{"id":3696,"date":"2024-01-03T16:20:15","date_gmt":"2024-01-03T16:20:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.warmy.io\/blog\/passive-spam-blacklist-psbl-how-to-remove-your-ip-from-it\/"},"modified":"2026-04-08T16:45:33","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T16:45:33","slug":"passive-spam-blacklist-psbl-how-to-remove-your-ip-from-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.warmy.io\/blog\/passive-spam-blacklist-psbl-how-to-remove-your-ip-from-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Passive Spam Blacklist (PSBL): What It Is and How to Remove Your IP (2026)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Landing on a DNS blacklist feels alarming, especially when your emails are bouncing back and you&#8217;re not sure why. The Passive Spam Blacklist (PSBL) is one of the more widely used DNSBLs in spam filtering stacks, and a listing here can quietly damage your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.warmy.io\/blog\/email-sender-reputation-score\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">email deliverability<\/a> without any obvious warning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The good news:<\/strong> PSBL is specifically designed to be easy to get off. Unlike some blacklists that require extensive manual review, PSBL operates on an automated, self-service model. Understanding exactly how it works and why your IP ended up on it is the fastest path to fixing the problem and making sure it doesn&#8217;t happen again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This guide covers everything you need to know about PSBL: what it is, how listings happen, how to check and remove your IP, and how to keep your sending reputation clean long-term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is the Passive Spam Blacklist (PSBL)?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The Passive Spam Blacklist (PSBL), hosted at psbl.surriel.com, is a real-time DNS-based blacklist (DNSBL) that identifies IP addresses that have sent email to spam trap addresses. It is described by its maintainers as &#8220;easy-on, easy-off.\u201d The listing process is fully automated, and so is the removal path.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>PSBL was built around a straightforward philosophical premise:&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>99% of the hosts that send spam to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.warmy.io\/blog\/what-is-a-spam-trap\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">spam traps<\/a> never send legitimate email.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>But for the 1% that do (which can be legitimate mail servers that got caught in a false positive), the barrier to removal should be as low as possible.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>That&#8217;s what separates PSBL from more restrictive blacklists: anyone can remove an IP address, not just the IP owner. PSBL runs on <a href=\"https:\/\/spamikaze.org\/AboutSpamikaze\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Spamikaze<\/strong><\/a>, an open-source DNSBL software package designed specifically to make it easy for mail server administrators to run their own DNS blacklist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Pro Tip:<\/strong> PSBL lists <em>IP addresses<\/em>, not email addresses or domains. If your domain is the issue, the relevant entry in PSBL will be the IP address of your outgoing mail server, not your domain name itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How does the PSBL work?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>PSBL&#8217;s listing process is fully passive and automated:<\/strong> An IP address is added to the PSBL when it sends email to one of PSBL&#8217;s spam trap addresses, the email is not identified as non-spam by PSBL&#8217;s automated filters, and the IP address is not already recognized as a known legitimate mail server.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>PSBL receives hundreds of thousands of spam trap emails every day:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Its automated scripts filter out bounce messages and known virus patterns from the incoming stream, but the volume is far too high for any human review.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>This means that borderline cases (like a legitimate server that delivered one message to an old, recycled email address) can also result in a listing without any manual intervention on PSBL&#8217;s side.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The PSBL database is publicly accessible as a DNS zone (psbl.surriel.com) and can also be synced as a plain text file. Email servers that use PSBL query this zone in real time to check incoming messages against the blacklist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How getting listed in PSBL affects your email deliverability<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A PSBL listing doesn&#8217;t automatically mean your emails get rejected everywhere all at once. Receiving mail servers and mailbox providers use PSBL and other blacklists differently. The impact depends on whether the receiving mail server queries the PSBL zone and how it&#8217;s configured to respond to a match.