If you’ve been an email marketer who’s experienced email deliverability problems, you won’t be a stranger to the internet’s anti-spam protocols. Many protocols and safeguards ensure that emails are authentic and don’t damage the computers of people who open them.
Also, many of these safeguards are there to ultimately ensure that people have less spam emails to stress over. One of these safeguards and protocols is the infamous Spam and Open Relay Blocking System (SORBS).
The Spam and Open Relay Blocking System (SORBS) is a list — a DNS-based block list, to be exact. It lists IP addresses from which spam emails regularly emanate. SORBS blocks listed IP addresses from sending emails.
What does this mean for you? If your IP address ends up on the list, you won’t be able to send email from it. Of course, low email deliverability means you’ll reach less customers or none at all. Most importantly, your sender reputation will take a considerable hit.
Luckily, you can delist from SORBS. Read on to learn more about how to do this easily and why you ended up on the list in the first place. Also, continue until the very end for tips on how to stay off the list.
What Is SORBS?
The Spam and Open Relay Blocking System is one of several anti-spam databases set to effectively block email from suspected senders. The SORBS database is a list that consists of IP addresses. These IP addresses find their way in the DNS-based block list due to recurrences in sending or relaying spam or other malicious email messages.
There are more than a million host servers known to the SORBS database. The SORBS lists consist of either single IP addresses or email servers. Since IP addresses are closely linked to a business domain name, the associated domain also gets included in the database.
How the SORBS Works at a Glance?
The SORBS consists of both a database and spam traps. Before an IP address or email server enters the SORBS blacklists, the database needs an indicator of some sort to determine if an IP address or mail server is “misbehaving.”
An IP address or email server is said to be delinquent when it’s repeatedly sending spam or sending email that contains malware like Trojan infestations. With many email servers exchanging emails, it will be hard for any single database or safety protocol to go after these dangerous or recurrent emails.
This is where the other half of the SORBS comes in — its spam traps. Spam traps allow internet service providers and block databases like SORBS to “attract” spam emails.
Any email that’s deemed “spammy” by algorithms will end up in one of the database’s traps. The email — once indexed — will reveal certain information like the origin mail server and IP address.
These pieces of data, particularly the IP address, will be included in the SORBS database. This now allows the SORBS to effectively block email sending from the listed IP address.
Why the SORBS Blacklists IP Addresses or Email Servers
The SORBS blacklists IP addresses, domains, or email servers for several reasons. When the database gets the impression that an IP address or mail server tries to disseminate spam, the SORBS blocks further emails from being sent by these sources.
Single IP addresses deemed to send malicious emails or phishing attacks are on the SORBS list. A sender using an IP address can also get the said IP address listed on SORBS by sending unsolicited bulk email messages. In addition to sending or relaying spam, IP addresses can end up on the SORBS spam database if they’re dynamically allocated IP addresses.
Let’s discuss these in further detail.
Recurrent Spam
Even legitimate mail servers aren’t immune to being listed. Whenever an IP address or email server has been found to recurrently send spam emails, it makes it to the blacklists. Hence, the blocklist includes domains and internet protocol addresses created to spam and disseminate spam phishing attacks.
A Compromised Email Server
Now, granted, you wouldn’t want to burden your email users with unsolicited emails — especially after they’ve unsubscribed to your mailing list. Besides, doing this would get you on both the SORBS and Lashback blacklists. However, if you’ve been blacklisted for sending multiple spam emails to many addresses, chances are your IP address or mail server has a security threat.
To prevent recurrent unauthorized email sending and consequent blacklisting, work with your network administrators to address threats.
Trojan Infestations
Trojans and other forms of malware can infect more than emails and your files. They’re capable of infiltrating and infecting your entire domain and website, causing any interaction with these assets to be potentially harmful to other email users.
Trojans and other malware like worms can also find their way into anything you send from your domain and IP addresses. This includes emails. Hence, to ensure the protection of email users, the SORBS blocks emails from IP addresses or email servers seen to have Trojan or malware infestations.
