“SORBS has a protracted and considerably checkered historical past. It was created within the early 2000s, with a DNSBL (Area Identify System-based Blackhole Listing) model coming on-line in January 2002,” Chandler wrote. “The closure of SORBS doesn’t mark any actual turning level within the e mail safety panorama. Though it was one of many oldest DNSBL companies, SORBS helped primarily hobbyist e mail directors filter spam and different malicious e mail visitors. Nevertheless, its controversial historical past and administration points have made it a supply of frustration for a lot of within the trade and depressed its general use. SORBS listings haven’t been thought-about impactful within the e mail advertising house for a few years. A latest consulting shopper noticed fewer than 200 messages blocked over a quantity of lower than 1,000,000.”
Different methods to filter spam
Girish Bhat, a safety advertising government who labored for Proofpoint when SORBS was acquired, mentioned the selections had been influenced by enterprise dynamics and the problem in making such an inventory worthwhile.
“For a excessive development enterprise like Proofpoint, monetization would have required vital funding, and the ROI was unclear. I imagine that the e-mail trade wouldn’t have gotten right here with out DNSBL companies reminiscent of Spamhaus, SpamCop, SORBS and others. As most of those companies originated and are managed by a devoted particular person or people with sturdy opinions, it’s prone to alienate a number of,” Bhat mentioned. “To Proofpoint’s credit score, even after the SORBS acquisition, they didn’t intrude with its day-to-day operations. Discussions round monetizing SORBS had been deserted rapidly. Though SORBS was a pioneer and did serve an vital neighborhood position prior to now, its utility has diminished as a result of a plethora of different companies.”