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mail servers using PSBL may:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Reject the message outright with a bounce back to the sender<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Flag the message as spam and deliver it to the junk folder<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Apply a higher spam score via SpamAssassin, where PSBL returns a score of 1.0 by default<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>SpamAssassin includes PSBL as a built-in rule (RCVD_IN_PSBL) since version 3.3.0, which means any server running SpamAssassin without custom configuration is already checking against it. A score of 1.0 may not trigger a block on its own, but combined with other spam signals it can push messages over the filter threshold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The deliverability impact is most severe for bulk senders and cold email outreach, where reputation signals are already under closer scrutiny.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"howto-block entry-content\"><p><!-- wp:heading --><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to check if your IP is on the PSBL<\/h2>\n<p><!-- \/wp:heading --><!-- wp:list {\"ordered\":true} --><\/p>\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><!-- wp:list-item --><\/p>\n<li><strong>Check directly at <\/strong><a href=\"http:\/\/psbl.org\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>psbl.org<\/strong><\/a><strong>: <\/strong>Go to <a href=\"http:\/\/psbl.org\/listing\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">psbl.org\/listing<\/a>. Enter your IP address in the search field and review the results. If listed, the page will show you the timestamps of when the spamtrap received email from your IP and when (if applicable) it was removed.<\/li>\n<p><!-- \/wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --><\/p>\n<li><strong>Use Warmy&#8217;s free deliverability test:<\/strong> Warmy&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.warmy.io\/free-tools\/email-deliverability-test\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Email Deliverability Test<\/a> primarily provides data on your inbox placement across various providers. It also checks your IP and domain against <a href=\"https:\/\/www.warmy.io\/blog\/email-blacklists-types-checks-and-how-to-stay-off-the-list\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">major blacklists<\/a>, including the PSBL, in a single scan. It also surfaces other technical issues like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC misconfigurations that could compound a deliverability problem<\/li>\n<p><!-- \/wp:list-item --><\/ol>\n<p><!-- \/wp:list --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">PSBL vs. other major blacklists<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>How does PSBL compare to the other DNSBLs you&#8217;re most likely to encounter?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th><strong>Feature<\/strong><\/th><th><strong>PSBL<\/strong><\/th><th><strong>SpamCop (SCBL)<\/strong><\/th><th><strong>Spamhaus ZEN<\/strong><\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Listing trigger<\/strong><\/td><td>Email sent to spam trap<\/td><td>User complaint + spamtrap<\/td><td>Spamtrap + manual review + CBL data<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Listing method<\/strong><\/td><td>Fully automated<\/td><td>Automated<\/td><td>Automated + manual<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Who manages it<\/strong><\/td><td>Passive, community-run<\/td><td>Cisco Talos<\/td><td>Spamhaus<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Manual removal<\/strong><\/td><td>Yes (self-service, instantaneous)<\/td><td>No (auto-expiry only)<\/td><td>Yes (via Spamhaus portal&nbsp; and varies by sub-list)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Auto-expiry<\/strong><\/td><td>Yes (within a few weeks of inactivity)<\/td><td>Yes (within hours\/days)<\/td><td>Partial (CBL\/PBL auto-expire; SBL manual)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Severity of impact<\/strong><\/td><td>Moderate (widely used in SpamAssassin)<\/td><td>High<\/td><td>Very high and used by major ISPs globally<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Whitelist option<\/strong><\/td><td>DNSWL.org<\/td><td>None<\/td><td>Spamhaus Whitelist (SWL)<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Not sure which blacklists are affecting your deliverability?<\/strong> Warmy&#8217;s free email deliverability test scans your IP and domain across 30+ blacklists in seconds.<a href=\"https:\/\/www.warmy.io\/free-tools\/email-deliverability-test\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> Check Your Deliverability Now<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"howto-block entry-content\"><p><!-- wp:heading --><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to remove your IP from the PSBL<\/h2>\n<p><!-- \/wp:heading --><!-- wp:paragraph -->The PSBL is designed to make removal as frictionless as possible. Before you submit a removal request, it&#8217;s worth understanding that the <em>permanent<\/em> fix isn&#8217;t the removal itself. It&#8217;s identifying and stopping whatever behavior triggered the listing in the first place.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:heading {\"level\":3} --><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 1: Confirm the listing<\/h3>\n<p><!-- \/wp:heading --><!-- wp:paragraph -->Go to<a href=\"https:\/\/psbl.org\/listing\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> psbl.org\/listing<\/a> and enter your IP address. If listed, the page will show you the exact timestamp(s) when the spamtrap received email from your IP. Note these details as they&#8217;ll help you trace the issue in your mail server logs.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:heading {\"level\":3} --><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 2: Identify the root cause<\/h3>\n<p><!-- \/wp:heading --><!