RBL Strangeness

[Kai Schaetzl]

Pete wrote on         Mon, 19 Apr 2004 20:56:09 +1000:

> Can the above happen do to a failing of my mailscanner machine, a
> failing in DNS or do these lists sometimes briefly list addresses?
>

Referring to the latter: yes, why not? If you get "unbelievable" results 
from an RBL just go to that RBL web page and query for the IP. Then you if 
it's in there and why. F.i. for SORBL it's possible that the IP got on 
their "spam" list which is one of the zones in their portfolio and lists 
IPs they got a mail from in their spamtraps. Getting on this list isn't 
that difficult ;-) That's why I don't like it. Unfortunately they only 
offer an aggregated zone of all zones and none with just that zone 
removed. So, if you want to avoid it you have to query *all* the other 
zones one by one if you want to use them :-( AFAIk the other zones are 
much more reliable.


Kai

-- 

Kai Schätzl, Berlin, Germany
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