# [heads up] SORBS blacklist may close



## DutchDaemon (Jun 22, 2009)

Anyone using the SORBS blacklists on their smtp servers should read the announcement here:

http://www.au.sorbs.net/


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## hydra (Jun 25, 2009)

Thanks for the information, pity it ended this way...


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## DutchDaemon (Jun 25, 2009)

Help may be on its way (read the "Update: 25th June 2009").


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## Carpetsmoker (Jun 25, 2009)

> Michelle Sullivan (Previously known as Matthew Sullivan)



What the ... ?!


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## DutchDaemon (Jun 25, 2009)

Sex change operation.


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## DutchDaemon (Jun 25, 2009)

Hm, that sounded a bit flippant, I guess. 

I've known Matthew for about 8 years, because we maintained close contact -- we were in the same business: spam DNS blacklists (RBLDNS'es). 

SORBS' dynamic IP blacklist (as well as the current Spamhaus PBL list) is a continuation of my 'Dynablock' work that started in the mid-nineties. They both started out with the lists I donated to them in late 2003 when I 'moved on'. So if no mail server wants to accept mail from your residential DSL line, you have me to thank


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## vivek (Jun 26, 2009)

I'm really happy that they are closing their doors. It was bad and there was no way one can find out why IP was banned in first place. I had real problem with this service. Mind you no one blocked our whole static IP ranges but they did it. I had everything in correct order dns SPF, reverse IP, anti spam and so on...but they charged us to remove our large IPs which we used to allocate to our customers. 

Spamcop and Spamhaus are best, IMPO.


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## Carpetsmoker (Jun 26, 2009)

I figured as much DutchDaemon, just looks weird ... Still looks weird ...  But as long as she's happy with it I'm happy for her.
And thanks for your work on fighting the evil spammers!


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## DutchDaemon (Jun 26, 2009)

vivek said:
			
		

> I'm really happy that they are closing their doors. It was bad and there was no way one can find out why IP was banned in first place. I had real problem with this service. Mind you no one blocked our whole static IP ranges but they did it. I had everything in correct order dns SPF, reverse IP, anti spam and so on...but they charged us to remove our large IPs which we used to allocate to our customers.



I do agree that the way SORBS worked with some kind of 'ransom' scheme did not really appeal to me either. There were a lot of horror stories about 'being caught in SORBS hell', and they didn't even respond to my suggestions to delist ranges or networks when I found they should not be listed.

The original Dynablock list was famous for its fast and detailed delisting procedures, which is why Hotmail, Yahoo, AOL, etc. used it. 

Therefore I do like what Spamhaus did with my list. They really took care of it brilliantly, and they pleaded with me to 'walk with them' during the first year or so of the PBL, just to get the hang of it (sniffing out dynamic/residential networks and finding the --sometimes minute -- exceptions in them is a bit of black magic/intuition/gut instinct rolled into one).

I think Spamhaus ZEN (PBL, SBL, XBL) covers everything that SORBS covers now, so it shouldn't be too much of a transition.


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## DutchDaemon (Jun 26, 2009)

By the way, my favourite anecdote from the Dynablock days was when I received a delisting request from an American manufacturer that had its corporate email server in the middle of an otherwise residential cable modem network. That manufacturer was called Hormel Foods. If you take a look at their flagship product, you'll know why it was such a great anecdote ..


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## vivek (Jun 26, 2009)

DutchDaemon, I didn't know you were behind one of those lists. 

I know two mail admins who lost their jobs because of SORBS hell. One was fired for using it and another was victim of SORBS itself (as it costs ISP money). Oh.. did missed that sex change operation too.. why he err she did it in firs place?


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## DutchDaemon (Jun 26, 2009)

No one lost their job over using or being blocked by Dynablock, I can assure you; I handled each and every email about it the same day. And for the record: I have nothing to do with SORBS. They just copied my final published list and took it from there, like Spamhaus did a little later, simply because Dynablock stopped the most spam by far. It had next-to-zero false positives while I maintained it.

And well, why do people have those operations .. woman trapped in a man's body?


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## J65nko (Nov 5, 2009)

*SORBS acquired by GFI Software for $451k*

See http://jedsmith.org/?p=90


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