-- wp:paragraph -->The most common causes of a PSBL listing are:<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:list --><\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><!-- wp:list-item --><\/p>\n<li>Malware or a virus on an end-user device using your IP to send spam directly. This is, by PSBL&#8217;s own data, the overwhelming majority of listings<\/li>\n<p><!-- \/wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --><\/p>\n<li>A compromised email account on a shared server that was used to relay spam<\/li>\n<p><!-- \/wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --><\/p>\n<li>A dynamic IP address where the previous holder was sending spam before the IP was reassigned to you<\/li>\n<p><!-- \/wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --><\/p>\n<li>A misconfigured mail server that was relaying email without proper authentication controls<\/li>\n<p><!-- \/wp:list-item --><\/ul>\n<p><!-- \/wp:list --><!-- wp:paragraph -->Cross-reference the listing timestamp with your mail server logs to identify which messages were sent around that time and from which account or system.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:heading {\"level\":3} --><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 3: Fix the underlying issue<\/h3>\n<p><!-- \/wp:heading --><!-- wp:list --><\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><!-- wp:list-item --><\/p>\n<li>If malware is involved, run a full antivirus scan on all devices connected to the network and remove any infections before proceeding<\/li>\n<p><!-- \/wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --><\/p>\n<li>If a compromised account is the cause, revoke access, reset credentials, and review your outbound email logs for any unauthorized activity<\/li>\n<p><!-- \/wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --><\/p>\n<li>If you&#8217;re on a dynamic IP and inherited a listing, there may be no action needed beyond the removal request itself<\/li>\n<p><!-- \/wp:list-item --><\/ul>\n<p><!-- \/wp:list --><!-- wp:heading {\"level\":3} --><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 4: Submit a removal request<\/h3>\n<p><!-- \/wp:heading --><!-- wp:paragraph -->Go to<a href=\"https:\/\/psbl.org\/remove\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> psbl.org\/remove<\/a>, enter your IP address, and click through the automated removal system. According to PSBL, removal is instantaneous on their end. Your IP should be gone from the DNS servers within approximately 30 minutes, accounting for propagation time.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:heading {\"level\":3} --><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 5: Consider permanent whitelisting<\/h3>\n<p><!-- \/wp:heading --><!-- wp:paragraph -->If you run a legitimate, high-volume mail server, consider applying for permanent whitelisting through<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dnswl.org\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> DNSWL.org<\/a>. PSBL uses the DNSWL whitelist to pre-emptively exclude known legitimate mail servers from being listed in the first place. Note that PSBL only honors DNSWL_LOW, DNSWL_MED, and DNSWL_HIGH classifications.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to prevent getting listed on the PSBL (and other blacklists)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Staying off the PSBL comes down to two things: keeping your list clean and keeping your infrastructure secure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Practice list hygiene<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>PSBL lists IPs that hit spam trap addresses. Spam traps are either addresses that never opted in (honeypots) or addresses that were once valid but have since been abandoned and recycled.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sending to either type means your list contains addresses it shouldn&#8217;t. Use double opt-in, remove hard bounces immediately, and run <a href=\"https:\/\/www.warmy.io\/blog\/6-must-have-email-list-scrubbing-tools-for-spotless-list-hygiene-in-2023\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">regular list cleaning<\/a> to eliminate addresses that haven&#8217;t engaged in 6\u201312 months.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Implement proper authentication records<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>While PSBL&#8217;s listing trigger is spam trap-based rather than authentication-based, proper authentication reduces your overall spam score and makes it less likely that your messages are filtered in ways that could lead to future issues.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Use Warmy&#8217;s free<a href=\"https:\/\/www.warmy.io\/free-tools\/spf-generator\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> SPF Generator<\/a> and<a href=\"https:\/\/www.warmy.io\/free-tools\/dmarc-generator\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> DMARC Generator<\/a> to verify your configuration.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ensure server security<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>PSBL listings are most often caused by malware-infected devices or compromised accounts, not intentional spam.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Keeping your mail server software updated, enforcing strong credential policies, and monitoring outbound traffic for anomalies goes a long way toward preventing the kind of unauthorized sending that triggers spamtrap hits.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Monitor sender reputation&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Regular blacklist monitoring is the only way to catch a listing before it compounds into a larger deliverability problem.