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How to determine why the IP Blocklist spam filter blocked or allowed a message

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If you are questioning why an email was blocked or allowed by the IP Blocklist spam filter and would like more information, you can find further details in the log file for that filter. Use the following procedure to find the log and information regarding your message within it, and then use the examples below to interpret why the message was either blocked or allowed:
  1. Find the message ID of the email in question by either gathering it from the headers of the message itself, or by looking for it in the MailEssentials Dashboard > Logs > Details tab
  2. Open the ase_ipblocklist.gfi_log file in notepad from  ..\GFI\MailEssentials\AntiSpam\DebugLogs
    • This log is for the IP Blocklist Filter Module and corresponds to the Configuration > Anti-Spam > Anti Spam Filters > IP Blocklist in the interface and the ip_blocklist table in the config.mdb
  3. Do a search for the Message ID from the dashboard or the email headers
    • Note: The Message IDs have been removed from the example log files below
    • Note: The bolded lines are the important ones in the log files for determine what has happened and why
 
There are two main parts to this log.  The first loads the information for the module, the second scans the individual emails.  
 

Loading the settings:
 

Loading the settings:
Context Refreshed: Yes
Received headers check: Disabled
Refreshing blocked IPs from db ...
SELECT ip, mask FROM ipblocklist
Added IP = x.x.x.x\255.255.255.255
Loaded 1 entries from db ... 
 

Email was allowed by the module:
 

Connecting IP: x.x.x.x
CIPBlocklist::Execute()
Checking address [x.x.x.x]
Address [x.x.x.x] is not blocked
Message is not blocked ...
 
Note: If a spam IP address is not blocked, add it to the IP Blocklist in the configuration.
 

Email was blocked by the module:
 

Connecting IP: x.x.x.x
CIPBlocklist::Execute()
Checking address [x.x.x.x]
Address [x.x.x.x] is blocked
Message is blocked ... 
Setting block report to [IP is in Blocklist]
 
Note: If a valid IP is blocked, remove it from the IP Blocklist in the configuration.
 

Module is disabled:
 

Skipping message processing (not enabled)...
 
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  1. Priyanka Bhotika

  2. Posted

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