Why are my IPs listed on Proofpoint and how to resolve it?

Key findings

• Customer actions: The primary reasons for Proofpoint listings often relate to the actions of your customers, such as sending B2B cold emails or generating spam complaints.
• Spam trap hits: Engagement with spam traps, which Proofpoint monitors, can directly lead to IP blocklisting.
• Shared IP challenges: If you are on shared IPs, the sending practices of other users on those IPs can negatively affect your deliverability, leading to collective blocklisting.
• Delisting difficulty: Senders often report difficulties with Proofpoint's delisting process through their standard web forms, sometimes requiring direct communication.
• Reputation tracking: Proofpoint continuously assesses IP addresses for malicious behavior, blocking servers that show signs of abuse.

Key considerations

• Investigate customer behavior: Thoroughly review your customer's email sending practices, especially concerning cold emails or unengaged lists. This is a critical first step if you find your IP addresses blocklisted or your email deliverability suffers.
• Contact Proofpoint directly: If the web form is ineffective, try emailing postmaster@proofpoint.com, keeping in mind that responses may take time due to time zone differences and monitoring schedules.
• Monitor your IP reputation: Regularly check your IP status on Proofpoint's own IP check tool to quickly identify and address listings. Also consider a general blocklist checker.
• Address underlying issues: Focus on the root causes of poor sending reputation, whether it is data hygiene, content, or authentication issues, to prevent recurring problems and resolve IP blacklists on Proofpoint.

Key opinions

• Shared IP vulnerability: Many marketers on shared IP addresses find that their entire sending infrastructure can be affected by the actions of a single problematic user, leading to widespread deliverability issues.
• Generic rDNS concerns: Some marketers suspect that generic Reverse DNS (rDNS) formats, particularly for high-volume senders, might contribute to blocklist issues, although this is not always a definitive cause.
• Limited delisting success: There is a common sentiment that Proofpoint's online delisting forms are often ineffective, compelling marketers to seek alternative contact methods or wait for extended periods.
• Customer activity impact: Marketers frequently acknowledge that their customers' sending practices, such as cold emailing or sending to unengaged lists, are often the root cause of IP reputation issues.

Key considerations

• Understand Proofpoint's stance: Proofpoint prioritizes fixing false positives for IP addresses, but marketers need to provide clear evidence and context.
• Implement proactive monitoring: Utilize Proofpoint's IP check tool to monitor your IPs regularly. This allows for quick detection of listings and faster response times, as detailed by the Brevo Community.
• Review sending policies: If you are an ESP or use shared IPs, re-evaluate policies on allowing practices like B2B cold email, as this can severely affect deliverability for everyone on the shared infrastructure.
• Address authentication: Ensure your SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are correctly configured, as these play a vital role in authenticating your emails and building trust with receivers, mitigating reasons for blocklisting. This is part of how to boost email deliverability rates.

Key opinions

• Customer behavior as primary cause: Experts strongly believe that customer activities, such as complaints from Proofpoint users or hitting spam traps, are the most probable reasons for an IP to be listed, rather than technical settings.
• rDNS usually not the issue: Generic Reverse DNS setups are generally not considered a direct cause for Proofpoint blocklistings by experts.
• Patience with postmaster: Contacting Proofpoint's postmaster team requires patience, as it may not be a 24/7 monitored desk, particularly given time zone differences.
• Monitoring spam traps: Proofpoint, like other major security vendors, monitors and utilizes spam trap networks to identify problematic senders.

Key considerations

• Audit sending practices: Rigorously audit your email sending practices, especially for any B2B cold emailing or practices that could generate high complaint rates or hit spam traps.
• Focus on content and lists: Ensure your email content is relevant and your recipient lists are clean and engaged. This is crucial for overall email deliverability.
• Direct engagement with Proofpoint: While web forms exist, direct email to postmaster contacts can be necessary. Be prepared to provide detailed information about your sending practices and efforts to remediate issues, as described in discussions on Spiceworks Community.
• Internal review of traffic: As an ESP or a large sender, continuously review the type of traffic your customers are sending to prevent your IPs from being flagged by security vendors.

Key findings

• Continuous reputation assessment: Proofpoint constantly evaluates IP addresses globally for signs of malicious activity and blocks those that exhibit such behavior.
• CSI blocking: IPs listed on Proofpoint's Cloudmark Sender Intelligence (CSI) may receive bounce-back messages indicating a block, which should be visible in sender logs.
• Trust-listing options: Proofpoint administrative consoles allow for trust-listing (safelisting) specific domain names or IP addresses to bypass spam detection.
• SPF record importance: Proper configuration of SPF records, including all authorized sending IPs and hostnames, is essential for email security and deliverability with Proofpoint.

Key considerations

• Monitor bounce logs: Regularly check your sender logs for bounce messages that indicate a block by Proofpoint's CSI. This provides direct feedback on deliverability issues.
• Implement SPF records: Ensure your SPF records are accurately set up to include all legitimate sending IPs and hostnames. This helps Proofpoint (and other filters) authenticate your emails and reduces the chance of misclassification as spam, as detailed by AutoSPF.
• Review safe listing procedures: Familiarize yourself with Proofpoint's organizational safe list features if you are an administrator. This can be used to ensure critical emails from specific domains or IPs always reach the inbox of your Proofpoint-protected recipients, as outlined by SafeTitan Help Center.
• Understand Proofpoint's operation: Gain insights into how Proofpoint works, including its continuous assessment of IP addresses for malicious behavior. This deeper understanding can inform your sending strategies and help prevent future listings.