Anti-Spam Sites Block Microsoft Hosted Exchange Services

section: microsoft, for your questions: KezNews forum, 31.12.2006

Microsoft's Exchange hosted mail services, designed to help businesses combat spam, have themselves been blocked by several anti-spam blacklists around the Web, CRN has learned.

A week or so ago, some customers started noting a rising tide of blocked spam originating from an internet address registered as FrontBridge. Microsoft acquired FrontBridge and its "e-mail hygiene" technology in June 2005 last year and subsequently incorporated it into its Exchange Hosted Services offerings.

The customers traced the blocked spam to a server in Washington state. They contacted customer service and received this response: "We are currently aware of this server having been listed on multiple block lists .. Our Network Operations team is currently investigating the reason for these listings and their removal. Although we do appreciate your alerting us to this, due to security restrictions which we employ I am unable to release any further information regarding our organization to you."

On Friday afternoon, Microsoft acknowledged and clarified the situation, saying that what customers were likely seeing was actually the blockage of non-delivery reports.

"This non-delivery report (NDR) server for Exchange Hosted Services, located in Canyon Park, Wash. Is currently listed on three block lists, including Spamhouse.org," said Jay Vernon, director of client services for Exchange Hosted Services via e-mail.