Removing Site from Spam Filters and ISP Blocks? 31
Blaine Garrett asks: "I run a small online art community called the Art Attack. A lot of my members that sign up are not getting their welcome emails and newsletters. Most often, I cannot even directly email the members. Services such as hotmail automatically put email from my server in the junk mail folder. A while back someone was using the server to bounce spam. I am not sure if this is the direct cause, or not. Is there away to get off the spammer lists of these big services? Additionally, I have been informed that, since the site contains art depicting nudity, ISPs have been blocking the IP of my server. This is rather annoying since I also provide web hosting for other sites on the server. I'm losing customers and hits. Is there a way around this?" With respect to the Spam lists, this article might be helpful, but it may be harder to get the server removed, considering it has already been marked as an open relay. It will be harder to get your server out of ISP Filters, however. One man's "art" can always become another man's "porn", and convincing them otherwise will be difficult to impossible, especially since there is nudity on the site. What suggestions do you have for Mr. Garret, in terms of helping him get his site off of as many lists as possible?
heh (Score:4, Funny)
The only real surefire way to accomplish this, as many organizations have found out harshly is that one must sell their soul to the devil.
Now, this may sound drastic, but the soul is at an all-time high on the SIN(Soul INdex), so now might be a good time to get that management position as well, while you're at it.
You're.... (Score:2)
I hear ya' (Score:4, Interesting)
Last week, every site in my netblock got classified by SPEWS, and consequently, SpamCop picked up a message coming from another account on my server and placed us on their 'experimental' blocklist which is apparently used by quite a few ISPs. This prompted a million and a half other spam lists to classify us just because we appeared on spamcop (who handled it much more fairly than the rest - they properly bounce detected spam, and removed us from their list after two days of inactivity.
All because we were A) In the same colo facility as a big-time spammer, and B) on a shared webhost which happened to host a small-time spammer on the same IP.
Long story short, I had to threaten my host that i'd cancel the service unless I got moved to a new IP. After a heated argument, they finally did.
Oh yeah. The two servers which were blocked hosted no more than a boy scout troop and a convent.
Augh.
Change ISPs while you have the chance. (Score:2)
because we were A) In the same colo facility as a big-time spammer
If your hosting provider isn't doing anything about the spammers, you should move now, because that netblock entry is going to get much larger.
Be sure to tell your provider why you're moving (because they host spammers) and (if you're feeling charitable) give them some period of time (a week perhaps) to get rid of the spammer before you go through with it.
If they won't change, you have
HOWTO: Get delisted (Score:5, Informative)
2) Determine if you are listed in any public DNSBLs or RHSBLs. If so, check the website for a way to request a retest and removal. Failing that, contact the maintainers. Get yourself removed from these first.
3) Gather a list of ISPs which are blocking you directly. When you are sure you've got all your ducks in a row with steps 1 and 2, contact postmaster@ those ISPs, explain the situation, and politely request a reevaluation of your status. Be polite but persistant. If you don't make any headway in e-mail (or if postmaster@ doesn't accept mail -- a contravention of RFC) contact them by phone and then paper letter. Keep things polite. Don't go making insults or legal threats...speaking personally as an admin, this will get you on my "do not remove until the heat death of the universe" blacklist with a quickness. You have no rights to the pipe I pay for.
NOTE: All bets are off if you're actually just a spammer (this includes unconfirmed opt-in), or are an ISP who has had a relapse after claiming to turn over a new leaf. In either of those cases, I will at my discretion block you and anything you're associated with, forever.
Re:HOWTO: Get delisted (Score:2, Flamebait)
Here I thought the users paid for the operating costs. Have you taken a business course? You know, the kind where they say things like "The purpose of a business is to make money, not lose it"?
Re:HOWTO: Get delisted (Score:2, Interesting)
As far as censorware go, fuggedaboutit (Score:2)
--Paul
Re:As far as censorware go, fuggedaboutit (Score:2)
This is not absolutely true -- while nearly all web filters have a list of IP addresses that are blocked, most block on both domain names and IP addresses.
