS is not being used:
+.code
+ server_advertise_condition = ${if def:tls_in_cipher }
+ client_condition = ${if def:tls_out_cipher}
+.endd
+
+&*Note*&: a plaintext SMTP AUTH done inside TLS is not vulnerable to casual snooping,
+but is still vulnerable to a Man In The Middle attack unless certificates
+(including their names) have been properly verified.
+
+.section "Plaintext server options" "SECID171"
.cindex "options" "&(plaintext)& authenticator (server)"
When configured as a server, &(plaintext)& uses the following options:
This is actually a global authentication option, but it must be set in order to
configure the &(plaintext)& driver as a server. Its use is described below.
-.option server_prompts plaintext string&!! unset
+.option server_prompts plaintext "string list&!!" unset
The contents of this option, after expansion, must be a colon-separated list of
prompt strings. If expansion fails, a temporary authentication rejection is
given.
.scindex IIDdcotauth1 "&(dovecot)& authenticator"
.scindex IIDdcotauth2 "authenticators" "&(dovecot)&"
This authenticator is an interface to the authentication facility of the
-Dovecot POP/IMAP server, which can support a number of authentication methods.
+Dovecot 2 POP/IMAP server, which can support a number of authentication methods.
Note that Dovecot must be configured to use auth-client not auth-userdb.
If you are using Dovecot to authenticate POP/IMAP clients, it might be helpful
to use the same mechanisms for SMTP authentication. This is a server
connection, a client certificate has been verified, the &"valid-client-cert"&
option is passed. When authentication succeeds, the identity of the user
who authenticated is placed in &$auth1$&.
+
+.new
+The Dovecot configuration to match the above wil look
+something like:
+.code
+conf.d/10-master.conf :-
+
+service auth {
+...
+#SASL
+ unix_listener auth-client {
+ mode = 0660
+ user = mail
+ }
+...
+}
+
+conf.d/10-auth.conf :-
+
+auth_mechanisms = plain login ntlm
+.endd
+.wen
+
.ecindex IIDdcotauth1
.ecindex IIDdcotauth2
.cindex "authentication" "DIGEST-MD5"
.cindex "authentication" "CRAM-MD5"
.cindex "authentication" "SCRAM-SHA-1"
-The &(gsasl)& authenticator provides server integration for the GNU SASL
+.cindex "authentication" "SCRAM-SHA-1-PLUS"
+.cindex "authentication" "SCRAM-SHA-256"
+.cindex "authentication" "SCRAM-SHA-256-PLUS"
+The &(gsasl)& authenticator provides integration for the GNU SASL
library and the mechanisms it provides. This is new as of the 4.80 release
and there are a few areas where the library does not let Exim smoothly
scale to handle future authentication mechanisms, so no guarantee can be
made that any particular new authentication mechanism will be supported
without code changes in Exim.
-Exim's &(gsasl)& authenticator does not have client-side support at this
-time; only the server-side support is implemented. Patches welcome.
+.new
+The library is expected to add support in an upcoming
+realease for the SCRAM-SHA-256 method.
+The macro _HAVE_AUTH_GSASL_SCRAM_SHA_256 will be defined
+when this happens.
+
+
+.option client_authz gsasl string&!! unset
+This option can be used to supply an &'authorization id'&
+which is different to the &'authentication_id'& provided
+by &%client_username%& option.
+If unset or (after expansion) empty it is not used,
+which is the common case.
+
+.option client_channelbinding gsasl boolean false
+See &%server_channelbinding%& below.
+.option client_password gsasl string&!! unset
+This option is exapanded before use, and should result in
+the password to be used, in clear.
+
+.option client_username gsasl string&!! unset
+This option is exapanded before use, and should result in
+the account name to be used.
+.wen
.option server_channelbinding gsasl boolean false
-Do not set this true without consulting a cryptographic engineer.
+Do not set this true and rely on the properties
+without consulting a cryptographic engineer.
Some authentication mechanisms are able to use external context at both ends
of the session to bind the authentication to that context, and fail the
non-issue, as a man-in-the-middle attack will cause the correct client and
server to see different identifiers and authentication will fail.
-This is currently only supported when using the GnuTLS library. This is
+.new
+This is
only usable by mechanisms which support "channel binding"; at time of
writing, that's the SCRAM family.
+When using this feature the "-PLUS" variants of the method names need to be used.
+.wen
This defaults off to ensure smooth upgrade across Exim releases, in case
this option causes some clients to start failing. Some future release
of Exim might have switched the default to be true.
-However, Channel Binding in TLS has proven to be broken in current versions.
