About JustSpam
JustSpam.org operates dnsbl.justspam.org — a honeypot-driven DNSBL that lists IPs caught sending mail to its trap network. JustSpam is a smaller community-driven list than Spamhaus or Barracuda but appears in many default DNSBL chains for Postfix, Exim, and SpamAssassin. The list is operated by a small team with a strong focus on automated spamtrap detection and minimal manual curation.
A subset of mid-market mail servers and some open-source mail platform default DNSBL configs. JustSpam appears in SpamAssassin's default scoring contributions for some rule sets. Direct receiver impact is smaller than Spamhaus or Barracuda but non-zero — listed mail is typically soft-failed at SpamAssassin-scoring receivers and rejected at strict-DNSBL-chain receivers.
Direct hits on JustSpam's honeypot network — email addresses that should never receive legitimate mail. Cold senders trigger this almost exclusively via purchased or scraped lists that include trap addresses, or via recycled-inbox traps where an old discontinued mailbox has been turned into a trap by a domain new owner.
How To Get Delisted From JustSpam
- 1
Confirm JustSpam listing via the lookup
Go to https://www.justspam.org/lookup.html and enter your IP. The result page shows whether you're listed plus the approximate listing timestamp. JustSpam doesn't disclose specific trap addresses but provides enough timing detail to correlate with sending campaigns.
Note: If your IP is also on Spamhaus or Barracuda, fix those first — they have larger receiver footprints and the same underlying list-hygiene problem usually triggers all three.
- 2
Identify the contaminated source in your lead data
Cross-reference the listing timestamp with your recent sending logs to identify which campaign or list segment was sending at that time. Purchased and scraped lead data are the most common sources of trap hits. If you can't identify the exact list, the safe move is verifying your entire active sending base through a verification service before resuming.
Note: Trap addresses rarely come alone — if one made it into your list, the same data source likely has more. Verify the whole list, not just removing the one obvious trap.
- 3
Wait for automatic expiration or contact for removal
JustSpam listings typically expire automatically after a period of no further trap hits — usually 7-14 days, depending on the listing severity and frequency. If you stop the trigger and don't hit any more traps in that window, the listing clears on its own. For faster removal, contact the JustSpam operators via the contact link on justspam.org with details of corrective action.
Note: Manual removal contact is via email — be specific about which campaigns were terminated and what list-hygiene improvements were shipped.
- 4
Verify delisting
Once the listing expires or removal is processed, re-run the JustSpam lookup to confirm. Receivers refresh DNSBL data within 1-4 hours of delisting. Resume sending only after verifying your active lists are clean — recurring listings within days indicate the underlying contamination wasn't actually resolved.
Note: JustSpam tracks repeat listings. Multiple re-listings make future manual removal harder.
- 5
Address structural list-hygiene risk
Implement list verification as a standard pre-send step: every active sending list should be verified through Apollo's built-in verifier, ZenVerifier, NeverBounce, or similar before launching campaigns. Drop purchased or scraped data sources you can't trace, and remove never-engaged contacts from your active sending pool.
Note: Shared infrastructure adds risk — when other tenants on your IP range hit traps, your IP gets listed regardless of your own list quality.
- 6
Consider whether JustSpam is worth urgent attention
Pragmatic note: if you're clean on Spamhaus, Barracuda, SpamCop, and SORBS but listed on JustSpam, the practical deliverability impact is usually small — JustSpam's receiver footprint is a fraction of the bigger lists. Many operators monitor JustSpam but don't urgently fix it. The underlying list-hygiene improvements that delist JustSpam are valuable regardless, but the listing itself is rarely the headline concern.
Note: Focus delisting effort on Spamhaus and Barracuda first — they have the highest receiver impact.
Operational Details
Automatic expiration: 7-14 days after last trap hit. Manual removal contact: 24-72 hours typically. Receiver-side DNSBL cache refresh: 1-4 hours after delisting.
Any new spamtrap hit attributed to the IP. JustSpam's honeypot network catches sends to retired or never-active addresses; even one hit re-lists the IP and resets the expiration timer.
Lookup: https://www.justspam.org/lookup.html. Manual removal: contact email on the JustSpam.org contact page (varies — check site for current contact).
JustSpam And Cold Email
JustSpam is a smaller-impact listing for most cold senders — the receiver footprint doesn't compare to Spamhaus or Barracuda. But the underlying trigger (spamtrap hits from contaminated lead data) is exactly the same problem that drives major-list listings. Fix the list-hygiene root cause and JustSpam goes away alongside more impactful lists. Shared infrastructure is the structural risk: other tenants on your IP range hitting traps lists your IP too. ColdRelay's dedicated IPs per customer eliminate this — your trap exposure is your own sending alone. Combined with the 2-emails/day per-mailbox cap, the volume profile makes random trap hits less likely.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does JustSpam delisting take?
Automatic expiration: 7-14 days after the last trap hit. Manual removal via contact email: typically 24-72 hours. Most cold-sender JustSpam listings resolve through automatic expiration if the underlying list-hygiene issue is fixed.
Is JustSpam used by Gmail or Microsoft 365?
No directly — major providers use proprietary reputation signals rather than smaller community DNSBLs. JustSpam's receiver footprint is in mid-market open-source mail platforms (Postfix, Exim, SpamAssassin). Deliverability impact at Gmail and Microsoft is indirect — the same list-hygiene issues that trigger JustSpam also trigger Gmail's internal reputation signals.
Should I prioritize JustSpam removal if I'm also on Spamhaus?
No — fix Spamhaus first. The Spamhaus receiver footprint is dramatically larger than JustSpam. The underlying root cause (usually contaminated lead data) is the same, so fixing it tends to clear both lists, but Spamhaus is the urgent one.
Does JustSpam charge for delisting?
No — JustSpam is community-operated and doesn't have a paid-priority delisting model. Removal is via automatic expiration or manual email contact, both free.
Will JustSpam tell me which trap address I hit?
No — trap addresses are kept private to maintain their effectiveness. The JustSpam lookup gives you listing timestamps that you can correlate with your sending logs to identify the campaign or list source.
Why are JustSpam listings less worrying than Spamhaus?
Receiver footprint. Spamhaus is in the DNSBL chain of essentially every major mail receiver — Gmail, Microsoft 365, Yahoo, plus most enterprise on-prem. JustSpam appears in some Postfix, Exim, and SpamAssassin configs but the practical reach is a fraction. A Spamhaus listing significantly impacts deliverability; a JustSpam-only listing usually doesn't.
Does ColdRelay help prevent JustSpam listings?
Yes structurally: dedicated IPs per customer mean your trap exposure is your own sending alone — no shared-infrastructure neighbour effect. The 2-emails/day per-mailbox cap also makes random trap hits statistically less likely. List quality remains your responsibility, but the structural amplifiers are removed.