Why is my website link flagged as malware on LinkedIn and listed on Spamhaus and Fortinet?
Summary
What email marketers say12Marketer opinions
Email marketer from Quora suggests checking if your DNS records have been tampered with or if your domain has been hijacked, as this can redirect users to malicious websites and trigger security warnings.
Email marketer from Email Geeks shares that the domain is listed by Fortinet as potential phishing and suggests contacting them to resolve it, assuming it's a false positive.
Email marketer from Email Geeks suggests that public WHOIS information is preferable, however it is not a critical factor.
Email marketer from Email Marketing Tips Blog says if you are sending out email campaigns with the link included it may be a result of poor email link reputation. They suggest improving your sender reputation by authenticating emails and maintaining a clean email list.
Email marketer from SitePoint Forums raises the possibility that if you're using shared hosting, your website might be affected by the actions of other users on the same server, leading to blacklisting. They suggest contacting your hosting provider to investigate.
Email marketer from WebSecurityForums.org suggests that a new domain might initially have a low reputation, leading to stricter scrutiny by security systems. Building trust over time by consistently providing valuable content and adhering to best practices can help improve your domain's reputation.
Email marketer from BleepingComputer Forums recommends checking your website's reputation using online tools, examining recent server logs for suspicious activity, and ensuring your CMS and plugins are up-to-date to prevent vulnerabilities.
Email marketer from Webmaster World Forum notes that Spamhaus listings can occur if your website is associated with spam activity, even indirectly (e.g., compromised server, allowing comment spam). They advise checking your website for vulnerabilities and cleaning up any spam.
Email marketer from Reddit r/webdev suggests running a thorough scan of your website using tools like Sucuri SiteCheck or VirusTotal to identify potential malware or malicious code that might be triggering the flags.
Email marketer from Stack Overflow indicates that false positives can occur and recommends submitting your website to the flagging services (LinkedIn, Spamhaus, Fortinet) for review and removal from their lists. Also, check if your hosting provider has been blacklisted.
Email marketer from LinkedIn Help Community suggests that LinkedIn's flagging of content may be due to a temporary glitch, aggressive spam filters, or a violation of LinkedIn's terms of service. They recommend contacting LinkedIn support for clarification.
Email marketer from Email Geeks explains that the Spamhaus issue is likely due to MXToolbox incorrectly checking the Spamhaus DBL with an IP address associated with the domain name.
What the experts say7Expert opinions
Expert from Word to the Wise shares that a sender's reputation impacts the deliverability of links and that a poor sender reputation could lead to links within the email being flagged. She recommends working on improving sender reputation, which includes proper email authentication and sending wanted mail.
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that a domain's reputation is built over time and that blacklisting can occur due to various factors including spam complaints, malware distribution, and phishing activity. He advises to regularly monitor your domain's reputation using various tools to identify any issues early on.
Expert from Email Geeks shares that many registrars no longer offer public WHOIS as an option, and GoDaddy made the change due to abuse suffered by customers with open Whois records.
Expert from Email Geeks suggests the Fortinet listing may indicate a website compromise where the link is hosting a phishing landing page.
Expert from Spam Resource explains common reasons why a domain or IP address might be blacklisted, including sending unsolicited email, hosting malware, or being compromised. It advises checking blacklist status, identifying the cause of blacklisting, and taking steps to remediate the issues before requesting delisting.
Expert from Email Geeks explains that malware warnings may not be email-related, suggesting reaching out to LinkedIn support for clarification.
Expert from Email Geeks advises to ignore the Spamhaus/MXToolbox stuff, suggesting it could be an MXToolbox bug or user error, indicating an attempt to look up an IP address in a domain name list.
What the documentation says4Technical articles
Documentation from Fortinet clarifies that Fortinet's web filtering categorizes websites based on content, and a 'malware' or 'phishing' categorization indicates that Fortinet has detected malicious activity or content associated with the website.
Documentation from VirusTotal explains that their URL scanner aggregates results from multiple antivirus engines and website reputation services, providing a comprehensive overview of a URL's potential threats. A positive result from multiple sources indicates a higher likelihood of malicious activity.
Documentation from Spamhaus explains that the Spamhaus DBL (Domain Block List) lists domain names found in spam emails or used for malicious purposes. Listing reasons include spamvertised websites, malware distribution points, and phishing sites.
Documentation from Google Search Central shares that a website might be flagged in search results and browsers if it's infected with malware, used for phishing, or engaging in other harmful activities. They recommend using Google Search Console to check for security issues and request a review after cleaning up the website.