Block List Toolbox

Instructions

If you have not used this page before, please read the following instructions, otherwise you may skip ahead.

  This page helps you to quickly and reliably check to see if your computer's address (or any other address) is blacklisted. That is, it checks your computer's numerical "IP" address, which appears to be 38.103.63.58, against a number of "block lists." The main purpose of this page is to help you determine if your mail server is block listed. If your mail server's address is not 38.103.63.58 (38.103.63.58), then you should enter your mail server's IP address or fully qualified domain name (FQDN) where indicated, and the links below will be updated to use that address instead.

Block lists exist for many different reasons. Some report spammers, some report open-relays (that's like a mail server with an unlocked front door and a welcome mat for spammers), some report IP addresses used by home-PC users using DSL or cable modems, and some just respond to every request for testing purposes.

  By themselves, block lists are neither good nor bad. It is up to the mail administrator of each mail server on the Internet to pick and choose which, if any, block lists to use to attempt to block spam. Threatening hostility or legal actions against list owners does not work, and it could get YOU into legal trouble. Don't do it. It is understandable that you would be upset to find your company's mail server listed on several lists. But it could also be a good thing.

  Unless you just changed your IP address (possibly because you moved, changed the level of service, or changed Internet Service Providers), your mail server's IP address should not be listed — unless you really have a problem. Many people discover certain security problems with their mail servers only after their e-mail starts being blocked. New IP addresses, on the other hand, could come with problems from the previous address-holder. If the previous holder was a spammer, or if they didn't have a secure mail server, you could inherit their blocked IP address. It can be very time-consuming and frustrating (if not downright impossible in some cases) to ever completely clear up such an address.

  Assuming you didn't inherit a bad address, the best thing to do is to occasionally check that your mail server's address is not on too many block lists. If you find it listed, visit the list's web site and see what criteria is used to add an address to the list. Also see what you need to do to get de-listed (if that's possible). Along the way, you might find a security hole of which you were previously unaware. Fix the problem as quickly as possible. This helps prevent you from being added to other lists, is more likely to get your address removed from the current list more quickly, and helps prevent hackers or spammers from further compromising your server.

Important Information

  Note: We do not control or maintain block list information. Also, block lists come and go, as do the links to their databases. Please contact us if you discover any invalid or broken links. Thanks!