My Virginmedia IP address is being blocked due to alleged malware sending spam emails

[Edd11]

I have the same problem with websites flagging my IP address as potentially dangerous because of spy bots. I have only been using VM for less than 2 months! I have never ever had problems before like this.

This is absolutely ridiculous. Virgin Media has sold me a secondhand IP address and they admit it. I have asked to get a new IP address but nobody will help me the phone number is a robot that cuts you off and live chat is full of incompetent, imbeciles who can hardly understand English. I need a new IP address, a new hub or a huge discount on my contract for a secondhand IP address that has been flagged so you can't use websites.  Spamhaus ZEN and SORBS DUH are both flagged with my IP address and they refuse to delist the address. What the hell are you supposed to do? This is costing me money. It should be illegal for VM to do this as this is not the new product I asked for.

VM state " 

If you are a Virgin Media customer, you’ll have a dynamic IP address. That means you’ll likely be on one of the following blacklists:

• Spamhaus ZEN
• SORBS DUHL
• Protected Sky

[MOD EDIT: Post split to create own thread]

[carl_pearce]

If you don't get anywhere with VM (It's unlikely they will allocate a new IP address unless the HUB is replaced) if you put your exisitng HUB in modem mode and use your own router you are allocated a different IP address.

[Gareth_L]

Hello Edd11.

Thanks for your first post and welcome to our community.

Sorry to hear your IP Address is blacklisted.

We wouldn't be able to offer any money back as resolution, What we would like to do is get this fixed for you.

So we can take a further look into this, I will need to send you a private message to pass security. 
If you can check the Logo top right of your screen that would be great. 
Regards     
Gareth_L
 

[Gareth_L · Accepted solution]

Thank you Edd11.

Thanks for those details.

I have taken a look at this and arranged for a replacement hub to be sent out.

This can take around 3-5 days to be delivered by Yodel.

Tracking details will be emailed to you in the next 24 hours.

If you don't receive any please let me know and I can check the account again.

Once the new hub arrives its just a case of plugging it in, following the instructions included.

We do need the old hub back so just pop it in packaging and return to the nearest collect+ outlet.

Can you please let us know how things are after activation.

Gareth_L

[Edd11]

Thank you so much, Gareth_L

It's good to know that people can still be trusted to take responsibility and do a good job. I'm Deaf and do not have or want a mobile phone so trying to get through to any Virgin product is impossible to get through to without a phone this is very disappointing. Virgin thinks it's great to offer Relay UK to the disabled but that only works if you have a phone number.

  I will let you know how it goes.

Kind regards.

Edd

[solarpower03]

Hello Gareth

I have the same issue, and I am not able to send any emails. I am looking for solutions,

Many thanks

[David_Bn]

Thanks for reaching out to us @solarpower03, and I'm sorry to hear that you're effected by this issue also.

Can you please confirm if you have accessed the inbox via an alternative connection, and therefore bypassing the IP address you have been issued from Virgin Media?

Thanks,

David_Bn

[ravenstar68]

@ModTeam 

Please stop your agents replacing hubs to give users new IP addresses.  This is bad practice for the following reasons.

1. If a user does have malware on their network, all that will happen is that once it starts sending again the new IP address will be blacklisted as well.
2. The main blacklist that stops people sending email using Virgin Media's email servers is Spamhaus' CSS blacklist.  Whilst blacklists aren't supposed to be used like this, Virgin Media have decided that if a user is on this specific blacklist - they won't be able to send mail through Virgin Media's outbound SMTP servers.
3. The CSS (Composite SnowShoe blacklist) is a real time blacklist,  IP's that appear on this list have been seen sending spam in the last 48 hours.  If no more spam is seen then the IP address automatically drops off the list and users can send email again.  Therefore rather than give the user a new IP address, the solution should be to identify and clean the affected devices.

Before anyone criticises my post - I run a mail server of my own - I know how blacklists work.  Usually the only people who need to worry about an IP being blacklisted is people are mail server administrators - NOT people who are sending mail through an email provider.

That said, I have in the past worked with users to identify devices on their networks that are sending mail directly to mail exchangers - and therefore triggering the CSS entry.

These devices do not have to be PC's -we have seen Amazon Firesticks - with third party software added as spam sources.  As well as users of the free version of Hola VPN (including myself - A situation I dealt with at the time).

Finally to clarify one of of the Blacklists mentioned in the OP

• Spamhaus ZEN - is the master zone for Spamhaus.  IP addresses that appear on ANY of Spamhaus' listings will appear here.  The Spamhaus equivalent of SORBS DUHL is Spamhaus PBL (Policy Block List). These are IP addresses that are allocated by DHCP - and all residential IP addresses should be on this list.

I did post a method of looking for devices on a network that are sending spam.

https://community.virginmedia.com/t5/Security-matters/Searching-for-Spambots-on-your-network/td-p/40...

I know a number of users have used this.  It seems daunting but it does work if you just follow the instructions, but it does require a Windows 10 or 11 laptop with a fairly modern wireless card that can be used as a wifi hotspot at the same time as connecting to a wireless router.

Tim