My IP address is on a SPAM database

Forums › 2degrees (including Slingshot, Orcon, Flip, Stuff Fibre, MyRepublic, 2talk and Vocus) › My IP address is on a SPAM database

kiwiscoota

237 posts

Master Geek

#115085 13-Mar-2013 11:50

Since the weekend my IP address has been blocked by my business web-hosting company as my IP address is on several SPAM databases. While I don't really care about not being able to access my company web site, I do care about not being able to access my email.

I called Orcon three days ago and after considerable explanation to the help desk I seemed manage to convey my problem, I was advised a ticket would be created and that it should be rectified within 24 hours... unfortunately that has not happened, so I called the help desk again, the answer was, that Tech Support was "still trying to change my IP address" and that they would call me when they were able to change my IP address.

Frankly, I was shocked by the response, I had an similar issue about 6 years ago, and my ISP (at that time was Optus Australia) reset my IP address while I was on the phone to their tech support, I then had to switch my modem off for 20 minutes and when I switched it back on, I had a new IP address.

Does anyone have any suggestions ???

geocom

587 posts

Ultimate Geek

Subscriber

#781041 13-Mar-2013 12:05

What blacklists are you on?

http://mxtoolbox.com/blacklists.aspx

Some of them will allow you to unblock you ip address as long as you have not requested to be unblocked to many times. Check that you don't have any viruses if there has been nothing that you have done like use mailx to send out emails with localhost.localdomain as your computer hostname(Been bit by that one my self before).

Let us know how you get on.

Geoff E

NordVPN

Protect your online activity with NordVPN (affiliate link).

kiwiscoota

237 posts

Master Geek

#781060 13-Mar-2013 12:33

According to http://whatismyipaddress.com/blacklist-check I'm on the following blacklists:

l2.apews.org

pbl.spamhaus.org

zen.spamhaus.org

While it's not really a proper solution, as a temporary workaround, I purchased this morning a prepaid WiFi modem and using that I was able to access my company email.

LennonNZ

2449 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

#781071 13-Mar-2013 12:51

The PBL.spamhaus is just a list of IP Addresses which shouldn't send email out directly. It can be easily be removed off this list. Its self service. Put your IP Address in and your email address and it will be removed.

PBL is NOT a list of spammers. Any bounces you get (if the remote mail server is nice) should tell you a link to get deleted off this list.

Zen is just PBL+the rest of spamhaus'

Orcon have said basically "These IP Addresses shouldn't send email out directly to the internet but if they want to they can allow themselves to"

Go to: http://www.spamhaus.org/lookup/ and put your ip address in and you can remove yourself from PBL (and thus ZEN)

l2.apews.org.. without knowing your ip address its impossible to comment on this one.

geocom

587 posts

Ultimate Geek

Subscriber

#781074 13-Mar-2013 13:00

Have you requested information from your companies hosting provider? It sounds like your on a dynamic IP Address. someone in the past has been naughty on that ip address and the hosting company will have blocked it on there firewall.

Try to ping the IP address of the server if it bounces then it is most likely a firewall block. If this is the case then your best option would be to contact the hosting company and ask to be removed.

If it is really important that your able to access your emails from this server then you would be best to ask Orcon for a static IP address so that you live or die by your own actions rather than by others actions.

Geoff E

mercutio

1387 posts

Uber Geek

#781169 13-Mar-2013 17:22

#### QUOTE ####

Since the weekend my IP address has been blocked by my business web-hosting company as my IP address is on several SPAM databases. While I don't really care about not being able to access my company web site, I do care about not being able to access my email.

#############

In spite of other peoples responses, to me it doesn't sound like you're running your own mail server, and instead should be talking to your web hosting company.

Normally, if you host a web site a mailbox will be thrown in which you can use the submission port (587) rather than the smtp port (25) to send email.

If you can't access your companies web site because you're on a list of residential IP's then not being able to send emails is most likely not your biggest concern.

As was mentioned before, you can get off PBL. But it's why they're blocking PBL that I'd be more interested in.

LennonNZ

2449 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

#781174 13-Mar-2013 17:38

So have you removed yourself off the PBL yet? it takes about 30 seconds to do so. I've worked at ISP's for 20 years and had a lot of dealings with spamhaus (I've help implement a spamhaus mirror in NZ in the past)

if you want to message me your IP Address I can do it very easily.

I presume you are sending email directly OUT from your hosting server and some mail servers are blocking it.