+However, Channel Binding in TLS has proven to be vulnerable in current versions.
Do not plan to rely upon this feature for security, ever, without consulting
with a subject matter expert (a cryptographic engineer).
Some mechanisms will use this data.
-.option server_scram_iter gsasl string&!! unset
+.option server_scram_iter gsasl string&!! 4096
This option provides data for the SCRAM family of mechanisms.
-&$auth1$& is not available at evaluation time.
-(This may change, as we receive feedback on use)
+.new
+The &$auth1$&, &$auth2$& and &$auth3$& variables are available for expansion.
+
+The result of expansion should be a decimal number,
+and represents both a lower-bound on the security, and
+a compute cost factor imposed on the client
+(if it does not cache results, or the server changes
+either the iteration count or the salt).
+A minimum value of 4096 is required by the standards
+for all current CRAM mechanism variants.
+.wen
.option server_scram_salt gsasl string&!! unset
This option provides data for the SCRAM family of mechanisms.
-&$auth1$& is not available at evaluation time.
-(This may change, as we receive feedback on use)
+.new
+The &$auth1$&, &$auth2$& and &$auth3$& variables are available for expansion.
+If unset or empty after expansion the library will provides a value for the
+protocol conversation.
+.wen
.option server_service gsasl string &`smtp`&
(which usually means the full set of public CAs)
and which has a mail-SAN matching the claimed identity sent by the client.
-Note that, up to TLS1.2, the client cert is on the wire in-clear, including the SAN,
+&*Note*&: up to TLS1.2, the client cert is on the wire in-clear, including the SAN.
The account name is therefore guessable by an opponent.
TLS 1.3 protects both server and client certificates, and is not vulnerable
in this way.
-Likewise, a traditional plaintext SMTP AUTH done inside TLS is not.
.section "Using external in a client" "SECTexternclient"
.section "OpenSSL vs GnuTLS" "SECTopenvsgnu"
.cindex "TLS" "OpenSSL &'vs'& GnuTLS"
-The first TLS support in Exim was implemented using OpenSSL. Support for GnuTLS
-followed later, when the first versions of GnuTLS were released. To build Exim
-to use GnuTLS, you need to set
+TLS is supported in Exim using either the OpenSSL or GnuTLS library.
+To build Exim to use OpenSSL you need to set
.code
-USE_GNUTLS=yes
+USE_OPENSSL=yes
.endd
-in Local/Makefile, in addition to
+in Local/Makefile.
+
+To build Exim to use GnuTLS, you need to set
.code
-SUPPORT_TLS=yes
+USE_GNUTLS=yes
.endd
+in Local/Makefile.
+
You must also set TLS_LIBS and TLS_INCLUDE appropriately, so that the
include files and libraries for GnuTLS can be found.
if it requests it. If the server is Exim, it will request a certificate only if
&%tls_verify_hosts%& or &%tls_try_verify_hosts%& matches the client.
+&*Note*&: Do not use a certificate which has the OCSP-must-staple extension,
+for client use (they are usable for server use).
+As the TLS protocol has no means for the client to staple before TLS 1.3 it will result
+in failed connections.
+
If the &%tls_verify_certificates%& option is set on the &(smtp)& transport, it
specifies a collection of expected server certificates.
These may be
attacks in the string (&`../`& or SQL), and ensuring that a valid filename
can always be referenced; it is important to remember that &$tls_in_sni$& is
arbitrary unverified data provided prior to authentication.
-Further, the initial certificate is loaded before SNI is arrived, so
+Further, the initial certificate is loaded before SNI has arrived, so
an expansion for &%tls_certificate%& must have a default which is used
when &$tls_in_sni$& is empty.
in &_Local/Makefile_&.
If it has been included, the macro "_HAVE_DANE" will be defined.
-The TLSA record for the server may have "certificate usage" of DANE-TA(2) or DANE-EE(3).
+A TLSA record consist of 4 fields, the "Certificate Usage", the
+"Selector", the "Matching type", and the "Certificate Association Data".
+For a detailed description of the TLSA record see
+&url(https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc7671#page-5,RFC 7671).
+
+The TLSA record for the server may have "Certificate Usage" (1st) field of DANE-TA(2) or DANE-EE(3).
These are the "Trust Anchor" and "End Entity" variants.
The latter specifies the End Entity directly, i.e. the certificate involved is that of the server
(and if only DANE-EE is used then it should be the sole one transmitted during the TLS handshake);
requirements, then we encourage you to avoid all these issues and use a public
CA such as &url(https://letsencrypt.org/,Let's Encrypt) instead.
