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How to work with email spam blacklists
- TAGS:ASRG, blacklist, blocklist, DNSBL, enterprise, Insider Content, RBL, reputation service, spam, spammer, spammers, standardization, standards
- IT TOPICS:Cybercrime & Hacking, Enterprise Apps, Government & Regulation, Internet, Networking, Security, Security Hardware & Software
By Richi Jennings. April 19, 2011.
On the one hand, anti-spam blacklists are extremely useful. On the other, they can be fantastically irritating. How can you choose a good one for cleaning your incoming email? And how should you react if your email server gets blacklisted? Here's how, in The Long View...
Email blacklists -- also known as blocklists, DNSBLs, RBLs, or the more general "reputation services" -- allow spam filters to identify known spam senders and cut off the email connection. They are a quick and efficient way to reduce spam -- typically by as much as 80%.
However, not all blacklists are created equal. Some are run badly, which can cause you to lose legitimate email -- so it's important that you only subscribe to well-run blacklists in your spam filter. And if you're an email sender, the last thing you want to hear is that your outbound IP address has been included in a blacklist.
Read on for my top tips on how good blacklists are run; it'll let you avoid the bad ones and help you work with the blacklist operators if you get incorrectly listed...
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