What is Vade Secure's Sendertool and how does it work for managing IP blocks and false positives?
Michael Ko
Co-founder & CEO, Suped
Published 4 May 2025
Updated 16 Aug 2025
7 min read
When managing email deliverability, encountering IP blocks and false positives is a common hurdle. Security vendors like Vade Secure play a significant role in filtering email traffic, and understanding their tools is crucial for ensuring your emails reach their intended recipients. Among these tools is Vade Secure's Sendertool, a platform designed to help senders manage their IP reputation and address any blocklistings or incorrect spam classifications.
This tool is relatively new, and detailed public documentation can be scarce. My aim is to shed some light on what Sendertool is, how it functions, and how email senders can best leverage it to resolve deliverability issues, specifically focusing on IP block management and the handling of false positives.
What is Vade Secure's Sendertool?
Vade Secure is a prominent cybersecurity company known for its email security solutions, particularly its advanced anti-phishing, anti-spam, and anti-malware technologies. They provide a range of services aimed at protecting inboxes from various threats. Sendertool serves as an interface for email senders to interact directly with Vade's systems regarding their IP addresses.
It is primarily a Vade Secure support portal, allowing verified senders to submit requests for verdict reviews related to IP blocklists (or blacklists) and false positive classifications. Unlike some other sender tools, its focus appears to be on direct mitigation rather than providing extensive network monitoring data. This means you primarily use it when you have an existing issue that needs resolution.
The tool allows senders to add individual IP addresses or entire /24 IP ranges. When registering an IP or range, you designate whether it's a shared or dedicated IP, which helps Vade's systems understand the context of the sending activity. This information is crucial for accurate assessment of your sending reputation. For more on managing senders during blacklisting, refer to our guide on how to manage senders.
The process of adding IPs to Sendertool includes a verification step, which is critical for security and to ensure that only legitimate senders can request reviews for specific IP assets. This verification often involves sending an email to a contact listed in a Regional Internet Registry (RIR) database associated with the IP's reverse DNS record. This mimics practices seen with other major sender programs, like Microsoft's Smart Network Data Services (SNDS).
How Sendertool works for IP block management
Sendertool primarily functions as a channel for IP block mitigation. When your email traffic is blocked by Vade Secure's systems, you can use Sendertool to understand the status of your registered IPs and submit requests for review or delisting. This is especially important for senders who find their legitimate emails are not reaching recipients, possibly due to an IP blocklist (also known as a blacklist) entry.
The process for IP block management involves registering your IPs and then submitting requests for specific issues. It's a direct line to Vade's remediation team, allowing you to provide context or argue for a re-evaluation of a block. However, there are limitations, such as a cap on the number of outstanding requests you can have at any given time, typically five.
Here's a comparison of how Sendertool's focus differs from other email reputation tools:
Vade Secure Sendertool
Purpose: Primarily for Vade Secure specific IP block and false positive mitigation.
Data Provided: Limited, mainly confirmation of request submission and status, not extensive analytics.
Verification: Requires email verification to an RIR listed contact.
General blocklist monitoring tools
Purpose: Comprehensive blocklist monitoring across multiple lists, proactive alerts.
Data Provided: Detailed insights into IP reputation, listing causes, and historical data.
Verification: Typically requires DNS records or API keys for verification.
If your IP is blocklisted by Vade Secure, the first step is to register the IP in Sendertool. Once registered and verified, you can submit a request for delisting or review. It's important to provide as much context as possible regarding your sending practices, including the nature of your emails and any steps taken to ensure compliance with email sending best practices. For a broader perspective on what happens when your IP is blocklisted, check our dedicated guide.
Managing false positives and delisting
False positives occur when legitimate emails are incorrectly identified as spam or malicious by email filters. This can lead to emails landing in the spam folder or being blocked entirely, even if your sending practices are compliant. Vade Secure, like any other sophisticated email filter, uses complex algorithms, including AI and machine learning, to identify threats. Sometimes, legitimate mail can get caught in the crossfire.