-The TLSA record should have a Selector field of SPKI(1) and a Matching Type field of SHA2-512(2).
+The TLSA record should have a "Selector" (2nd) field of SPKI(1) and
+a "Matching Type" (3rd) field of SHA2-512(2).
-At the time of writing, &url(https://www.huque.com/bin/gen_tlsa)
-is useful for quickly generating TLSA records; and commands like
+For the "Certificate Authority Data" (4th) field, commands like
.code
- openssl x509 -in -pubkey -noout <certificate.pem \
+ openssl x509 -pubkey -noout <certificate.pem \
| openssl rsa -outform der -pubin 2>/dev/null \
| openssl sha512 \
| awk '{print $2}'
.endd
-are workable for 4th-field hashes.
+are workable to create a hash of the certificate's public key.
+
+An example TLSA record for DANE-EE(3), SPKI(1), and SHA-512 (2) looks like
+
+.code
+ _25._tcp.mail.example.com. TLSA 3 1 2 8BA8A336E...
+.endd
+
+At the time of writing, &url(https://www.huque.com/bin/gen_tlsa)
+is useful for quickly generating TLSA records.
+
For use with the DANE-TA model, server certificates must have a correct name (SubjectName or SubjectAltName).
For client-side DANE there are three new smtp transport options, &%hosts_try_dane%&, &%hosts_require_dane%&
and &%dane_require_tls_ciphers%&.
-The require variant will result in failure if the target host is not DNSSEC-secured.
+The &"require"& variant will result in failure if the target host is not
+DNSSEC-secured. To get DNSSEC-secured hostname resolution, use
+the &%dnssec_request_domains%& router or transport option.
DANE will only be usable if the target host has DNSSEC-secured MX, A and TLSA records.
If DANE is not usable, whether requested or not, and CA-anchored
verification evaluation is wanted, the above variables should be set appropriately.
-Currently the &%dnssec_request_domains%& must be active and &%dnssec_require_domains%& is ignored.
+The router and transport option &%dnssec_request_domains%& must not be
+set to &"never"&, and &%dnssec_require_domains%& is ignored.
If verification was successful using DANE then the "CV" item in the delivery log line will show as "CV=dane".
the operation and configuration of DKIM, see section &<<SECDKIM>>&.
+.vitem &*control&~=&~dmarc_disable_verify*&
+.cindex "disable DMARC verify"
+.cindex "DMARC" "disable verify"
+This control turns off DMARC verification processing entirely. For details on
+the operation and configuration of DMARC, see section &<<SECDMARC>>&.
+
+
.vitem &*control&~=&~dscp/*&<&'value'&>
.cindex "&ACL;" "setting DSCP value"
.cindex "DSCP" "inbound"
.cindex "&ACL;" "virus scanning"
.cindex "&ACL;" "scanning for viruses"
This condition is available only when Exim is compiled with the
-content-scanning extension. It causes the incoming message to be scanned for
+content-scanning extension
+and only after a DATA command.
+It causes the incoming message to be scanned for
viruses. For details, see chapter &<<CHAPexiscan>>&.
.vitem &*mime_regex&~=&~*&<&'list&~of&~regular&~expressions'&>
attempt to verify the HELO/EHLO contents, it is carried out when this
condition is encountered. See the description of the &%helo_verify_hosts%& and
&%helo_try_verify_hosts%& options for details of how to request verification
-independently of this condition.
+independently of this condition, and for detail of the verification.
For SMTP input that does not come over TCP/IP (the &%-bs%& command line
option), this condition is always true.
&'Resent-Cc:'& header lines exist, they are also checked. This condition can be
used only in a DATA or non-SMTP ACL.
-.new
There is one possible option, &`case_insensitive`&. If this is present then
local parts are checked case-insensitively.
-.wen
There are, of course, many legitimate messages that make use of blind (bcc)
recipients. This check should not be used on its own for blocking messages.
specialized interfaces for &"daemon"& type virus scanners, which are resident
in memory and thus are much faster.
+Since message data needs to have arrived,
+the condition may be only called in ACL defined by
+&%acl_smtp_data%&,
+&%acl_smtp_data_prdr%&,
+&%acl_smtp_mime%& or
+&%acl_smtp_dkim%&
+
A timeout of 2 minutes is applied to a scanner call (by default);
if it expires then a defer action is taken.
HAVE_LOCAL_SCAN=yes
LOCAL_SCAN_SOURCE=Local/local_scan.c
.endd
-for example. The function must be called &[local_scan()]&. It is called by
+for example. The function must be called &[local_scan()]&;
+.new
+the source file(s) for it should first #define LOCAL_SCAN
+and then #include "local_scan.h".
