mail auth

[jon123]

anyone ever set up domainkeys signing for emails?
Having trouble sending mail via sendmail that doesn't end up in Yahoos junk mail folders. The only thing left I can think of is the domainkeys signing.

Anyone have any experience?

[kev woodman]

Haven't used it Jon but it's interesting stuff. Could well become essential in the near future - the only thing that slightly bothers me is that it's closed source and owned by Yahoo.

[jon123]

I agree Kev, the problem is what options are we going to be left with? I mean if you want to send newsletters out to BT Yahoo users using sendmail, then the only way to do it is to conform to their requirements or have your newsletter go straight into the junk mail folder. And we haven't even talked about AOL yet!

1 month ago i was sending mail to BT no problem, but now it junks them. All the correct header info is sent, i even added SPF to the records. The only thing left is domainkeys (unless I have missed something). The ip isn't blacklisted either.

I am finding the documentation for implementing domainkeys totally confusing, so not sure which way to turn.

I am using phpmailer and now not even sure whether i should use smtp either? I have tried both!

Any thoughts on which option would be best to use to send mail? smtp or not?

[jon123]

Anyone see anything missing or wrong in the headers below? I don't understand why Yahoo is junking the mail apart from if the ip is blacklisted! which i hope it is not. I certainly have never sent any spam. Does anyone know how blacklists work, do they just block the single ip or all in the range 0,255 ?

 
X-Apparently-To: emailremoved.com via 217.146.189.151; Sat, 18 Aug 2007 00:10:26 +0000
X-YahooFilteredBulk: 87.117.246.169
X-Originating-IP: [87.117.246.169]
Authentication-Results: mta824.mail.ukl.yahoo.com  from=wedbag.org.uk; domainkeys=neutral (no sig)
Received: from 87.117.246.169  (EHLO server.ttsmedia.com) (87.117.246.169)
  by mta824.mail.ukl.yahoo.com with SMTP; Sat, 18 Aug 2007 00:10:26 +0000
Received: from [87.117.246.169] (helo=www.wedbag.org.uk)
 by server.ttsmedia.com with esmtpa (Exim 4.63)
 (envelope-from <removed.org.uk>)
 id 1IMAFv-0002R0-UZ
 for removed.com; Fri, 17 Aug 2007 23:25:24 +0100
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 23:25:23 +0100
To: Janner <removed@btinternet.com>
From: Swedbag <removed@wedbag.org.uk>
Subject: SWEDBAG TEST
X-Priority: 3
X-Mailer: PHPMailer [version 1.73]
MIME-Version: 1.0
X-AntiAbuse: This header was added to track abuse, please include it with any abuse report
X-AntiAbuse: Primary Hostname - server.ttsmedia.com
X-AntiAbuse: Original Domain - btinternet.com
X-AntiAbuse: Originator/Caller UID/GID - [0 0] / [47 12]
X-AntiAbuse: Sender Address Domain - wedbag.org.uk
X-Source: 
X-Source-Args: 
X-Source-Dir: 
Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary=b1_39182b7d2e10c16fcd8f0262839bb47e

The line in bold concerns me! "YahooFilteredBulk"

Benn working on this for 2 days now. rDNS is fine, SPF entry is also ok

[Administrator]

Hello Jon,

Only solution I see over here is to alter your newsletter mailing script and make it use SMTP server. seems like they move your newsletters in junk folder as it comes from nobody@server.hostname.com so if it goes from something like jon@domain.com then it should not get rejected or moved to junk.

[jon123]

Hi Admin, I am at present using smtp. I have tried both. The headers above were from email sent using smtp.

I just can't understand how Yahoo considers it bulk email! Where is it getting this info from? I know if the headers aren't right or not full headers then Yahoo will filter it as spam, but all seems right to me.

[Administrator]

Originally Posted by jon123

Hi Admin, I am at present using smtp. I have tried both. The headers above were from email sent using smtp.

