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23 Messages
Cox smtp servers block/mark my outgoing e-mails as spam
I use the email address of my own domain (not cox) as my return address in my thunderbird client. This way worked fine for 2 years I've been with cox and for 12 some years when I was with ATT. Now my incoming mail still works fine, and it is just forwarded to my cox address. But about 3 weeks ago, all my outgoing mail started getting blocked by cox servers, which are now marking them as "spam" and occasional error code 554. What did cox change 3 weeks ago on their servers?
I checked reputation of my domain with all known rbls - all clean. Researched, tested, retested - everything points out to cox smtp servers just blocking/marking my outgoing mail as spam when my return address (from:) is not cox address. Spent 2 days on the phone with Cox "techsupport" - tried to ask them what the heck they did 3-4 weeks ago when it all started - those "helpers" had no clue.
I then submitted 2 messages to cox online and asked them to open the ticket and investigate this issue. No response to either. Dead silence.
So I am reaching out to cox support on this public forum in a faint hope that my requests for your help would not be ignored.
Thank you
Health_Edge
Valued Contributor III
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4.2K Messages
11 years ago
Error code 554 seems to be one of these 3 things. What is the domain? Also can you include the whole message?
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gseweb
New Contributor
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23 Messages
11 years ago
Here is one error. I redacted e-mail addresses.
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gseweb
New Contributor
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23 Messages
11 years ago
another error:
Your message was rejected by inbound.interstateauthority.com.netsolmail.net for the following reason: 5.7.1 The message from (<alan@goldstar....com>) with the subject of (Re: 2015 BOC-3 Filing Due)matches a profile the Internet community may consider spam. Please revise your message
before resending. The following recipients did not receive this message: <robert@interstate.......com> Please reply to <Postmaster@cox.net> if you feel this message to be in error.
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gseweb
New Contributor
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23 Messages
11 years ago
I am a motor carrier. Never spammed in my life. Always possible that some lowlife out there could have forged headers. So when the blocking started, the first thing I did was to check reputation of my domain on barracudecentral, spamhaus, spamcop and about 100 others. Reputation of my domain came out as 100% clean on all rbls. No evidence that anyone compromised my domain. But Cox spam filters still seem to flag my outgoing e-mail as spam. No explanation from Cox. Actually, not a single word from them after I sent them my messages. And I am their paying customer.
Curios thing. If I set my return address as myname@cox.net and then send a test mail to myself - no blocking. As soon as I change my return address to myname@myowndomain.com - Cox puts my test mail in spam folder right away. In webmail I checked "THIS IS NOT SPAM," like 20 times already, and Cox is still blocking.
Cox, can you PLEASE respond???
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ChrisL
Former Moderator
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7.1K Messages
11 years ago
Can you email other recipients at all? All of the examples you posted appear to be getting rejected by the destination mail system and not ours.
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gseweb
New Contributor
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23 Messages
11 years ago
Thank you, Chris, for responding.
That is the $60k question you asked. 99% of the time I don't get any error when I send out my email with the return address of my own domain rather than the cox' one. No error comes back, but the recipient gets nothing. Email just disappears. This has happened with several different recipients in the past 3 weeks. And the only way I found out is when they called me and asked, hey where is that file? I resend, no error, they call back - hey we got nothing. Several recipients on different networks. So the first thing I did was to check the reputation of my domain. I thought maybe some lowlife spammed with my return address and got my domain blacklisted on worldwide spamlists. No, that is not the case. The reputation of my domain is clean. No one spammed, no one compromised my domain.
There were only 2 instances when I received an error message. I posted them above. Whereas the message in the error is confusing, both errors do mention "SPAM" issue. And if my domain is not blacklisted on global rbls (which I checked), then by the process of elimination it has to be Cox own spam filter that got overzealous. I ask Cox to check their filter, perhaps parse logs and search for my domain name in those logs to see what is going on. This could be the problem.
There could be another possibility. Like I mentioned previously, I use mozilla thunderbird as my mail client. I set my return address as my cox email address - no problem. As soon as I change my From: field to a non-cox address (like my email address for my own domain) and send a test to myself -- immediately this email ends up in my spam folder (in webmail). Tested like 20 times. Perhaps your Cox technicians a month ago added some relay filter on your smtp server, like if the return address is not displayed as ...@cox.net - then kill it?
If the foregoing is the case, why would you block me? Why would you care if I send my emails out as from: @myowndomain, or my @cox.net? I pay for the Internet service to Cox. If I change providers, you won't let me keep @cox.net address. That's one reason why I own my domain and use my own email address.