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Warmy&#8217;s<a href=\"https:\/\/www.warmy.io\/free-tools\/email-deliverability-test\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> Email Deliverability Test<\/a> makes it easy to check your status across 30+ DNSBLs, including PSBL, on demand.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How Warmy helps you stay off the PSBL<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Fixing a PSBL listing is a one-time task but staying off it requires a consistent, healthy sending reputation. That&#8217;s where Warmy&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.warmy.io\/product\/warm-up-email\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">email warmup<\/a> infrastructure makes a measurable difference.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Warmy.io is an AI-driven email warmup and deliverability platform that builds, establishes, maintains, and monitors your IP and domain reputation. With robust and AI-powered features, Warmy brings warmup and deliverability to a whole new level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Warmup Preferences<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Warmy&#8217;s Warmup Preferences give you granular control over how your warmup traffic is distributed across various providers. You can set custom sending ratios across inboxes, adjust daily sending volume, choose between B2B or B2C engagement patterns, and configure your warmup schedule to closely mirror your actual sending patterns.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Seed List<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Warmy&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.warmy.io\/product\/seed-list\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Seed List<\/a> feature allows you to direct warmup emails to specific inbox providers (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, and others) so you build a reputation exactly where your target audience is. Provider-level targeting ensures your IP and domain develop a verified sending history with the right mail servers before you scale to real campaigns. Establishing that trust early means your IP is far less likely to be flagged or to accidentally hit a recycled spamtrap address during the warmup phase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Warmup With Clicks<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Engagement is one of the strongest signals a mail server can receive that an email is legitimate. Warmy&#8217;s Warmup With Clicks feature simulates real link-click behavior within warmup emails, sending positive engagement signals to inbox providers. High engagement signals make it harder for spam filters to score your messages negatively and a lower spam score means a lower chance of ever hitting the spamtrap thresholds that trigger a PSBL listing in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Steer clear of PSBL and other blacklists<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A PSBL listing is frustrating, but it&#8217;s one of the more manageable blacklist situations you&#8217;ll encounter. The process is transparent, the removal path is self-service, and for most legitimate senders the listing resolves automatically within weeks.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What matters most is identifying the root cause and fixing it before resubmitting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the long run, your best protection against PSBL and every other DNS blacklist is a clean list, properly authenticated sending infrastructure, and a sender reputation built through consistent, low-risk engagement. That&#8217;s exactly what Warmy is built to help you do. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.warmy.io\/signup\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Start your free trial today<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Your IP landed on the Passive Spam Blacklist (PSBL)? Learn what it is, how spamtrap listings work, and how to remove your IP or let it auto-expire.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5903,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[104,111],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3696","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-email-deliverability","category-email-spam-blacklists"],"acf":[],"lang":"en","translations":{"en":3696},"pll_sync_post":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.warmy.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3696","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.warmy.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.warmy.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.warmy.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.warmy.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3696"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.warmy.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3696\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5905,"href":"https:\/\/www.warmy.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3696\/revisions\/5905"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.warmy.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5903"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.warmy.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3696"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.warmy.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3696"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.warmy.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3696"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}