The Spam Eating Monkey SEM-BACKSCATTER is a specialized blocklist (or blacklist) that lists IP addresses responsible for sending backscatter, which is email sent with a null sender to spamtrap addresses.
Spam Eating Monkey SEM-BACKSCATTER is a DNS-based blocklist (DNSBL) that specifically targets IP addresses involved in sending backscatter. Backscatter, or outbound spam, refers to non-delivery reports (NDRs) or bounce messages that are sent for emails that were never actually sent by the receiving server's domain. This often happens when spammers forge a sender address, and the innocent forged address receives the bounce message. This particular blacklist (or blocklist) lists IP addresses that send mail with a NULL sender (MAIL FROM: <>) to a spamtrap address. Mail servers that use this blacklist can use the data to score or reject emails from listed IPs to reduce the amount of backscatter they receive.
It is used by system administrators who want to filter out this specific type of unwanted traffic. Below is some of the technical information for this blocklist:
The Spam Eating Monkey SEM-BACKSCATTER blacklist is operated by SpamEatingMonkey.com. The organization provides real-time IP and domain reputation information to help prevent the delivery of unwanted mail. They emphasize that they do not directly block any mail. Instead, they provide reputation data which individual mail server administrators can choose to use at their own discretion. The responsibility for blocking mail lies with the administrator of the recipient's mail server, not with Spam Eating Monkey. All data is provided 'as is' and is intended for use in email scoring systems rather than for outright rejection of messages.
There are two ways to be removed from the Spam Eating Monkey SEM-BACKSCATTER blocklist. The first is automatic. An IP address will be automatically removed from this specific blacklist after 15 days, provided it does not send any more backscatter to their spamtraps during that period.
If you need a faster resolution, you can request manual delisting. Before you request removal, you should first identify and fix the root cause of the backscatter messages. This usually involves reconfiguring your mail server to no longer send bounce messages for emails where your server is not the final destination. Once you have fixed the issue, you can look up your IP address on the Spam Eating Monkey website. If it is listed, there will be a form to request delisting. According to their policy, removal requests are typically reviewed and processed within 24 hours. Note that a denial of your request is still considered a processed request.
The impact of being listed on the Spam Eating Monkey SEM-BACKSCATTER blacklist is generally considered low. This is because it is a highly specialized blocklist targeting a very specific problem, backscatter. It is not as widely used as broader blocklists that track general spam. However, for senders listed on this blacklist, email delivery may be impacted when sending to networks and mail providers that do use it. Spam Eating Monkey advises its users to use their data for scoring emails rather than outright blocking. This means a listing might contribute to a higher spam score but may not cause an automatic rejection on its own, further reducing its overall impact on your email deliverability.
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