Sendertool is the primary avenue for senders to dispute these false positives. After registering your IP, you can report specific instances of legitimate emails being blocked or quarantined. The goal is to provide Vade with enough information for them to re-evaluate their verdict on the specific email or sending pattern, and adjust their filters accordingly to prevent future misclassifications. For more detailed information on users' experiences with Sendertool, you can read community discussions.
One common challenge when dealing with false positives, especially concerning IP blocks, arises when you do not directly own the IP addresses you are sending from. This often happens if you use a third-party email service provider or a shared IP infrastructure. In such cases, your ability to submit a request directly through Sendertool may be limited, as the IP verification process requires access to the RIR contact email.
If you are in this situation, you will likely need to work through your email service provider or the entity that owns the IP addresses. They will have the necessary access to the RIR database and can submit the delisting request on your behalf. This can sometimes add an extra layer of complexity and time to the resolution process.
Best practices for using Sendertool
To effectively use Vade Secure's Sendertool and maintain good email deliverability, several best practices should be observed. Proactive management of your sending infrastructure and close monitoring of your email campaigns are key to minimizing the impact of blocklistings and false positives.
Regularly monitor your email sending reputation. Tools that provide an email blocklist checker can help you identify if your IPs are listed on any major blacklists. While Sendertool focuses on Vade-specific issues, a broader understanding of your reputation is always beneficial. Also, ensure your DNS records, particularly SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, are correctly configured and aligned.
When you do submit a request through Sendertool, be as precise as possible. Include relevant headers, timestamps, and recipient information for the false positive. For IP blocklistings, detail any recent changes to your sending volume or practices. This data helps Vade's team efficiently investigate and resolve the issue. For more on how email blocklists work, consider exploring our guides.
Key considerations
IP Ownership: If you don't own your IPs, ensure your provider has access to Sendertool for delisting requests.
Detailed Information: Provide all necessary details like full headers and timestamps for quick resolution.
Patience: Resolution times can vary, especially with intermediary involvement.
Views from the trenches
Best practices
Actively monitor your IP and domain reputation across all major blocklists to catch issues early.
Ensure precise configuration of SPF, DKIM, and DMARC for strong email authentication.
Maintain clean mailing lists to minimize spam complaints and reduce false positive risks.
If using shared IPs, collaborate closely with your ESP to understand their blocklist mitigation processes.
Provide comprehensive data when submitting delisting requests, including full message headers.
Common pitfalls
Assuming your IPs will automatically delist without active intervention or submission.
Lack of direct IP ownership, complicating delisting without an intermediary.
Not understanding the specific data requirements for Vade Secure's delisting process.
Ignoring the 5-request limit, leading to delays in processing multiple issues.
Failing to implement continuous email hygiene practices to prevent future blocklistings.
Expert tips
Verify your IPs in Sendertool as soon as possible, even if you don't have active issues, for faster future response.
Document all communication and actions taken for each blocklist or false positive incident.
Leverage DMARC reports to identify potential sending issues that Vade Secure might detect.
Regularly review Vade Secure's public documentation and updates for changes in their policies.
Consider engaging with the Email Geeks community for shared experiences and solutions regarding Vade Secure.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks says that Vade Secure's Sendertool appeared to be a brand new release at the time of its discussion.
August 19, 2021 - Email Geeks
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks says that Sendertool is specifically designed for IP block mitigation, rather than offering broad network monitoring capabilities like other tools.
August 19, 2021 - Email Geeks
Summary of Sendertool's role
Vade Secure's Sendertool is a specialized portal aimed at helping email senders navigate IP blocklistings and false positive issues specifically with Vade's email filtering systems. While it may not offer comprehensive network monitoring data like some other tools, it provides a direct channel for submitting mitigation requests.
Understanding its verification process, limitations on outstanding requests, and the challenges associated with non-owned IPs is vital for effective use. By combining proactive reputation management with precise submission of requests, senders can improve their chances of quickly resolving deliverability issues and ensuring their emails reach the inbox.
Vade Secure support portal, allowing verified senders to submit requests for verdict reviews related to IP blocklists (or blacklists) and false positive classifications. Unlike some other sender tools, its focus appears to be on direct mitigation rather than providing extensive network monitoring data. This means you primarily use it when you have an existing issue that needs resolution.