+.wen
+It is called by
Exim after it has received a message, when the success return code is about to
be sent. This is after all the ACLs have been run. The return code from your
function controls whether the message is actually accepted or not. There is a
This function is used in conjunction with &'smtp_printf()'&, as described
below.
-.vitem &*void&~smtp_printf(char&~*,&~...)*&
-The arguments of this function are like &[printf()]&; it writes to the SMTP
+.vitem &*void&~smtp_printf(char&~*,BOOL,&~...)*&
+The arguments of this function are almost like &[printf()]&; it writes to the SMTP
output stream. You should use this function only when there is an SMTP output
stream, that is, when the incoming message is being received via interactive
SMTP. This is the case when &%smtp_input%& is TRUE and &%smtp_batched_input%&
If an SMTP TLS connection is established, &'smtp_printf()'& uses the TLS
output function, so it can be used for all forms of SMTP connection.
+The second argument is used to request that the data be buffered
+(when TRUE) or flushed (along with any previously buffered, when FALSE).
+This is advisory only, but likely to save on system-calls and packets
+sent when a sequence of calls to the function are made.
+
+The argument was added in Exim version 4.90 - changing the API/ABI.
+Nobody noticed until 4.93 was imminent, at which point the
+ABI version number was incremented.
+
Strings that are written by &'smtp_printf()'& from within &[local_scan()]&
must start with an appropriate response code: 550 if you are going to return
LOCAL_SCAN_REJECT, 451 if you are going to return
multiple output lines.
The &'smtp_printf()'& function does not return any error indication, because it
-does not automatically flush pending output, and therefore does not test
+does not
+guarantee a flush of
+pending output, and therefore does not test
the state of the stream. (In the main code of Exim, flushing and error
detection is done when Exim is ready for the next SMTP input command.) If
you want to flush the output and check for an error (for example, the
arguments. It flushes the output stream, and returns a non-zero value if there
is an error.
-.vitem &*void&~*store_get(int)*&
+.new
+.vitem &*void&~*store_get(int,BOOL)*&
This function accesses Exim's internal store (memory) manager. It gets a new
-chunk of memory whose size is given by the argument. Exim bombs out if it ever
+chunk of memory whose size is given by the first argument.
+The second argument should be given as TRUE if the memory will be used for
+data possibly coming from an attacker (eg. the message content),
+FALSE if it is locally-sourced.
+Exim bombs out if it ever
runs out of memory. See the next section for a discussion of memory handling.
+.wen
-.vitem &*void&~*store_get_perm(int)*&
+.vitem &*void&~*store_get_perm(int,BOOL)*&
This function is like &'store_get()'&, but it always gets memory from the
permanent pool. See the next section for a discussion of memory handling.
.section "Setting an errors address in a system filter" "SECID217"
+.cindex "envelope from"
.cindex "envelope sender"
In a system filter, if a &%deliver%& command is followed by
.code
.cindex "sender" "address"
.oindex "&%uucp_from_pattern%&"
.oindex "&%uucp_from_sender%&"
+.cindex "envelope from"
.cindex "envelope sender"
.cindex "Sendmail compatibility" "&""From""& line"
Messages that have come from UUCP (and some other applications) often begin
.section "Variable Envelope Return Paths (VERP)" "SECTverp"
.cindex "VERP"
.cindex "Variable Envelope Return Paths"
+.cindex "envelope from"
.cindex "envelope sender"
Variable Envelope Return Paths &-- see &url(https://cr.yp.to/proto/verp.txt) &--
are a way of helping mailing list administrators discover which subscription
&`DKIM`& domain verified in incoming message
&`DN `& distinguished name from peer certificate
&`DS `& DNSSEC secured lookups
-&`DT `& on &`=>`& lines: time taken for a delivery
+&`DT `& on &`=>`&, &'=='& and &'**'& lines: time taken for, or to attempt, a delivery
&`F `& sender address (on delivery lines)
&`H `& host name and IP address
&`I `& local interface used
&` arguments `& command line arguments
&`*connection_reject `& connection rejections
&`*delay_delivery `& immediate delivery delayed
-&` deliver_time `& time taken to perform delivery
+&` deliver_time `& time taken to attempt delivery
&` delivery_size `& add &`S=`&&'nnn'& to => lines
&`*dkim `& DKIM verified domain on <= lines
&` dkim_verbose `& separate full DKIM verification result line, per signature
&%millisec%&: Timestamps have a period and three decimal places of finer granularity
appended to the seconds value.
