What do the timestamps in Spamhaus SBL advisory listing represent?
Summary
What email marketers say7Marketer opinions
Email marketer from MailPoet informs that timestamps represent the timeframe when their servers detected spam-like behavior and added the sender to a blocklist.
Email marketer from Reddit suggests the timestamps are when Spamhaus's system detected spam-like behavior originating from the IP. It’s an indicator of when the 'bad' activity occurred according to their tracking.
Email marketer from Quora clarifies the times show when the IP address/domain was flagged for sending unsolicited emails by Spamhaus's automated monitoring. It shows a period of 'observed spam'.
Email marketer from StackExchange shares that timestamps represent when the listed email address began and ended sending emails that triggered anti-spam filters, contributing to the Spamhaus listing.
Email marketer from MailerQ clarifies that the timestamps in Spamhaus SBL advisories reflect the period during which the observed spam activity occurred. This assists in correlating sending patterns with possible listing causes.
Email marketer from EmailToolTester explains that timestamps tell you when a server added an offending sender to a list of blocked senders due to malicious activity.
Email marketer from EmailDudes Forum notes that the timestamps on a Spamhaus listing indicate the 'window of activity' when a particular email sender's behavior was deemed problematic or spammy by Spamhaus's monitoring systems.
What the experts say5Expert opinions
Expert from Email Geeks states that even if one message was duplicated for the listings, Spamhaus might still be concealing additional information.
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that the timestamps reflect the period when the listed entity engaged in activities classified as spam or spam-related, leading to its listing on the Spamhaus SBL.
Expert from SpamResource indicates that the timestamps represent the beginning and end times during which the listed IP or domain exhibited behavior that triggered its inclusion on the Spamhaus Block List (SBL).
Expert from Email Geeks explains that the timestamps likely originate from the logs. She suggests that Spamhaus might have duplicated log lines for the SBL listing page, considering the timestamps are identical.
Expert from Email Geeks indicates that just because a single address is listed as a sample doesn't mean it's the only one triggering the issue. Spamhaus may withhold additional information.
What the documentation says5Technical articles
Documentation from Talos Intelligence indicates that the SBL timestamps correspond to when suspicious activity, potentially leading to a listing, was detected. The timestamps indicate the duration of the concerning activity.
Documentation from Cisco reports the timestamps show the lifespan of detected malicious email IP activity. They represent the period of time Cisco observed concerning email behavior.
Documentation from SURBL clarifies that the timestamps provide an approximate timeframe during which the listed resource (IP or domain) was found distributing spam or hosting spam-related content.
Documentation from Spamhaus explains that timestamps within SBL listings denote the time when the listed IP address was observed engaging in behavior indicative of spamming activity. The timestamps indicate the first and last observation times related to the specific listing.
Documentation from Barracuda confirms that these timestamps indicate the specific period during which Barracuda observed problematic behavior from the IP address.