A spam blacklist blocks unsolicited emails from specific IP addresses to reduce the amount of spam reaching end users. Providers set throttling policies to limit the number of incoming copies of a single email. The blacklist minimizes junk mail and maintains server efficiency, but may also catch legitimate emails. Anti-spam software should be used to filter unwanted emails.
A spam blacklist is a list of different Internet protocols or IP addresses that are known to send large amounts of unsolicited email. Lists of this type are often maintained on different servers, effectively blocking the delivery of email from those IP addresses to any mail client connected to that server. The idea is to reduce the amount of unsolicited email that ultimately reaches end users. When used in conjunction with spam blocking software built into specific email programs, users usually find little or no spam messages in their inboxes.
While different providers use slightly different policies for configuring the spam blacklist, most will set some type of throttling on the number of incoming copies of a single email that the server will deliver to their email clients. This is sometimes based not only on how many copies of the same email are being transmitted simultaneously, but how often batches of that email are being sent. For example, if a server receives a total of 5,000 incoming emails with the same or similar subject from the same IP address, it is highly likely that the address will be added to the server’s spam blacklist.
One of the main benefits of using a spam blacklist on an email server is to minimize the amount of junk mail that filters through to end users. This in turn means less time wasted opening unsolicited emails that end users aren’t interested in receiving or reading in the first place. At the same time, rejecting email originating with IP addresses known to send spam means that server resources are not diverted to other essential tasks, which in turn maintains server efficiency.
It is important to note that while a spam blacklist on a server prevents a large amount of unwanted email from being filtered out, there is also a chance that the program will catch legitimate email, such as a mass email sent from a genuine and approved seller to all its customers. For this reason, many types of spam blacklisting software include the option to identify specific IP addresses or even a specific domain name that should be allowed to pass, regardless of how many similar emails the server receives in a certain time interval. Additionally, end users should use anti-spam software that is part of their email programs to filter emails that pass through the server’s blacklist, allowing unwanted emails to be routed directly to a spam folder and do not clutter up the user’s mailbox.
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