The Domain Block List (DBL) created by the Spamhaus Project, is releasing its new spam-blocking advisory list to its domain users. The DBL has been beta tested during 2009 in Europe, Asia and North America, with great success. This version has enhanced spam protection without false positives, and it is ready for application in production spam filter systems.
Evading Filters
Spammers are losing their grip on the computers of consumers worldwide. The Spamhaus Project is fighting back with IP address filters such as its Zen lists, which successfully clean most of the emails in circulation. The way this works is that it sheds connections from known bad IP addresses with minimal loads on the system receiving them. Many users will notice almost 90% efficiency using this system, but some junk emails will bypass even the most stringent filters. Even at that stage, the Zen connection filters may not get every junk email before it comes to the user email system. Spammers are always one step ahead of the consumer, by utilizing domains for short times and getting around even the most sensitive filters. DBL comes in at this stage to fight back, and help the consumer take control of her or his email inbox.
What Does DBL Do?
When spam emails also contain links to landing web pages that are phishing or fraudulent, DBL works to thwart them. Some consumers already utilize URI filters such as SpamAssassin, and other URI datasets like SURBL and URIBL. Spamhaus has worked to customize the DBL to detect the spam and then block spam that contains DBL listed domains.
How Should Consumers Use DBL?
DBL is operational and ready to run at
dbl.spamhaus.org for any users with mail servers that can use domain URI blocklists or Right Hand Side Block Lists (RHSBLs) and who use it with a DNS inquiry. It is available too with Spamhaus Datafeed users. Here is a tip: for users wanting to use DPL in their spam filters, it is important to read DBL FAQ for proper use guidelines since DBL is not an IP blocklist, and can not be plugged into the usual mail server RBL filters. For this reason, DBL is only used where domain blocklists or RHSBLs are also used.
A newer version with DBL support is being released by SpamAssassin, it is SpamAssassin 3.3.1. Users will need to upgrade to 3.3.1 before using DBL, since it will not load onto older versions of SpamAssassin.
Other companies, such as Microsoft Hotmail, Yahoo! and Comcast are using Spamhaus databases, and will soon be enjoying the benefits of DBL data to filter more spam. Spamhaus wants the new data arena to allow internet consumers the chance to finally stop every piece of spam that might come their way. Spamhaus anticipates that DBL will allow domain registrars, registries and ICANN to identify problems in their spam domain registrations.
It might not ever be plausible to think that spam can be blocked 100%, but Spamhaus has the goal to reduce spam with its data lists and renewed commitment to get to 100% sooner than later.
Source: http://www.spamhaus.org/news.lasso?article=655
