My mail server flagged spam!

[Marwan Sultan]

Dear Dr. Matthew.,
 
   When my client or any clients uses the web mail that i have configured, 
   then everything works fine NO spam problems and email will be
   received by hotmail, gmail and vise versa.
 
   I found out that this particular client complaining because they use
   outlook express NOT the web mail.
 
   they configure their outlook express to use SMTP user/password
   with mail.clinet_domain.com as incoming/outgoing.
 
  even if they send from xyz at client_domain to admin at MyDomain.com
  both are in same server, I will still receive it as SPAM.
  (They are sending from outlook.)
 
  looking at spam log, and why its scored as spam.. here is a copy.
 
pts rule name              description 
---- ---------------------- -------------------------------------------------- 
0.9 RCVD_IN_PBL            RBL: Received via a relay in Spamhaus PBL 
                           [95.66.68.100 listed in zen.spamhaus.org] 
0.0 HTML_MESSAGE           BODY: HTML included in message 
0.0 BAYES_50               BODY: Bayesian spam probability is 40 to 60% 
                           [score: 0.5019] 
2.2 TVD_SPACE_RATIO        BODY: TVD_SPACE_RATIO 
0.1 RDNS_NONE              Delivered to trusted network by a host with no rDNS 
2.8 DOS_OE_TO_MX           Delivered direct to MX with OE headers 
 
 
As you see 2.8 for DOS_OE_TO_MX
and 2.2 for TVD_SPACE_RATIO
 
 I have looked for DOS_OE_TO_MX
 and it says because client is sending "directly" to MX records?
 well! i asked them to use "mail.server_name.com" for income/outgoing
 for outlook express..but still the same error and email is scored as spam.
 
 Any help is highly appreciate it.
 
- Marwan
 
> Date: Thu, 21 Oct 2010 06:42:06 +0100
> From: m.seaman at infracaninophile.co.uk
> To: dead_line at hotmail.com
> CC: freebsd-questions at freebsd.org
> Subject: Re: My mail server flagged spam!
> 
> On 21/10/2010 01:10, Marwan Sultan wrote:
> > if I check that domain in mxtoolbox.com
> > it complains "Warning - Reverse DNS does not match SMTP Banner"
> > could it be the SMTP banner flagging the mail as spam?
> 
> This is certainly possible. It would add spam points on my servers.
> 
> The address in question is the one presented by your mail server during
> the SMTP dialogue -- the first line it sends in fact. Something like this:
> 
> EHLO smtp.example.com
> 
> By default it will use the hostname of your server, but you can override
> that.
> 
> It is this address that you have to be really strict about: the address
> should resolve to the IP that the server connects via (not necessarily
> the IP of the server if there are NAT gateways involved), and a reverse
> lookup of that IP should return the name again.
> 
> This name used in the EHLO banner doesn't have to be anything to do with
> the addresses on the e-mail, except in as far as either side is using
> SPF and you have chosen to add that information to the SPF selector(s).
> SPF seems to be going out of favour now, and sensible mail admins
> didn't make accept/deny decisions entirely on pass/fail of SPF tests,
> but still, for best results with a mail system, you should take care to
> get that right.
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Matthew
> 
> -- 
> Dr Matthew J Seaman MA, D.Phil. 7 Priory Courtyard
> Flat 3
> PGP: http://www.infracaninophile.co.uk/pgpkey Ramsgate
> JID: matthew at infracaninophile.co.uk Kent, CT11 9PW
>