LennonNZ

2449 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

#781177 13-Mar-2013 17:47

mercutio: ISP's normally add their residential DSL customers on the PBL on purpose as they will normally send their outbound mail via the ISP's mail servers . They will make it so you cannot get delisted off the PBL.

On business customers they will also normally add as well and make it so you CAN remove the IP Address off the PBL.

mattwnz

19389 posts

Uber Geek

#781178 13-Mar-2013 17:48

Your hosting company shouldn't be blocking your IP address should they from accessing your website. I can understand email, as it could be related to spam, but not from accessing the actual website. I would talk to your host about that.

mercutio

1387 posts

Uber Geek

#781180 13-Mar-2013 17:53

LennonNZ: mercutio: ISP's normally add their residential DSL customers on the PBL on purpose as they will normally send their outbound mail via the ISP's mail servers . They will make it so you cannot get delisted off the PBL.

On business customers they will also normally add as well and make it so you CAN remove the IP Address off the PBL.

that sounds reasonable enough, but he said he wasn't too concerned about not being able to access his company's web site. as you said, it's common practice for isp's to use pbl, and does NOT mean that a user is spamming, so if a web site is blocking PBL then lots of users are being blocked.

and regardlesss of PBL he should be able to send out email through external servers of some kind. but sometimes smtp is blocked for PBL straight - and using the submission port can work around that, as well as working on ISP's like xtra who block smtp completely by default.

of course using submission port would also mean that he'd likely be using authentication for his mail server.

mercutio

1387 posts

Uber Geek

#781181 13-Mar-2013 17:58

fwiw, orcon seem to have blanket blocks in place, so it's not personal.

http://www.spamhaus.org/pbl/query/PBL219473

that includes their name servers etc.

gehenna

7964 posts

Uber Geek

Moderator

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#781184 13-Mar-2013 18:19

Make sure your pcs aren't infected with a spam bot

kiwiscoota

237 posts

Master Geek

#781205 13-Mar-2013 18:38

Around midday today (6 hours ago) I removed myself from the spamhaus database.

While reasonably knowledgeable, there are decided limits to my knowledge, especially when it comes to topics such as this.

Perhaps I need to clarify some points:

Currently my ISP is Orcon, my "company" web hosting company is WebhostingNZ.

I do not have problems accessing websites other than my company website. If try to access that site I get:Your connection to this server has been blocked in this server's firewall.

You need to contact the server owner for further information.
Your blocked IP address is 121.98.90.29
This server's hostname is sarah.nzserver.com

I am unable to connect to my email server (at webhostingnz), it just times out.

I've been using this setup for some years without problem, I've been with Orcon since August 2012.

While it's possible that my Mac might be infected with a SPAMBot as suggested by gehenna, I think it's unlikely.

A short time ago I rechecked spamhaus and confirmed I'm no longer listed on that blacklist.

Currently I'm unable to contact webhostingnz via their usual "ticket process" due to my IP address being blocked, and even though I could get to my website cpanel using a WiFi modem that I purchased today, when I tried to use their ticket system, I was blocked there too....

kiwiscoota

237 posts

Master Geek

#781818 14-Mar-2013 17:50

Finally today, via yet another different IP address I was able to create a "ticket" to request WebhostingNZ to fix the problem with both my home IP address & my newly purchased WiFi modem (Webhosting NZ do not publish a phone number or email address, they only have a web-form based contact form).

I should note that initially the Vodafone WiFi modem I purchased yesterday worked but after one login to retrieve email, WebhostingNZ blocked that IP address as well.

The email I received from them after fixing the problem simply said "The blocks have been removed". no explanation, no apology.... oh the joys of dealing with a very cheap web hosting company..

mercutio

1387 posts

Uber Geek

#781821 14-Mar-2013 18:03

kiwiscoota: Finally today, via yet another different IP address I was able to create a "ticket" to request WebhostingNZ to fix the problem with both my home IP address & my newly purchased WiFi modem (Webhosting NZ do not publish a phone number or email address, they only have a web-form based contact form).

I should note that initially the Vodafone WiFi modem I purchased yesterday worked but after one login to retrieve email, WebhostingNZ blocked that IP address as well.

The email I received from them after fixing the problem simply said "The blocks have been removed". no explanation, no apology.... oh the joys of dealing with a very cheap web hosting company..

yeh they look terrible. i'd be looking to shift my webhosting if i was you.