virginmedia SMC Policy Violation bounce error

[CWildeRE]

Hi,

We're an ESP sending emails on behalf of cleints who are receiving the following bounce error from virgin media domains (blueyonder, ntlworld, virginmedia) across multiple different domains and IPs:

SMTP service unavailable: "421 4.2.0 MXIN618 Temporary SMC Policy Violation detected, retry later ;id=KdKFlqEMxa7TsKdKFlL2Ap;sid=KdKFlqEMxa7Ts;mta=mx12.tb;dt=2021-03-12T09:39:16+01:00;ipsrc=xx.xx.xx.xx;" received from mx.tb.ukmail.iss.as9143.net (212.54.56.11) while connected from SENDINGDOMAIN.co.uk (xx.xx.xx.xx) to mx.tb.ukmail.iss.as9143.net (212.54.56.11)

 We have tried "sending later", as suggested in the error but no emails are being allowed through. Would someone please be able to help me with the cause of this error, and how we may resolve it moving forwards? I can't find any information on it online nor action I can take for it to be removed.

If there is elsewhere better to post this question, please let me know and I'll be happy to move it.

Many thanks,

Chris

[HowardML · Accepted solution]

As I started this with you I'll add that you are unlikely to get a detailed explanation as to what has happened beyond being told that adjustments were made to the Cloudmark spam filters to avoid these rejections.  In all fairness that's all the VM team here get told. I wish we would get more because it helps when dealing with other cases. Interestingly we had two further incidences of this after yours and they have apparently been resolved too. It may just have been a small tear in the fabric of the universe, now repaired, that caused this.  Glad it seems to be fixed though. You were a delight to exchange messages with.

[CWildeRE]

Thanks for all your help & chat Howard! It would have been nice to tie it off with an explanation, but I'm happy that it's been resolved nonetheless 🙂

[Hayley_S]

Hello @CWildeRE,

Sorry for the delay on a update regarding this error.

This is the update I received from our IT team - 'Tell customer that It hasn't found any issues with the Certificate and TLS server using the information provided and ask if he's still having issues. If so we'll need more details or think outside the box'

If this issue is now resolved on your side then that is good to hear but if not please let me know.

Look forward to hearing from you.

[HowardML]

@Hayley_S 

I know what this reply refers to but @CWildeRE won't have the first idea because we never explored the issue with him. So I'll explain or we'll all go to bed with a headache.  In the second of the cases with this error that we investigated an issue was found with the SMTP server certificate revocation check. It clearly wasn't the cause of the error message but it was likely to have been a secondary consideration that needed investigation.

If you want to see the thread it is here:

https://community.virginmedia.com/t5/Email/Reg-Virginmedia-SMC-Policy-Violation-bounce-error/m-p/466...

Like this thread it has ended without a proper explanation of what caused the spam rejection, which was likely to have had nothing to do with the certificate revocation check and error.

[Hayley_S]

Hello @HowardML,

Thank you for your response, I appreciate you giving out this information.

Unfortunately IT don't provide us with a detailed explanation of what was causing the problem, I am sorry that I can't provide any more information in this case. 

I am sorry about that.

Many thanks, 

[HowardML]

@Hayley_S 

Thanks for coming back. I knew that was the position, but thank you for confirming it.  In the distant past we did get this kind of information and its loss now is a serious impediment to our work as VIPs. I have corresponded with Kev_B about this.

[Paulina_Z]

Hi @CWildeRE,

Thank you for your patience and apologies for the delay in response. 

We have contacted our support team about this issue, and I will send you a Private Message to discuss this further.

Please keep an eye out for a purple envelope at the top right corner of your Forum page. I will be in touch soon.

Thank you,

[Sailingmike49]

I’ve seen your answers on the SMC error but have in the past 2 days sent 2 x bulk emails to our sailing club members about the recent Coronavirus update.

I send the email with around 300 members in the BCC field with a short note and the attached letter.

The second email has slightly fewer member emails 

these are all sent from one email which is 

webmaster@hardwaysailingclub.co.uk

Im still seeing this SMC error since Tuesday morning 13/07/2021.

can you see if your logs show any issue with this email address please?

[smithysmoo]

Sailingmike this is the same date that I have started getting problems with one of my emails but vm say there is nothing wrong and its the email format thats the problem even though it sends from other accounts I have and has sent from VM for many many years. They have definitely changed something at their end.

[Jonn1801]

For the past 2 weeks I have been getting returned emails at least 5 times a day. 

All have this SMC Policy Violation bounce error.

The original message is often from 'well known' companies eg Amazon, sent to my personal email address -[MOD EDIT: PERSONAL INFORMATION REMOVED]

All messages are forwarded to my Blueyonder address -MOD EDIT: PERSONAL INFORMATION REMOVED] so I only have one mailbox to manage all my emails

Some messages will be 'bounced and returned to the postmaster at Norledge.com - which is me. So these error messages are automatically forwarded to my BY account and are are accepted by the VM servers, therefore they appear in mu Inbox.

Is there any way I can send you the 'Undelivered Message Text file so you might help me interpret the gobbledy-**bleep**

 [MOD EDIT: Personal and private information has been removed from this post. Please do not post personal or private information in your public posts. Please review the Forum Guidelines]