As someone that administers an email server that uses Spam Assassin I can tell you that it checks many things including but not limited to:
Real Time Blacklists (RBLs): Make sure your sending ip address is not on any RBLs. invalid reverse DNS common spam words or phrases in the subject or body All HTML body (ie no equivalent text portion) invalid date date in the future SPF_FAIL and the list goes on and on and on. I included a few SA headers below so you can see what kinds of things I'm talking about. All SA servers are different because they use auto learning and thus some learn things not learned by others. If every single email is being rejected as spam by a certain SA sever or many SA servers I'm willing to bet your on an RBL. Use this as a start to check if your in and RBL. http://www.spamhaus.org/lookup.lasso If at all possible get one of the emails blocked by SA and inspect the headers. Wil Genovese Example SA header outputs. pts rule name description ---- ---------------------- ------------------------------ -------------------- 0.7 URG_BIZ BODY: Contains urgent matter 2.7 DEAR_FRIEND BODY: Dear Friend? That's not very dear! 1.1 NA_DOLLARS BODY: Talks about a million North American dollars 2.0 ADVANCE_FEE_2 Appears to be advance fee fraud (Nigerian 419) 1.4 ADVANCE_FEE_3 Appears to be advance fee fraud (Nigerian 419) 1.5 ADVANCE_FEE_4 Appears to be advance fee fraud (Nigerian 419) 0.1 RDNS_NONE Delivered to trusted network by a host with no rDNS pts rule name description ---- ---------------------- ------------------------------ -------------------- 0.7 SPF_SOFTFAIL SPF: sender does not match SPF record (softfail) 2.2 RCVD_IN_BL_SPAMCOP_NET RBL: Received via a relay in bl.spamcop.net [Blocked - see <http://www.spamcop.net/bl.shtml?62.140.137.157 >] 1.1 RCVD_IN_SORBS_WEB RBL: SORBS: sender is a abuseable web server [62.140.137.157 listed in dnsbl.sorbs.net] 1.2 US_DOLLARS_3 BODY: Mentions millions of $ ($NN,NNN,NNN.NN) 0.7 MSOE_MID_WRONG_CASE MSOE_MID_WRONG_CASE 2.0 ADVANCE_FEE_2 Appears to be advance fee fraud (Nigerian 419) 0.1 RDNS_NONE Delivered to trusted network by a host with no rDNS 4.2 FORGED_MUA_OUTLOOK Forged mail pretending to be from MS Outlook pts rule name description ---- ---------------------- ------------------------------ -------------------- 1.6 URIBL_AB_SURBL Contains an URL listed in the AB SURBL blocklist [URIs: fillfeel.com] 2.1 URIBL_WS_SURBL Contains an URL listed in the WS SURBL blocklist [URIs: fillfeel.com] 2.9 URIBL_JP_SURBL Contains an URL listed in the JP SURBL blocklist [URIs: fillfeel.com] 2.1 URIBL_OB_SURBL Contains an URL listed in the OB SURBL blocklist [URIs: fillfeel.com] 2.5 URIBL_SC_SURBL Contains an URL listed in the SC SURBL blocklist [URIs: fillfeel.com] 2.0 URIBL_BLACK Contains an URL listed in the URIBL blacklist [URIs: fillfeel.com] 0.9 URIBL_RHS_DOB Contains an URI of a new domain (Day Old Bread) [URIs: fillfeel.com] 0.5 FH_HELO_EQ_D_D_D_D Helo is d-d-d-d 1.7 INVALID_DATE Invalid Date: header (not RFC 2822) 1.6 TVD_RCVD_IP TVD_RCVD_IP 3.9 DATE_IN_FUTURE_96_XX Date: is 96 hours or more after Received: date 1.0 SPF_FAIL SPF: sender does not match SPF record (fail) [SPF failed: Please see http://www.openspf.org/why.html?sender=theresax%40info.gamanetwork.com&ip=200.2.159.214&receiver=xbox.christianmp3.com ] 2.9 MSGID_OUTLOOK_INVALID Message-Id is fake (in Outlook Express format) 0.5 RCVD_IN_PBL RBL: Received via a relay in Spamhaus PBL [200.2.159.214 listed in zen.spamhaus.org] 3.4 REPLICA_WATCH BODY: Message talks about a replica watch 0.0 HTML_MESSAGE BODY: HTML included in message 2.5 URIBL_SBL Contains an URL listed in the SBL blocklist [URIs: fillfeel.com] 2.0 FROM_EXCESS_BASE64 From: base64 encoded unnecessarily 0.1 RDNS_NONE Delivered to trusted network by a host with no rDNS On Mon, Feb 23, 2009 at 1:38 PM, Claude Schneegans < [email protected]> wrote: > > Hi, > > I have a couple of sites which send some news letters to subscribers. > A couple of them are blocked by Spam Assassin. > I'm looking for some service I could send messages to and that will > return the Spam Assassin report and scoring, so I can make sure my news > letters are correct. > > Any hint ? > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Adobe® ColdFusion® 8 software 8 is the most important and dramatic release to date Get the Free Trial http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;207172674;29440083;f Archive: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-talk/message.cfm/messageid:319718 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-talk/subscribe.cfm Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=89.70.4