I just can't understand how Yahoo considers it bulk email! Where is it getting this info from? I know if the headers aren't right or not full headers then Yahoo will filter it as spam, but all seems right to me.

Recently many ISP's as well as control panel providers like cpanel.net have modified their spam protection scripts. I was quite surprised to read some new rules added in /etc/cpanel_exim_system_filter as the spam detection principle has been completely changed now.

I guess similar technology has been implemented by other free email service providers like yahoo & hotmail as the spams are no more detected just with specific keywords but information in header of the emails is used to detect spams.

[jon123]

As I have been reading via google most of today, all these changes seem to do nothing to prevent spam as it is still getting trough. What isn't 'getting through' is legitimate emails like newsletters, etc.

I think that Yahoo has decided that ALL bulk email is SPAM just like crap AOL does, and there is nothing we can do to change it. I am all for preventing and blocking spam, but not at the expense of legit companies who rely on sending monthly emails as part of their operations. Thankfully I don't fall into this category, but many people are pulling their hair out over this problem

What next! block all server sent emails! It wouldn't suprise me

[Administrator]

I think they are blocking emails which include multiple hyperlinks, images and html. This sounds strange but I have proof to say so.

We send invoice notifications in text format and they always reach mailboxes of all customers with due invoices. If we switch to html notifications then 50% customers contact us only after their account gets suspended.

maybe you need to change definition of Newsletters

[jon123]

That is true Admin, have read that many times today that is why I have tried plain/text instead of html. I stil have the same problem.

Do you have any BT/Yahoo clients? As far as I am aware Yahoo changed their filtering 6 weeks ago and loads of complaints sinse then. Wonder if your invoices are still getting through !!

Ramon suggested contacting Yahoo as it appears i also get delay problems as well with yahoo returning the mail for later delivery. I will see if i get a reply from them and let you know.

[Administrator]

I sent few welcome emails to myself from our billing system to my yahoo address in html as well as plain text format and all have reached bulk folder in my yahoo account.

I am forced to believe what you are experiencing. Yahoo cant be that stupid. Customers can never expect anything as important as welcome email reaching the Bulk folder.

Seems like they want the Inbox to receive only stupid jokes and forwards from other Yahoo users.

[jon123]

That's bad news Admin!


i guess at least with registrations, signups, etc you can tell them to check there spam folder and add your site to their 'whilelist', but things like newsletter, etc then their is no point sending them.

Lets hope Yahoo give us some info we can use to combat this problem

[Administrator]

Originally Posted by jon123

That's bad news Admin!


i guess at least with registrations, signups, etc you can tell them to check there spam folder and add your site to their 'whilelist', but things like newsletter, etc then their is no point sending them.

Lets hope Yahoo give us some info we can use to combat this problem

I have notified all our staff members about this problem. just now I checked few tickets in billing department and there were few tickets from customers using yahoo email address saying that they didn't receive welcome email even after 2 days.

I saw many such closed tickets as well where our staff members again and again sent welcome email and customers refused receipt of those. This is really bad for Yahoo users as well as people like you and we.

Hopefully one of our staff members will find a solution to this problem.

[jon123]

Let me know if they do.

The answer maybe the Yahoo domainkeys as mentioned in my first post. If one of your tech guys can set this up it may sort your problem. And if it does, maybe your tech guy could teach us how to implement it also.
It is well beyond my understanding

[Administrator]

Originally Posted by jon123

Let me know if they do.

The answer maybe the Yahoo domainkeys as mentioned in my first post. If one of your tech guys can set this up it may sort your problem. And if it does, maybe your tech guy could teach us how to implement it also.
It is well beyond my understanding

nope. domainkeys has nothing to do over here.

I created some new tickets from our helpdesk and those reached my yahoo inbox. same content was sent in the tickets and the actual sender was nobody@server.hostname.com so there's something thats really strange with yahoo.

not sure why it would accept emails from Cerberus and why it would reject modernbill emails. I have one of our senior person on top of this and he has never failed to solve technical things