Email Domain Blacklist Check

Check if your domain name is listed on major URIBL (URI Blacklist) databases used by spam filters to block emails containing malicious links.

About Domain Blacklists (URIBL/SURBL)

There is a strict difference between an IP Blacklist and a Domain Blacklist. Your mail-sending IP might be perfectly clean, but if the links inside the body of your emails point to a blacklisted domain, SpamAssassin and other filters will immediately reject the message.

Domain Blacklists (like URIBL, SURBL, Spamhaus DBL) continuously crawl the internet and set honey-pots to find domains being used in phishing attacks or spam campaigns.

Resolution: If your domain is listed, you must visit the specific blacklist provider's website, follow their delisting procedures, and ensure your website hasn't been compromised to host malware silently.

Our Email Domain Blacklist Check queries domain-based blocklists to determine whether your sending domain is listed. Domain listings follow you across every IP address you send from, which makes them considerably harder to escape than IP listings.

What is a Domain Blacklist?

A domain blacklist, or DBL, lists domain names associated with spam, phishing or malware rather than IP addresses. Mail servers query them for the domain in the From header, the envelope sender, and often for domains appearing in message links.

The distinction from IP blocklists matters. An IP listing is tied to the address you send from, so changing sending infrastructure escapes it. A domain listing follows the domain itself — changing IP, changing provider, and changing servers all achieve nothing while the domain remains listed.

Domains are also listed for reasons unrelated to sending. A domain appearing in the body of spam sent by someone else can be listed, which affects legitimate owners whose domains are used in other people campaigns.

Lists domain names rather than IP addresses
Checked against sender domains and domains in message links
Follows the domain across every IP you send from
Changing infrastructure does not escape a domain listing
A domain can be listed for appearing in spam sent by others

Why Domain Blacklisting Matters

A domain listing is the more serious of the two kinds. An IP listing can be worked around by moving to different sending infrastructure; a domain listing cannot be escaped without either delisting or abandoning the domain entirely.

It also affects more than your outbound mail. Domains appearing in links are checked too, so a listed domain means messages sent by anyone that link to your site are filtered — including partners, customers and colleagues who simply reference you. The reputational effect extends well beyond your own sending.

Cannot be escaped by changing sending infrastructure
Affects mail sent by others that links to your domain
Often indicates compromise rather than deliberate spamming
Recovery requires delisting rather than a workaround
The reputational impact extends beyond your own mail

How This Domain Blacklist Check Works

The tool queries domain-based blocklists for the supplied domain.

Validates the domain input against format and SSRF safety checks
Queries each configured domain blocklist
Interprets any returned address, which encodes the listing category
Reports which lists the domain appears on and why
Provides the delisting route where a listing exists

How to Use the Domain Blacklist Check

Enter your sending domain in the input field
Run the check to query the blocklists
Review which lists return a result
Read the listing category, which indicates what to investigate
Address the cause before requesting delisting

Understanding Your Domain Blacklist Results

Listing categories point at different underlying problems:

Field / Value	Meaning
`Not listed`	The domain does not appear on the lists checked. No check covers every list in use, and status can change quickly, so periodic re-checking is worthwhile.
`Spam domain`	The domain has been observed in spam, either as sender or in message links. On a legitimate domain this usually means a compromised account or website.
`Phishing`	The domain has hosted or been used in phishing. Serious, and on a legitimate domain it almost always indicates a compromise with attacker-uploaded content.
`Malware`	The domain has served or distributed malicious software. Treat as a security incident rather than a deliverability problem.
`Abused redirector`	A URL shortener or redirect endpoint on the domain is being used to disguise malicious destinations. Common on domains with an open redirect.
`Multiple listings`	Several independent lists agree, indicating a real and sustained problem rather than a marginal classification.

Common Problems & How to Fix Them

Either mail is being sent from your domain without your knowledge, or your domain is appearing in spam sent by others.

Check DMARC aggregate reports for sending sources you do not recognise — this is precisely what they are for. Look for compromised mail accounts and for web forms that allow arbitrary sending. If your domain appears only in links rather than as a sender, someone is referencing your domain in their spam, which the list provider can usually confirm.

This almost always means the website has been compromised and is serving attacker content.

Treat it as an incident: find and remove the malicious content, identify and close the entry point, rotate all credentials, and check for persistence mechanisms. Only then request delisting. Also check Safe Browsing status, since browser blocking usually accompanies this kind of listing.

An endpoint taking a destination from a URL parameter is being used to disguise malicious links behind your trusted domain.

Validate redirect targets against an allowlist, or sign the parameter so only application-generated destinations are honoured. Until that is fixed, delisting will not hold because the abuse continues.

The previous owner used the domain for spam or abuse and the listing persisted through the transfer.

Contact the list with evidence of the ownership change; most handle this routinely. Expect it to take time, and check blacklist status before purchasing a domain rather than after.

Receiving servers cache blocklist responses, and many maintain internal reputation independent of public lists which takes considerably longer to recover.

Allow time, keep sending volumes modest while reputation rebuilds, and maintain strict list hygiene. A domain recovering from a listing has less tolerance for complaints than one with a clean history.

Best Practices

Monitor domain blacklist status continuously rather than discovering listings from complaints
Use DMARC reports to detect unauthorised sending from your domain
Check blacklist status before purchasing a domain
Secure web forms and redirect endpoints against abuse
Enforce DMARC so others cannot send as your domain
Maintain list hygiene, since complaints contribute to listings
Investigate the cause fully before requesting delisting

Security Recommendations

Treat a phishing or malware listing as evidence of compromise rather than a deliverability problem
Use DMARC aggregate reports to identify unauthorised senders, which is the main tool available for this
Fix open redirects, since they are actively harvested and abused to disguise malicious links
Check every subdomain and any parked domains on the same hosting when investigating
Rotate credentials across mail, hosting and administrative accounts after any compromise
Enforce DMARC at quarantine or reject so spoofed mail cannot damage your domain reputation

Frequently Asked Questions

A list of domain names associated with spam, phishing or malware. Mail servers check it against sender domains and against domains appearing in message links, rejecting or filtering accordingly.

An IP listing applies to the address you send from and can be escaped by changing infrastructure. A domain listing follows the domain itself, so changing servers, providers or addresses achieves nothing.

Common causes are a compromised mail account sending without your knowledge, a compromised website serving malicious content, an abusable form or open redirect, or your domain appearing in spam sent by someone else.

Find and fix the cause first, then follow the delisting process the list publishes. Domain listings generally receive more scrutiny than IP listings, and delisting without remediation results in relisting.

Yes. Domains appearing in the body of spam sent by others can be listed, and an abused open redirect on your domain will be listed even though the underlying content is elsewhere.

It can. Domains in message links are checked, so mail sent by anyone that links to your site is filtered. Phishing and malware listings frequently accompany browser-level blocking too.

Delisting itself may be quick, but receivers cache responses and many maintain internal reputation that recovers more slowly. Keep volumes modest and complaints low while reputation rebuilds.