Easiest? Move! (Score:3, Insightful)
You need to realize your only choice is to find another ISP/Colo. Avoid choosing known spam friendly colos like rackspace, and get your machine moved. It doesn't take too much effort cruising through NANAE archives and some googling to discover if an ISP is mostly blocked or relatively well respected.
That said, if you do move to a respected section of the internet, then by all means make sure your box is completely locked down. Hire a security consultant if you don't understand all the things you have to check out before putting the box into production in the new place. Since your machine was once a spam host, that tarnish will stay with it until you can prove to the network admins of the world that you are a resposible sysadmin.
the AC
Duh (Score:2)
Re:Duh (Score:1)
Re:Duh (Score:2)
It's simple (Score:5, Funny)
This group is inhabited by a bunch of friendly and good natured people who will happily help you solve your email problems.
You might take a bit of good natured ribbing, especially if your mail server is still an open relay, but just play along, and join in the fun.
Your email worries will be over in no time!
Re:It's simple (Score:3, Funny)
Put the nudity on another domain! (Score:1)
That, or some sort of randomization-domain scheme using nude.artattack.org
Don't bother. (Score:1, Troll)
You can't -- email is heading towards whitelisting (Score:3, Insightful)
Many smaller sites or even users who prefer to send their own mail are finding their port 25 connects bounced, refused or blackholed.
Eventually, only whitelisted big ISP mailservers will accept mail and everyone will be forced to use them if they want their mail to get through. Shades of the Post Office! IMHO, this cure is worse than the disease. Self-inflicted wounds.
Re:You can't -- email is heading towards whitelist (Score:2)
Re:You can't -- email is heading towards whitelist (Score:2)
Sorry your ISP isn't as generous.
Re:You can't -- email is heading towards whitelist (Score:2)
It is a sad commentary on the state of the world, but the anti-murder efforts are also reducing freedom.
Many smaller sites or even users who prefer to send their own mail are finding their port 25 connects bounced, refused or blackholed.
Which has nothing to do with freedom. You are still perfectly free to run your own mail server, just as I am free to reject it.
How is it restricting freedom for someone t
Fix yoruself first (Score:3, Informative)
The definition of porn is in the beholders eye. Move it someplace else. If you know of any filters, make sure to ask them to place that domain on their list. Your first order of defense is to get your own house in order. I'd block all porn domains myself if I could, and I'm not sure I'd care thats your is really art. However by recignising the difference you are going a step in their direction. (If there is any meta data you can place in the html or elsewhere to indicate objectional content please do, but I'm not aware of anything useful) Mostly you are doing this so that I can block all the porn from you, and still get to other content. You might want to do similear things about violent art, if that applies.
Solve the spam problem. Make sure you are no longer a relay. Then setup spf in your dns, with a -all tag. (that is reject everything not on the list). Setup a password protected SMTP relay if you must. Publish this, so those who monitor such thing know you are doing it. (and this can be looked up)
Have a valid postmaster address, and make sure someone responds to it.
Make sure your provider has a strong anti-spam stance. (Otherwise SPEWs will block you anyway no matter how honest you are) Switch if you must.
Now that your house is in order, start getting it removed. Start with news.admin.email-abuse (not sure what it is called exactly). Detail all of the above, and ask how you can be removed. Expect someone to test it. Deal with any issues that come up. Deal with any suggestions they might have.
Contact individually those who domains who do not respond to the above post within a month. Thats right, it will take at least a month for things to work through the system. If nothing else because conservative admins want to make sure you really are dealing with the problem now.
If your own house isn't in order though, the worst thing you can do is try to get yourself off spam lists, that only gets your further on them.
Check your status.... (Score:2)
To get a grasp on how widely blocked you are, look up your IP address on the various DNS-based blocklists.
Enter your mail server IP address into OpenRBL [openrbl.org] and the spam database lookup form at DNS Stuff [dnsstuff.com].
The "Google" and "Senderbase" links at OpenRBL are also useful.
Very useful site.. (Score:2)
From there, you can (hopefully) contact the blacklists individually and convince them to delist you.
Possible solution to the problem (Score:2)
Start your own company, make tons of money, buy out whoever was hosting your site before.
Done, and none of those annoying 3. ??? steps!