.next
-.new
.cindex "log" "message id"
&%msg_id%&: The value of the Message-ID: header.
.next
This will be either because the message is a bounce, or was submitted locally
(submission mode) without one.
The field identifier will have an asterix appended: &"id*="&.
-.wen
.next
.cindex "log" "outgoing interface"
.cindex "log" "local interface"
On accept lines, where PIPELINING was offered but not used by the client,
the field has a minus appended.
+
+.cindex "pipelining" "early connection"
+If Exim is built with the SUPPORT_PIPE_CONNECT build option
+accept "L" fields have a period appended if the feature was
+offered but not used, or an asterisk appended if used.
+Delivery "L" fields have an asterisk appended if used.
+
.next
.cindex "log" "queue run"
.cindex "queue runner" "logging"
.vitem &*-x*&
Match only non-frozen messages.
-.new
.vitem &*-G*&&~<&'queuename'&>
Match only messages in the given queue. Without this, the default queue is searched.
-.wen
.endlist
The following options control the format of the output:
certificate.
.endlist
+Any of the above may have an extra hyphen prepended, to indicate the the
+corresponding data is untrusted.
+
Following the options there is a list of those addresses to which the message
is not to be delivered. This set of addresses is initialized from the command
line when the &%-t%& option is used and &%extract_addresses_remove_arguments%&
. ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
. ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
-.chapter "DKIM and SPF" "CHAPdkim" &&&
- "DKIM and SPF Support"
-.cindex "DKIM"
+.chapter "DKIM, SPF and DMARC" "CHAPdkim" &&&
+ "DKIM, SPF and DMARC Support"
.section "DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail)" SECDKIM
+.cindex "DKIM"
DKIM is a mechanism by which messages sent by some entity can be provably
linked to a domain which that entity controls. It permits reputation to
The domain(s) you want to sign with.
After expansion, this can be a list.
Each element in turn,
-.new
lowercased,
-.wen
is put into the &%$dkim_domain%& expansion variable
while expanding the remaining signing options.
If it is empty after expansion, DKIM signing is not done,
Signers SHOULD use RSA keys of at least 2048 bits.
.endd
-.new
EC keys for DKIM are defined by RFC 8463.
-.wen
They are considerably smaller than RSA keys for equivalent protection.
As they are a recent development, users should consider dual-signing
(by setting a list of selectors, and an expansion for this option)
certtool --load_privkey=dkim_ed25519.private --pubkey_info --outder | tail -c +13 | base64
.endd
-.new
Exim also supports an alternate format
of Ed25519 keys in DNS which was a candidate during development
of the standard, but not adopted.
A future release will probably drop that support.
-.wen
.option dkim_hash smtp string&!! sha256
Can be set to any one of the supported hash methods, which are:
Verification of DKIM signatures in SMTP incoming email is done for all
messages for which an ACL control &%dkim_disable_verify%& has not been set.
+.cindex DKIM "selecting signature algorithms"
+Individual classes of signature algorithm can be ignored by changing
+the main options &%dkim_verify_hashes%& or &%dkim_verify_keytypes%&.
+The &%dkim_verify_minimal%& option can be set to cease verification
+processing for a message once the first passing signature is found.
+
.cindex authentication "expansion item"
Performing verification sets up information used by the
-&$authresults$& expansion item.
+&%authresults%& expansion item.
-The results of that verification are then made available to the
+For most purposes the default option settings suffice and the remainder
+of this section can be ignored.
+
+The results of verification are made available to the
&%acl_smtp_dkim%& ACL, which can examine and modify them.
-By default, this ACL is called once for each
-syntactically(!) correct signature in the incoming message.
A missing ACL definition defaults to accept.
+By default, the ACL is called once for each
+syntactically(!) correct signature in the incoming message.
If any ACL call does not accept, the message is not accepted.
If a cutthrough delivery was in progress for the message, that is
summarily dropped (having wasted the transmission effort).
runtime of the ACL.
Calling the ACL only for existing signatures is not sufficient to build
-more advanced policies. For that reason, the global option
-&%dkim_verify_signers%&, and a global expansion variable
+more advanced policies. For that reason, the main option
+&%dkim_verify_signers%&, and an expansion variable
&%$dkim_signers%& exist.
-The global option &%dkim_verify_signers%& can be set to a colon-separated
+The main option &%dkim_verify_signers%& can be set to a colon-separated
list of DKIM domains or identities for which the ACL &%acl_smtp_dkim%& is
called. It is expanded when the message has been received. At this point,
the expansion variable &%$dkim_signers%& already contains a colon-separated
If a domain or identity is listed several times in the (expanded) value of
&%dkim_verify_signers%&, the ACL is only called once for that domain or identity.
