I am using the default MiaB setup, with my server acting as both my DNS and mail server. In “status checks”, it says that none of my domains are listed in Spamhaus.
I went ahead and requested whitelisting with Verizon’s whitelist request form, but I am worried about this happening with other destination servers.
I notice that Verizon asks if I have SPF records set up, at the bottom of their form. In my external DNS panel, I do see several TXT records that begin with v=spf1, but I am not sure if that is what they mean.
Alright, well they got back to me with this explanation:
Your IP has been blocked because of spam issues or because your ISP indicates that it is dynamically assigned
I am using a DigitalOcean VPS, which they say is a static IP address.
So, the only other possibility is the “spam issues”.
In that case, there are the following possibilities:
The IP I am assigned was previously used by a spammer, and blocked by Verizon (but, apparently never submitted to Spamhaus).
My server is currently sending out spam. I know MiaB uses SpamAssassin to protect against incoming spam, but what about outgoing? Various online tools tell me that my server is not acting as an open relay, and only authenticated users can send email through my server. So, the only thing I can think of is that perhaps one of my users’ accounts has been compromised. Is there a rate-limit configured for outgoing email, or another tool to detect compromised SMTP accounts?
Yup, I grepped both /var/log/mail.log and /var/log/mail.log.1, and I can see a lot of incoming spam being blocked (which I guess is a good sign).
I’m not really sure what to look for as far as outgoing spam, though. Should I try to find long BCC lists, or is there other suspicious header content that I can grep for?
On the plus side, I don’t think anyone else has blocked me. I grepped the message refused to talk to me, and I only see the emails to that one verizon.net account showing up.
Thank you for contacting Verizon Online Abuse. After a thorough investigation of your issue, Verizon Online Abuse has determined that normal e-mail delivery should be restored within 72 hours.
So, I guess they just have an overzealous filter or something.
Verizon has done the same thing to me but w/o honoring my whitelist request.
Verizon’s reason is:
No Reverse Hostname associated with your IP address
running dig @ns1.box.datamaskinaggie.xyz for the PTR record returns:
ANSWER: 0, AUTHORITATIVE 1.
So, ns1.datamaskinaggie.xyz is authoritative but I guess verizon is right there is no reverse hostname associated w/ the IP.
The MIAB admin url (https://box../admin#) allows the creation of email addresses backed by other real DNS resolvable domainnames. The real MIAB box.. has a PTR record but the email addresses created using the MIAB admin url do not have real domainnames and therefore no PTR record.
The MIAB admin url (https://box…/admin#) allows the creation of email
addresses backed by other real DNS resolvable domainnames. The real MIAB
box… has a PTR record but the email addresses created using the MIAB
admin url do not have real domainnames and therefore no PTR record.
Not sure I understand - so the domains you’re using exist, but you don’t control them? Or, you control them but you don’t use MiaB as your DNS for them?
Thanks much JD. Your’re right. The PTR for my IP points to: box.[domainname].xyz and not to [mydomainname].xyz added using: https://box.[domainname].xyz/admin#users
The same IP is listed for all the domains listed @gandi.net and @https://box.[domainname].xyz/admin#
Of course the same IP can only point to 1 reverse record.