Spam and Open Relay Blocking System

SORBS ( Spam and Open Relay Blocking System ) is a controversial DNSBL system Abbreviation for DNS -based Blackhole List, to list open proxies / relays and spamversendender server, the currently operating from Australia Briton Matthew Sullivan. It consists of several independent lists that classified different hosts ( eg, host of spammers, open relays, cracked server ... ). This allows a more precise configuration of the mail server.

Controversial is SORBS rule that spammers have 50 U.S. dollars at the Joey McNicol Legal Defense Fund, or other nonprofit institution that informs SORBS about pay the payment, to be discharged from the list if no such action is taken, who understand the problem that caused the spam solved. This can be achieved at ISPs, for example, by sending a notice to the spam customers.

The SORBS - DNSBL project was launched in November 2002. It was first entertained as a private list, until it officially went public on January 6, 2003. The list consisted at that time of 78,000 proxy relays and includes, for Z. 3,000,000 entries ( source: sorbs.net, February 8, 2006)

SORBS is occasionally criticized as always known e -mail providers are listed. These included, in the past more or less regular gmail, hotmail, web.de, freenet.de, GMX, Strato and T-Online. This practice means that in uncritical use of SORBS - DNSBL legitimate email for numerous users are blocked. By whitelisting larger provider, this impairment may be avoided; a useful whitelist is for example the DNSWL. The increased again by the high proportion of false sender addresses proportion of spam can be negated by the use of SPF.