-.new
Note that if the option is set using untrustworthy data
(such as the From: header)
care should be taken to force lowercase for domains
and for the domain part if identities.
The default setting can be regarded as trustworthy in this respect.
-.wen
If multiple signatures match a domain (or identity), the ACL is called once
for each matching signature.
-Inside the &%acl_smtp_dkim%&, the following expansion variables are
+Inside the DKIM ACL, the following expansion variables are
available (from most to least important):
algorithms (currently, rsa-sha1) have permanently failed evaluation
.endd
-To enforce this you must have a DKIM ACL which checks this variable
-and overwrites the &$dkim_verify_status$& variable as discussed above.
+To enforce this you must either have a DKIM ACL which checks this variable
+and overwrites the &$dkim_verify_status$& variable as discussed above,
+or have set the main option &%dkim_verify_hashes%& to exclude
+processing of such signatures.
.vitem &%$dkim_canon_body%&
The body canonicalization method. One of 'relaxed' or 'simple'.
SPF is a mechanism whereby a domain may assert which IP addresses may transmit
messages with its domain in the envelope from, documented by RFC 7208.
-For more information on SPF see &url(http://www.openspf.org).
-. --- 2018-09-07: still not https
+For more information on SPF see &url(http://www.open-spf.org), a static copy of
+the &url(http://openspf.org).
+. --- 2019-10-28: still not https, open-spf.org is told to be a
+. --- web-archive copy of the now dead openspf.org site
+. --- See https://www.mail-archive.com/mailop@mailop.org/msg08019.html for a
+. --- discussion.
Messages sent by a system not authorised will fail checking of such assertions.
This includes retransmissions done by traditional forwarders.
For verification, an ACL condition and an expansion lookup are provided.
.cindex authentication "expansion item"
Performing verification sets up information used by the
-&$authresults$& expansion item.
+&%authresults%& expansion item.
.cindex SPF "ACL condition"
message = $sender_host_address is not allowed to send mail from \
${if def:sender_address_domain \
{$sender_address_domain}{$sender_helo_name}}. \
- Please see http://www.openspf.org/Why?scope=\
+ Please see http://www.open-spf.org/Why?scope=\
${if def:sender_address_domain {mfrom}{helo}};\
identity=${if def:sender_address_domain \
{$sender_address}{$sender_helo_name}};\
"Best-guess". Strictly speaking, "Best-guess" is not standard
SPF, but it is supported by the same framework that enables SPF
capability.
-Refer to &url(http://www.openspf.org/FAQ/Best_guess_record)
+Refer to &url(http://www.open-spf.org/FAQ/Best_guess_record)
for a description of what it means.
-. --- 2018-09-07: still not https:
+. --- 2019-10-28: still not https:
To access this feature, simply use the spf_guess condition in place
of the spf one. For example:
.cindex SPF "lookup expansion"
.cindex lookup spf
A lookup expansion is also available. It takes an email
-address as the key and an IP address as the database:
+address as the key and an IP address
+(v4 or v6)
+as the database:
.code
${lookup {username@domain} spf {ip.ip.ip.ip}}
The lookup will return the same result strings as can appear in
&$spf_result$& (pass,fail,softfail,neutral,none,err_perm,err_temp).
-Currently, only IPv4 addresses are supported.
+
+
+
+
+
+.section DMARC SECDMARC
+.cindex DMARC verification
+
+DMARC combines feedback from SPF, DKIM, and header From: in order
+to attempt to provide better indicators of the authenticity of an
+email. This document does not explain the fundamentals; you
+should read and understand how it works by visiting the website at
+&url(http://www.dmarc.org/).
+
+If Exim is built with DMARC support,
+the libopendmarc library is used.
+
+For building Exim yourself, obtain the library from
+&url(http://sourceforge.net/projects/opendmarc/)
+to obtain a copy, or find it in your favorite package
+repository. You will need to attend to the local/Makefile feature
+SUPPORT_DMARC and the associated LDFLAGS addition.
+This description assumes
+that headers will be in /usr/local/include, and that the libraries
+are in /usr/local/lib.
+
+. subsection
+
+There are three main-configuration options:
+.cindex DMARC "configuration options"
+
+The &%dmarc_tld_file%& option
+.oindex &%dmarc_tld_file%&
+defines the location of a text file of valid
+top level domains the opendmarc library uses
+during domain parsing. Maintained by Mozilla,
+the most current version can be downloaded
+from a link at &url(https://publicsuffix.org/list/public_suffix_list.dat).
