Spamhaus XBL
Removal
Automatic + self-service
Cost
Always free
Time to clear
Automatic once the exploit stops; self-removal is immediate
About Spamhaus XBL
The XBL carries the former CBL (Composite Blocking List) data: IPs seen exhibiting exploit behaviour — bot traffic, open proxies, worm/trojan activity. Because it’s behavioural, listings expire on their own once the bad traffic stops.
Why an IP gets listed
- The host is infected with malware/a bot and is emitting spam or exploit traffic.
- An open proxy or open relay is running on the IP.
- A NAT gateway is passing infected client traffic to the internet.
How to delist from Spamhaus XBL
- 1Look the IP up at check.spamhaus.org — the CBL result explains what exploit was detected.
- 2Find and clean the infected device behind the IP (check every host if it’s a NAT/gateway address).
- 3Close any open proxy/relay.
- 4Use the self-service removal link on the CBL lookup result — it delists immediately, and re-lists only if the behaviour returns.
Before you request removal: fix the root cause first — delisting while the problem persists almost always leads to a fast re-listing. Confirm the IP has valid reverse DNS, and that your SPF, DKIM and DMARC are in order.
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