Help me remove the domain from the Spamhaus DBL database

Stan_i_slav

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Greetings, I've been trying to unblock a domain on spamhaus.org for several days now. I thought it would be easy to explain the situation and that they would understand, but I haven't even gotten to the point of explaining, although I tried to include everything in my messages.
I received an email from PublicDomainRegistry stating that the domain was blocked due to a complaint from spamhaus.org. My domain ended up on the Spamhaus Domain Blocklist (DBL).

Initially, my hosting provider assigned me an IP address that was blocked by Spamhaus. I didn't pay much attention to it at first, as I had never encountered such blocks before. After a few support tickets with Spamhaus, I figured this out and switched to a clean IP address. Additionally, I had a newsletter subscription module on my website. I immediately informed them about this and explained that the subscription always requires email confirmation and includes an unsubscribe link in every email. There's also an unsubscribe option directly on the website. I also implemented DKIM, SPF, and DMARC technologies as required. I never intended to send spam, and the module was only there for user convenience. I explained all of this to them.

The main issue is that they refuse to accept my explanations unless I confirm my association with the domain. This can be done by emailing them from the domain's email address. However, since the domain is blocked, I can't do that. I had to write from the domain administrator's email address, which I set up during registration. To confirm, I had to make the WHOIS information public. Since the domain is registered with beget.com, the WHOIS information appears incomplete, and my data was only visible on two services. Support suggested I check the data using the command:

whois -h whois.myorderbox.com DOMAIN

This directly queries the .org zone registry (myorderbox.com).

I provided them with all this information, wrote from the correct email address, didn't use a VPN, and even disabled Cloudflare on the website. However, Spamhaus.org is still not satisfied. They keep sending me messages like this:

Thank you for contacting Spamhaus DBL Removals,
The definitive source of information on domain ownership is the WHOIS record.
If this domain is not working for any reason, consider making your request using the "Registrant Email" that can be found in the WHOIS record.
Requests coming from identified VPNs will be declined.
Note, screenshots are never acceptable proof.
Or like this:

We cannot confirm from the information provided that the author of this ticket is authoritative for DOMAIN. Some things that can be done to help us resolve listings include:

  • Open removal tickets on our Removal Center (https://check.spamhaus.org/) from an IP address that can be associated with DOMAIN, and do not use a VPN.
  • We do not accept removals from free or temporary email addresses - use an email address which can easily be associated with DOMAIN.
  • Provide information in the ticket that makes the requestor's authority over DOMAIN clear. Remove WHOIS privacy obfuscation.
  • Provide information in the ticket that shows the issue(s) have been resolved.
  • Reference any other Spamhaus removal ticket numbers related to this case.
Listings expire a few days after last detection. You can always open a ticket (or update an existing one) to inform us when and how the situation has been secured.
After some time, I finally received a response:

Irrespective of the domain ownership, the domain is already hitting spamtraps at our end. There are other factors like a poor network reputation. The domain is not eligible for delisting currently.

Sub: SnowRunner Game Update
At the end, they sent me an example of the email that triggered the spam complaint. It was related to the newsletter module. I explained that I had already disabled it and would no longer use it since it wasn't working correctly. I had been using it for several years without issues and wasn't even aware of Spamhaus.org or that they could block an entire domain.

I would like to hear from people who have experience with this. Has anyone encountered a similar situation and can suggest a precise unblocking algorithm? Maybe I'm missing something, or should I contact PublicDomainRegistry directly with a specific letter? I tried writing to them, but they said they are waiting for Spamhaus to lift the filter.
 
Sounds like a total nightmare. Did you try setting up a temporary email forward from another domain you control to the blocked domain's address? Might be enough to prove ownership.
 
Spamhaus isn't beginner friendly.

Why is your domain hitting their spamtraps? Are you saying that the newsletter module was hacked?

You only can do what Spamhaus tells you to do.

Basically you have to argue with Beget, the reseller of PublicDomainRegistry, to help you mediate to get your domain unlocked and/or transfered to another reigstrar.

Then, just wait 2 months and retry delisting it, if it isn't already delisted automatically.
 
Thank you for your responses. Indeed, the only solution was to negotiate with PublicDomainRegistry to temporarily enable the domain. Fortunately, they agreed to do so. Now Spamhaus is responding properly and providing clear guidance on what steps to take next. The issue wasn't just with the IP address but also with the hosting provider, as Spamhaus does not favor it. I had to migrate to a different host, and now I'm waiting for their decision. I believe everything should be resolved positively.
 
Hi Stan, may I know what domain extension did you mean please?

As far as I know, the domain extensions managed by XYZ Registry might have issue with SpamHaus, the solution would be that you contact your registrar to disable partial of the whois privacy and display the Email address to the public, then complete the verification process at https://check.spamhaus.org/.
 
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