+See also the util/renew-opendmarc-tlds.sh script.
+.new
+The default for the option is unset.
+If not set, DMARC processing is disabled.
+.wen
+
+
+The &%dmarc_history_file%& option, if set
+.oindex &%dmarc_history_file%&
+defines the location of a file to log results
+of dmarc verification on inbound emails. The
+contents are importable by the opendmarc tools
+which will manage the data, send out DMARC
+reports, and expire the data. Make sure the
+directory of this file is writable by the user
+exim runs as.
+The default is unset.
+
+The &%dmarc_forensic_sender%& option
+.oindex &%dmarc_forensic_sender%&
+defines an alternate email address to use when sending a
+forensic report detailing alignment failures
+if a sender domain's dmarc record specifies it
+and you have configured Exim to send them.
+If set, this is expanded and used for the
+From: header line; the address is extracted
+from it and used for the envelope from.
+If not set (the default), the From: header is expanded from
+the dsn_from option, and <> is used for the
+envelope from.
+
+. I wish we had subsections...
+
+.cindex DMARC controls
+By default, the DMARC processing will run for any remote,
+non-authenticated user. It makes sense to only verify DMARC
+status of messages coming from remote, untrusted sources. You can
+use standard conditions such as hosts, senders, etc, to decide that
+DMARC verification should *not* be performed for them and disable
+DMARC with an ACL control modifier:
+.code
+ control = dmarc_disable_verify
+.endd
+A DMARC record can also specify a "forensic address", which gives
+exim an email address to submit reports about failed alignment.
+Exim does not do this by default because in certain conditions it
+results in unintended information leakage (what lists a user might
+be subscribed to, etc). You must configure exim to submit forensic
+reports to the owner of the domain. If the DMARC record contains a
+forensic address and you specify the control statement below, then
+exim will send these forensic emails. It is also advised that you
+configure a &%dmarc_forensic_sender%& because the default sender address
+construction might be inadequate.
+.code
+ control = dmarc_enable_forensic
+.endd
+(AGAIN: You can choose not to send these forensic reports by simply
+not putting the dmarc_enable_forensic control line at any point in
+your exim config. If you don't tell exim to send them, it will not
+send them.)
+
+There are no options to either control. Both must appear before
+the DATA acl.
+
+. subsection
+
+DMARC checks cam be run on incoming SMTP messages by using the
+&"dmarc_status"& ACL condition in the DATA ACL. You are required to
+call the &"spf"& condition first in the ACLs, then the &"dmarc_status"&
+condition. Putting this condition in the ACLs is required in order
+for a DMARC check to actually occur. All of the variables are set
+up before the DATA ACL, but there is no actual DMARC check that
+occurs until a &"dmarc_status"& condition is encountered in the ACLs.
+
+The &"dmarc_status"& condition takes a list of strings on its
+right-hand side. These strings describe recommended action based
+on the DMARC check. To understand what the policy recommendations
+mean, refer to the DMARC website above. Valid strings are:
+.display
+&'accept '& The DMARC check passed and the library recommends accepting the email.
+&'reject '& The DMARC check failed and the library recommends rejecting the email.
+&'quarantine '& The DMARC check failed and the library recommends keeping it for further inspection.
+&'none '& The DMARC check passed and the library recommends no specific action, neutral.
+&'norecord '& No policy section in the DMARC record for this sender domain.
+&'nofrom '& Unable to determine the domain of the sender.
+&'temperror '& Library error or dns error.
+&'off '& The DMARC check was disabled for this email.
+.endd
+You can prefix each string with an exclamation mark to invert its
+meaning, for example "!accept" will match all results but
+"accept". The string list is evaluated left-to-right in a
+short-circuit fashion. When a string matches the outcome of the
+DMARC check, the condition succeeds. If none of the listed
+strings matches the outcome of the DMARC check, the condition
+fails.
+
+Of course, you can also use any other lookup method that Exim
+supports, including LDAP, Postgres, MySQL, etc, as long as the
+result is a list of colon-separated strings.
+
+Performing the check sets up information used by the
+&%authresults%& expansion item.
+
+Several expansion variables are set before the DATA ACL is
+processed, and you can use them in this ACL. The following
+expansion variables are available:
+
+.vlist
+.vitem &$dmarc_status$&
+.vindex &$dmarc_status$&
+.cindex DMARC result
+A one word status indicating what the DMARC library
+thinks of the email. It is a combination of the results of
+DMARC record lookup and the SPF/DKIM/DMARC processing results
+(if a DMARC record was found). The actual policy declared
+in the DMARC record is in a separate expansion variable.
