n8n Workflow: Analyze Email Headers for IP Reputation and Spoofing Detection

This n8n workflow provides a framework for analyzing email headers to assess IP reputation and detect potential spoofing. It's designed to be triggered by an incoming email via Gmail and then route the email content for further analysis based on predefined conditions.

What it does

This workflow outlines the following steps:

1. Triggers on New Gmail Emails: Listens for new emails arriving in a specified Gmail account.
2. Performs an HTTP Request: Initiates an HTTP request. (The target URL and method are not defined in the provided JSON, implying this is a placeholder for an external API call for email header analysis, IP reputation, or spoofing detection.)
3. Conditional Logic (If): Evaluates a condition based on the results of the HTTP request.
   • True Path: If the condition is met (e.g., a potential threat is detected), it proceeds to a "No Operation" node, which acts as a placeholder for further actions (e.g., alerting, quarantining).
   • False Path: If the condition is not met, it proceeds to another "No Operation" node, also a placeholder for benign email handling.
4. Responds to Webhook: (This node is present but not connected in the provided JSON, suggesting it might be part of an incomplete or alternative flow for responding to an initial webhook trigger, which is not the primary trigger here).
5. Sets Fields (Edit Fields): A placeholder for manipulating or setting data fields.
6. Aggregates Data: A placeholder for combining data from multiple items.
7. Limits Data: A placeholder for restricting the number of items.

Prerequisites/Requirements

• n8n Instance: A running n8n instance.
• Gmail Account: A Gmail account configured as a credential in n8n to listen for new emails.
• External API (Placeholder): An external API or service for email header analysis, IP reputation, or spoofing detection. The HTTP Request node will need to be configured with the appropriate URL, headers, and body for this service.

Setup/Usage

1. Import the Workflow: Import the provided JSON into your n8n instance.
2. Configure Gmail Trigger:
   • Open the "Gmail Trigger" node.
   • Select or create a new Gmail API credential that has access to the mailbox you wish to monitor.
   • Specify the Label ID (e.g., INBOX) or other filters to define which emails trigger the workflow.
3. Configure HTTP Request:
   • Open the "HTTP Request" node.
   • Configure the URL, Method, Headers, and Body to send the email headers (or relevant parts of the email) to your chosen email analysis API. You will likely need to extract specific header fields from the Gmail Trigger output using expressions.
4. Configure If Node:
   • Open the "If" node.
   • Define the conditions based on the expected output from your email analysis API (e.g., if($json["reputationScore"] < 50) or if($json["spoofingDetected"] === true)).
5. Define Actions for True/False Paths:
   • Replace the "No Operation, do nothing" nodes on both the "True" and "False" branches of the "If" node with actual actions.
     • True (Threat Detected): Examples include sending a Slack notification, creating a ticket in a ticketing system, moving the email to a "Quarantine" folder, or sending an alert email.
     • False (No Threat): Examples include archiving the email, forwarding it, or simply ending the workflow.
6. Activate the Workflow: Save and activate the workflow.

This workflow provides a solid starting point for building an automated email security analysis system. Remember to fill in the placeholder nodes with your specific API endpoints and desired actions.