Anyways, I never had this problem for 2 years I've been with you guys. It just started. I changed nothing on my end - so it means something was changed on your end, some extra script on your server, extra overzealous settings on your Cox spam filter. I can only guess by the process of elimination. Everything points out to Cox spam filter (or relay issue) How can we fix this? Thank you
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Health_Edge
Valued Contributor III
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4.2K Messages
11 years ago
First, does your mail host have it's own SMTP server? If so, its probably better to use that. It is possible Cox is blocking non Cox senders from their SMTP servers when they are backed up. Or maybe its based on the amount of outgoing messages.
Also, according to the errors, looks like your outgoinging is hitting Cox's server, and but it gets rejected when Cox tries to send to inbound.interstateauthority.com.netsolmail.net. Maybe Cox isn't always relaying the error, but it shows the problem isn't just on Cox. See if it continues using a different SMTP server.
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gseweb
New Contributor
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23 Messages
11 years ago
Health Edge,
Non-cox relay was never an issue for 2 years I've been with them until like 3 weeks ago. I do not have my own smtp server. I wish I did though. My outgoing messages amount to maybe 5-10 a day, just business contacts, so volume is not a problem. Recently started Cox blocking of non Cox senders may be the cause I suspect.
But then again. If Cox restricted the relay somehow recently, Cox also seems to have started tagging my outgoing mail as "spam" in the process. Or "potential" spam. So the receiving server may get this kind of "spam tag" from Cox and therefore automatically rejects my mail. Well, I am just guessing. Frustrating when you don't know what is really going on. I wish Cox helped in this case.... Alas. Based on all my tests, I think that Cox spam filter has something to do with this issue. Whatever it is...
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ChrisL
Former Moderator
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7.1K Messages
11 years ago
When you send using cox.net servers from addresses that are not cox.net this automatically elevates your emails as possibly being spam as how it's considered a form of relaying. What I suspect could possibly be happening is there are now other factors that are further elevating your message as being spam to the point of pushing it over a threshold. If you're not using it already I'd suggest trying to setup SMTP authentication in your email client to see if that helps any.
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gseweb
New Contributor
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23 Messages
11 years ago
Chris,
Authentication is set as smtp.cox.net port 465, security ssl/tls, normal password. Nothing was changed in 2 years on my end. Worked fine until 3 weeks ago. I think your spam filter just started elevating my domain name to the threshold for whatever reason.
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ChrisL
Former Moderator
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7.1K Messages
11 years ago
I'm thinking it's not our spam filter but rather the server you're hitting may be flagged as sending too much spam. As a residential Internet provider this is a very common occurrence. In most cases such issues will clear automatically after 3 days of the spamming activity ceasing.
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gseweb
New Contributor
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23 Messages
11 years ago
Chris,
Not sure I follow when you said, " the server you're hitting may be flagged." Which server do you mean? smtp.cox.net or the receiving server? Problem with my outgoing mail relayed as a non cox.net happens with not one, but several recipients on different networks, all over the country.
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ChrisL
Former Moderator
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7.1K Messages
11 years ago
Without seeing the headers of the mail received on the other end it's hard to say but our outgoing servers are regularly being flagged for spamming because we're a residential ISP. This largely happens because many customers aren't mindful about making sure they're virus free and often get a spam trojan that uses our outgoing mail servers as relays. In most cases this will clear itself after a few days of cooling off time. I did check the domain name you're using for email and it does appear to have it's own SMTP service. As an alternative you may wish to contact the provider to confirm this and perhaps get the steps to try setting that up as a permanent fix for your situation.
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gseweb
New Contributor
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23 Messages
11 years ago
Chris,
Your explanation about Cox smtp IPs being occasionally flagged makes lot of sense. However, in my case it's unlikely to be the cause. Take the error I posted above (with inbound.interstateauthority.com.netsolmail.net). It returned when I sent as a non-Cox. But when I resent my email as cox.net (a minute after I received an error, no waiting 3 days to clear off) - the guy received my email no problem. At that time, if Cox smtp was indeed flagged by netsolmail.net, it would have rejected either of my mails.
So I suspect, it is an "elevation" factor with a non-Cox relay in combination with Cox spam filter, which somehow started tagging my domain. Perhaps smtp authentication is no longer enough and Cox server now needs more verification from a non-Cox relayer?
The error code 554, I wonder if we can get any clue from that. Is there anything I should check on my end? Reverse dns, etc? Please advise. I am not an IT guy, unfortunately. Thanks
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ChrisL
Former Moderator
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7.1K Messages
11 years ago
If the remote system is returning the mail that means our spam blocker allowed it to pass so we're not blocking it. SPAM filtering works on a voting/scoring system. For example any one "spammy" characteristic of a message will not cause the message to be flagged as SPAM but a combination of suspicious characteristics will put the message over a threshold. Using a non-Cox email address for sending mail from a cox.net server is one such suspicious characteristic of a message that will automatically elevate your mail through many SPAM filtering engines. I suspect your messages due to a combination of characteristics are probably right under the borderline of being considered SPAM and possibly some other unrelated events are pushing it over the threshold.
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