Help, we're listed on ORDB!

I've received multiple queries about this today, so I figured it would be wise to put up a quick message about this.

ORDB is a long dead blocking list, gone for more than a year.

Recently, they started "listing the world" -- meaning everybody using ORDB is now blocking 100% of inbound mail. Blocking lists do this to shed themselves of any excess DNS query traffic from sites who haven't yet ceased querying their data. It can very much be considered a slap in the face -- hey, we tried shutting down the nice way, but since you're not listening, we're going to make all your mail bounce.

But what does that mean? Why am I listed?

You're not actually listed on ORDB. ORDB is returning a "yup, they're listed" answer for any IP address that people check. Meaning the whole world is listed. Everybody, not just you. It's not because they hate you, it's because they want people to stop querying their DNSBL.

If you received bounces from somebody that suggests that you're listed on ORDB, here's what to do:

1. Call that person on the phone, if you can. Tell them all of their inbound mail is probably not working, and won't work, until they stop using ORDB. Point them to this page for more information.
2. Don't worry. The person who bounced your mail is suddenly now having problems receiving any mail at all. They're likely to figure this out very quickly and fix it. Try your mail again, in a day or two.

What to do if you are listed on APEWS

If you are listed on the APEWS blocking list, as confirmed by checking their website, here's how I would recommend that you handle the situation. (Who the heck am I?) 

Note: This isn’t guidance on how to avoid a blocklisting or sidestep anti-spam groups. If you have a spam issue, fix it. Don't spam, ever, for any reason. This is information is regarding how to address an issue with a list that is very aggressive at listing non-abusing IP addresses and networks, with no published, attainable path to resolution.

• Don't despair. Be calm.
  
  
• Do NOT post to a USENET newsgroup or to Google Groups, asking for assistance. Any replies you get will be from people who do NOT work for or with APEWS, and most of those replies will be unhelpful.
  
  
• I can't stress this point strongly enough: Posting requests for help on the Internet will not get you any assistance. The APEWS FAQ directs people to post questions, but the only thing that happens is that discussion groups are overrun with questions, and the only people who answer those questions are (a) not involved with APEWS and (b) rarely polite or helpful.
  
  
• APEWS ability to be used as a spam filter has been greatly reduced and restricted due to perceived malfeasance on the part of the APEWS maintainer(s). UCEPROTECT and SORBS, blocklist groups who used to publish the APEWS data, are no longer doing so as of August 13, 2007. This means that the two main channels available to administrators to use APEWS as a spam filter have been revoked. This means that if your mail bounced due to an APEWS listing before or on August 13, 2007, you might want to try to send your mail again – it would likely get through, as the list is even LESS widely used than it was up until August 13, 2007.
  
  
• APEWS is very aggressive (meaning its use as a spam filter drives a lot of false positive blocking) and as measured by me on August 11, 2007, lists approximately 42% of the Internet. (By “the Internet” I mean IP4 address space.) In other words, they list nearly half the Earth, suggesting that anybody who actually wants to receive mail probably cannot use APEWS as a spam filter. This strongly suggests that very few people are going to block your mail because of the APEWS listing.
  
  
• Anyone using APEWS as a spam filter is going against the advice of a multitude of other anti-spam advocates and email professionals. See my news and commentary roundup for more information and links to feedback from others in the anti-spam arena.
  
  
• Since APEWS is not widely used, your next step should be a review of your bounce data. Have you received any bounces that reference an APEWS block?
  
  
• If not, don’t worry about it. You just determined that you’re not having blocking issues that you can trace back to APEWS. It’s annoying that you’re listed on the website, but there’s little easy recourse available to you to address that.
  
  
• If yes, you have received a bounce message that references APEWS, contact the site that blocked your mail. Call them on the phone or email them from a different email account (Hotmail, Gmail, etc.) Show them that APEWS is problematic and not widely used. Explain to them that you do not spam, and that APEWS has listed you even though you do not spam. Provide them links to this page on DNSBL.com with more information about APEWS.

If you want to learn more about APEWS, I've collected everything I know about this “anonymous” blocking list here on DNSBL.com.

I hope you find this information helpful. Please feel free to contact me with your comments or feedback. But, please note that I'm unable to consult with you regarding your specific situation -- I've already got a full time day job, and I'm not looking for consulting clients.

What is a DNSBL?

A DNSBL is a DNS (domain name service)-based spam blocking list. Some people call them blacklists, while others call them blocklists.