+
+.vitem &$dmarc_status_text$&
+.vindex &$dmarc_status_text$&
+Slightly longer, human readable status.
+
+.vitem &$dmarc_used_domain$&
+.vindex &$dmarc_used_domain$&
+The domain which DMARC used to look up the DMARC policy record.
+
+.vitem &$dmarc_domain_policy$&
+.vindex &$dmarc_domain_policy$&
+The policy declared in the DMARC record. Valid values
+are "none", "reject" and "quarantine". It is blank when there
+is any error, including no DMARC record.
+.endlist
+
+. subsection
+
+By default, Exim's DMARC configuration is intended to be
+non-intrusive and conservative. To facilitate this, Exim will not
+create any type of logging files without explicit configuration by
+you, the admin. Nor will Exim send out any emails/reports about
+DMARC issues without explicit configuration by you, the admin (other
+than typical bounce messages that may come about due to ACL
+processing or failure delivery issues).
+
+In order to log statistics suitable to be imported by the opendmarc
+tools, you need to:
+.ilist
+Configure the global option &%dmarc_history_file%&
+.next
+Configure cron jobs to call the appropriate opendmarc history
+import scripts and truncating the dmarc_history_file
+.endlist
+
+In order to send forensic reports, you need to:
+.ilist
+Configure the global option &%dmarc_forensic_sender%&
+.next
+Configure, somewhere before the DATA ACL, the control option to
+enable sending DMARC forensic reports
+.endlist
+
+. subsection
+
+Example usage:
+.code
+(RCPT ACL)
+ warn domains = +local_domains
+ hosts = +local_hosts
+ control = dmarc_disable_verify
+
+ warn !domains = +screwed_up_dmarc_records
+ control = dmarc_enable_forensic
+
+ warn condition = (lookup if destined to mailing list)
+ set acl_m_mailing_list = 1
+
+(DATA ACL)
+ warn dmarc_status = accept : none : off
+ !authenticated = *
+ log_message = DMARC DEBUG: $dmarc_status $dmarc_used_domain
+
+ warn dmarc_status = !accept
+ !authenticated = *
+ log_message = DMARC DEBUG: '$dmarc_status' for $dmarc_used_domain
+
+ warn dmarc_status = quarantine
+ !authenticated = *
+ set $acl_m_quarantine = 1
+ # Do something in a transport with this flag variable
+
+ deny condition = ${if eq{$dmarc_domain_policy}{reject}}
+ condition = ${if eq{$acl_m_mailing_list}{1}}
+ message = Messages from $dmarc_used_domain break mailing lists
+
+ deny dmarc_status = reject
+ !authenticated = *
+ message = Message from $dmarc_used_domain failed sender's DMARC policy, REJECT
+
+ warn add_header = :at_start:${authresults {$primary_hostname}}
+.endd
+
The name is placed in the variable &$event_name$& and the event action
expansion must check this, as it will be called for every possible event type.
+.new
The current list of events is:
+.wen
.display
&`dane:fail after transport `& per connection
&`msg:complete after main `& per message
+&`msg:defer after transport `& per message per delivery try
&`msg:delivery after transport `& per recipient
&`msg:rcpt:host:defer after transport `& per recipient per host
&`msg:rcpt:defer after transport `& per recipient
-&`msg:host:defer after transport `& per attempt
+&`msg:host:defer after transport `& per host per delivery try; host errors
&`msg:fail:delivery after transport `& per recipient
&`msg:fail:internal after main `& per recipient
&`tcp:connect before transport `& per connection
&`tcp:close after transport `& per connection
&`tls:cert before both `& per certificate in verification chain
&`smtp:connect after transport `& per connection
+&`smtp:ehlo after transport `& per connection
.endd
New event types may be added in future.
with the event type:
.display
&`dane:fail `& failure reason
+&`msg:defer `& error string
&`msg:delivery `& smtp confirmation message
&`msg:fail:internal `& failure reason
&`msg:fail:delivery `& smtp error message
+&`msg:host:defer `& error string
&`msg:rcpt:host:defer `& error string
&`msg:rcpt:defer `& error string
-&`msg:host:defer `& error string
&`tls:cert `& verification chain depth
&`smtp:connect `& smtp banner
+&`smtp:ehlo `& smtp ehlo response
.endd
The :defer events populate one extra variable: &$event_defer_errno$&.