If your domain or IP has been flagged on SpamRL, it may be due to spam being sent from your email server, often caused by malware or compromised accounts. Identifying and resolving these issues is critical to delisting from SpamRL and avoiding future blacklisting.

Malware Scanning on Your Server

1

Install and Use ClamAV

  • Install ClamAV:
    sudo apt-get install clamav
  • Update the virus database:
    sudo freshclam
  • Scan your server:
    sudo clamscan -r /var/www/html
  • Check the results and quarantine/delete infected files.
2

Scan for Suspicious Scripts

  • Look for unexpected or unauthorized PHP scripts in web directories:
    find /var/www/html -type f -name "*.php" | xargs grep -i "base64_decode"
  • Delete or quarantine suspicious files.
3

Use Online Scanners for Websites

  • Scan your website using tools like:
    • Sucuri SiteCheck
    • VirusTotal

Checking for Compromised Email Accounts

1

Analyze Email Logs

  • Check the mail server logs for unusual activity (e.g., excessive emails sent):
    • For Postfix:
      sudo tail -f /var/log/mail.log
    • For Exim:
      sudo tail -f /var/log/exim_mainlog
  • Look for:
    • High volumes of outgoing emails.
    • Unauthorized email addresses.
2

Identify the Top Email Senders

  • Use command-line tools to find accounts sending the most emails:
    • For Postfix:
      grep "from=<" /var/log/mail.log | awk '{print $7}' | sort | uniq -c | sort -nr | head -10
3

Disable Compromised Accounts

  • If you identify an account sending spam, temporarily disable it and reset the password.

Verify Your Email Server Configuration

1

Check for Open Relays

  • Ensure your mail server is not an open relay (i.e., it does not allow unauthorized email sending).
  • Test using tools like MXToolbox Open Relay Test.
2

Review Authentication Logs

  • Check for brute-force attacks or unauthorized logins:
    sudo grep "authentication failure" /var/log/secure

Securing Your Server and Accounts

Update Software

  • Web Server: Update Apache, Nginx, or other web server software to the latest versions.
  • CMS Platforms: Ensure WordPress, Joomla, or other CMS systems are updated. Remove unused plugins/themes.

Enforce Strong Passwords

  • Require complex passwords for all email accounts.
  • Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) if available.

Limit Email Sending

  • Set email rate limits per account to prevent excessive spam from compromised accounts.

Monitor Traffic

  • Use monitoring tools like iftop or nload to detect unusual outgoing traffic.

Preventive Measures

Set Up Email Authentication

  • SPF:
    v=spf1 include:_spf.example.com ~all
  • DKIM: Publish a TXT record containing your DKIM public key.
  • DMARC: Define email authentication policy.

Scan Regularly

  • Automate malware scans with a cron job for ClamAV:
crontab -e

Add the following line to scan daily:

0 3 * * * clamscan -r /var/www/html

Monitor Reputation

  • Google Postmaster Tools.
  • Microsoft SNDS (Smart Network Data Services).
  • MXToolbox Blacklist Monitor.

Tools to Help with Scanning

Tool Purpose
ClamAV Scan for malware on servers.
RKHunter Check for rootkits or unusual system changes.
Sucuri Online scanner for websites.
Fail2Ban Block IPs after repeated login failures.
Malwarebytes Scan Windows servers for malware.

Delisting After Cleanup

1

Re-check Reputation

  • Use MXToolbox or Spamhaus to ensure you are no longer flagged.
2

Submit a Delisting Request

  • Visit the SpamRL provider website and provide details of the issue resolution.
3

Monitor for Recurrence

  • Set up alerts to detect spammy activity early.

Example Scenario

  • Issue: A compromised email account sent spam.
  • Action Taken:
    • Disabled the account and reset the password.
    • Scanned the server with ClamAV and removed malware.
    • Implemented SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.
  • Delisting Request:
    • Submitted evidence to Spamhaus and provided clean mail server logs.

By scanning for malware and compromised accounts, securing your server, and implementing authentication, you can clean up your server and ensure your IP or domain is delisted from SpamRL.