The Use of Dynamically Allocated IP Addresses
There are two types of addresses — static and dynamic. The latter is often cheaper and easier to maintain but can be a red flag for blocking databases like SORBS.
For the most part, having a dynamic IP address isn’t a problem in itself. If it were, then nearly every email user would be on the blacklist. However, because a dynamic IP address can change instantly, it draws attention and suspicion. In the eyes of the spam blocking system, servers with dynamically allocated addresses can disseminate spam phishing attacks.
This is why false positives under the blocking system do occur. Luckily, a dynamic user address needs to show other delinquent behavior like sending spam to be listed.
How To Get Delisted
In reality, email servers and internet protocol addresses end up in the SORBS list all the time. They stay there if there continues to be spam or phishing activity from them. However, if no such activity occurs within 48 hours, these servers or addresses get off the list automatically.
If this didn’t work, we can help you do this easier and quicker with our managed services tool. Just schedule a deliverability assessment call and one of our deliverability experts will guide you through the whole process and help you understand why you might have been listed and how to protect your domain.
However, you can give it a shot by yourself by lodging a delist request. Visit the SORBS main website and follow these steps:
Step 1: Register for a SORBS Account
On the upper right corner of the webpage, you’ll see an option to register for an account. On the registration page, you’ll find fields where you need to provide information like your name, business address, and contact details.
Step 2: Get an IP Address Checked and Delisted
Once you’ve registered for an account, you may now check to get an address delisted. Completing your registration will redirect you to the site’s delisting page. Here, you can enter the blocked IP address you want off the block list.
For other information regarding spam and listings, the SORBS website offers users free access to its resources.
How To Avoid Getting Blocked Again
If you’re familiar with the possible reasons for getting blocked, then the solutions become clearer. In detail, here are the best ways to make being on the block list a thing of the past:
Tip 1: Whenever Possible, Use a Static IP Address
Keep in mind that a dynamic IP address will alert the SORBS spam daemons to any email you send from it. Hence, if possible, send your emails from a static IP address instead.
Indeed, having dynamic IPs is easier to set up since internet service providers (ISP) assign these automatically. However, while they do not affect your mail sending much, a dynamic user address can land you on the block list, especially if the address is the source of spam mail.
Tip 2: Contact Your Network Administrators for Regular Domain and Mail Server Checks
If your domain or address is hacked, you may be sending spam email messages without you knowing. To ensure the closed and secure access of these assets of yours, you need to have your administrators schedule regular checks.
This will minimize spamming and unauthorized access to your email servers, user addresses, and domain. As a result, you’ll be certain that no spam or phishing attack comes from your end.
Tip 3: Scan for Trojan Infestations and Eliminate Them ASAP
As mentioned earlier, mail or anything that comes from a malware-infected site can be harmful to email users. For this reason, block databases will also blacklist sites or domains seen to have issues.
To prevent your site from ending up on the blacklist, you’ll need to check your site for malware. Once you’ve determined the presence of Trojans or other forms of malware, you can remove them with the help of your administrators. Do this, and no malicious email will come from your domain.
Tip 4: Prevent Open Relays and Open Proxies
An open relay or proxy can compromise your email servers since it gives free access to anyone. The best way to prevent this is with a host list. With a host list, you can have a master list of authorized apps and addresses that can use your domain.
Is Your Email Deliverability on the Chopping Block?
At the end of the day, security protocols on various email servers exist to provide users with a positive email experience. Along with others that blacklist various domains and IP addresses, SORBS ensures that no spam or other malicious emails make their way to email users.
Being on the blacklist isn’t desirable. However, by following the steps mentioned in this article, not only will you get off the list — your assets will stay off it too.
Of course, some aspects of email deliverability take more expertise than others. For these areas, get in touch with us at MailMonitor and experience how we get your emails away from spam folders and blocklists