They are most often IP address-based. This means that they contain IP addresses, generally of email servers that you might receive spam from, or that the list maintainer has indeed received spam from. There are dozens of such lists available, all compiled with different criteria, at every conceivable point in the sanity spectrum. Some lists work better than others, and some list maintainers are more trustworthy and respectable than others.

The original (and still primary) use for DNSBLs is to block mail. Most mail servers nowadays have DNSBL support (either built in, or through use of a plug-in) that allows a mail server administrator to block mail from sites listed on a specific DNSBL. The site would choose to do this as part of their attempt to reduce the amount of spam their users would receive.

More recently, DNSBLs are often used as a part of spam scoring system, such as SpamAssassin. If you’re listed on a spam blocklist that is referenced in a spam scoring system, your spam score could be increased by some amount. (The amount varies and is often configurable.) If that, in addition to other scoring tests performed, makes an email’s score rise above a certain level, it could be discarded, or routed to the spam folder.

Note: you might hear people refer to “RBLs” when talking about spam blocking. The first DNSBL was called the RBL, created by a company I once worked for, the Mail Abuse Prevention System (MAPS). MAPS claims “RBL” as a service mark, but as far as I can tell, anybody using the term RBL is usually using it interchangeably with DNSBL.

What to do if you're listed on SPEWS

The newsgroup news.admin.net-abuse.blocklisting (NANAB) regularly plays host to blocklist removal requests. Most of those requests seem to be aimed at SPEWS (the Spam Prevention Early Warning System). The SPEWS FAQ says that “general blocklist related issues can be discussed in the public forums” including NANAB. The end result is that lots of folks post to NANAB, asking that their IP address(es) be removed from SPEWS. Those folks get lots of responses, and only some of them are helpful. Because (as of January, 2007) SPEWS seems to have been frozen in time for many months, I’m sharing this information on my site to help affected folks get the facts on what’s going on, and provide suggestions on how to handle the situation.

Note: This isn’t guidance on how to avoid getting listed or sidestep anti-spam groups. This is information regarding how to address an issue with a now-defunct blocklist, where there’s nobody at the group to contact to request delisting.

If you’re listed on the SPEWS blocking list, as confirmed by checking their website, then I’m of the opinion that the following steps are probably what you should take to deal with the issue.

1. Check the status of SPEWS here. If it’s long out of date, proceed with the steps below. If it’s been updated recently, read the SPEWS website for information on how to proceed.
2. Assuming that SPEWS has not been updated in months, your next step should be a review your bounce data. Does it contain bounce data that references a SPEWS block?
3. If no, don’t worry about it. You just determined that you’re not having blocking issues that you can trace back to SPEWS. It’s annoying that you’re listed on the website, but there’s little easy recourse available to you to address that. However, if your bounce data does indicate blocking that you can trace to a SPEWS listing, proceed with the following steps.
4. If you have a spam issue, resolve it. Just because SPEWS may be gone, doesn’t mean that your spam blocking issues are going to magically going to go away. If SPEWS is listing you, other blocklists or ISPs are probably blocking your mail. Make sure you’re doing everything possible to comply with best practices, and remember that complying with the law just isn’t enough. I realize that this guidance is pretty brief and high level. Reach out to an email service provider (ESP) or email deliverability/reputation consultant for further assistance, as appropriate.
5. Contact the site bouncing your mail. Show them that SPEWS is out of date and is no longer updating. Feel free to point them at this site. You should be able to demonstrate to them that you do not spam. Be polite. ISPs and companies are perfectly free to block your mail. Attempts to strong-arm a site into accepting your mail are legally and ethically questionable, and will cause far more problems than realize.
6. Read the bounce to see if you can determine who is serving up the SPEWS blocklist. SPEWS doesn’t publish the data as a blocklist themselves; they leave that to others. As of February 1, 2007, Matthew Sullivan of SORBS has stopped serving the stale SPEWS data. I assume that other sites serve it up as well. If you find that a site is serving up this outdated info from SPEWS, contact them and let them know that the information they’re sharing is out of date. Feel free to point them toward this site. Recommend they follow Matthew's example with regard to nulling out the listings until (if) SPEWS returns.

I hope you find this information helpful. Please feel free to contact me with your comments or feedback. But, please note that I'm unable to consult with you regarding your specific situation -- I've already got a full time day job, and I'm not looking for consulting clients.