Status of ix.dnsbl.manitu.net: DEAD

The maintainers of the "NixSPAM" blocklist (with a DNSBL zone of ix.dnsbl.manitu.net) have decided to shut down. As of January 16, 2025, their website at nixspam.net states that, "With a heavy heart, we have decided to discontinue the project ix.dnsbl.manitu.net." This matches a statement posted by the blocklist's maintainer on X.

No further information is available at this time. The website indicates that further information may be coming. In the mean time, I suggest that you remove this DNSBL from any spam filtering or IP reputation checks as soon as possible, as when blocklists shut down, they often can end up with "wildcard DNS" that can cause unexpected and unwanted inbound email delivery impediments. 

Jan-Piet Mens previously described the NixSPAM thusly: "The NixSPAM black-list is a DNS block-list created by Bert Ungerer of ix. It contains automatically generated entries from open proxies, relays, dialup gateways, etc., and [...] Black-listed entries are automatically removed after 12 hours if no further spam from that particular source is detected within that time frame."

The NiXSPAM blocklist appears to have launched in 2003. Congrats to iX for a nearly 22 year long run.

Status of dnsbl.sorbs.net: DEAD

Multiple sources are reporting (and Proofpoint has confirmed -- see below) that the SORBS blocklist is shutting down.

According to SORBS website, they published the following DNS zones:

• badconf.rhsbl.sorbs.net
• block.dnsbl.sorbs.net
• dnsbl.sorbs.net
• dul.dnsbl.sorbs.net
• escalations.dnsbl.sorbs.net
• http.dnsbl.sorbs.net
• misc.dnsbl.sorbs.net
• new.spam.dnsbl.sorbs.net
• nomail.rhsbl.sorbs.net
• noserver.dnsbl.sorbs.net
• old.spam.dnsbl.sorbs.net
• recent.spam.dnsbl.sorbs.net
• rhsbl.sorbs.net
• smtp.dnsbl.sorbs.net
• socks.dnsbl.sorbs.net
• spam.dnsbl.sorbs.net
• web.dnsbl.sorbs.net
• zombie.dnsbl.sorbs.net

I would recommend removing any and all of these from any spam filter or mail server configuration ASAP.

You can find analysis on SORBS and this shutdown over on Mickey Chandler's Spamtacular blog. Word to the Wise had previously published a lengthy series of issues and concerns surrounding SORBS going all the way back to 2010.

Proofpoint confirmed SORBS closing to the Register, providing the following statement:

"The decision to sunset a product is never an easy one and was made after thorough consideration of various factors impacting the service's sustainability. We can confirm that SORBS was decommissioned on June 5, 2024, and the service no longer contains reputation data. Given the wide range of potential replacement solutions in the market, Proofpoint cannot make recommendations nor endorse any specific replacement product; this is dependent on an organization's needs."

As of the publishing of this note, the SORBS website itself does not seem to indicate that things are shutting down; but note the confirmation of shutdown by Proofpoint, as quoted in various press linked above.