How to remove your IP from Virus RBL JP

virus.rbl.jp flags IPs sending virus-infected mail. Clean the source and the listing clears itself.

Check your domain free → Virus RBL JP removal tool ↗

What it is

The list, in plain terms.

virus.rbl.jp is the anti-virus zone of rbl.jp (Realtime Blackhole List Japan), a small, free, volunteer-run set of DNS blocklists based in Japan. It lists IP addresses seen sending virus- or worm-infected mail directly to mail servers — the pattern of an infected machine emitting mail on its own, rather than a legitimate mail server relaying it.

It is a niche, regional list. The major mailbox providers do not consult it, so a listing on virus.rbl.jp alone rarely blocks a meaningful share of your mail. It bites mainly where a receiver has deliberately enabled the rbl.jp zones. Before you act, confirm that virus.rbl.jp is actually named in the bounce you are chasing.

The distinctive point is that entries are short-lived. The list is built from recent infection activity and drops an IP automatically once that activity stops, so removal is mostly a matter of finding the source, stopping it, and letting the listing expire. There is no fee and, for this list, little to submit.

Why you get listed

What a listing on Virus RBL JP means.

An infected machine is sending mail A device behind your IP is infected with a virus or worm that emits mail directly, and that traffic was detected. It reflects a compromise on your network, not a deliberate spam campaign.

A compromised or hijacked host A workstation, server or IoT device on the IP has been taken over and is being used to send malware-laden mail. Any one infected device is enough to list the whole IP.

Direct-to-MX mail from client machines Infected clients that bypass your authenticated mail server and hit recipient MX hosts directly on port 25 are exactly the behaviour this zone targets.

How to get removed

Delisting, in order.

Removal is free. Fix the cause first — a listing you clear without a fix comes straight back.

1 Confirm the listing is really the problem. Look the IP up and check that virus.rbl.jp is the zone named in your bounce. It is a small regional list the big providers ignore, so if the receiver rejecting you does not use rbl.jp, your delivery issue lies elsewhere.
2 Find and clean the infected host. This is the actual fix. Scan the network behind the IP, identify the device emitting mail, and clean, rebuild or isolate it. The listing exists because a machine is compromised; until that machine is dealt with, nothing else matters.
3 Stop client machines reaching MX directly. Route all outbound mail through your authenticated mail server and block outbound port 25 from client devices. This both removes the listed behaviour and stops a single reinfected device from relisting the whole IP.
4 Let the automatic expiry clear the entry. Once the infected traffic stops, this list is documented to drop the IP on its own, without a manual request. Keep the source quiet and the listing lapses; there is no self-service form to submit for virus.rbl.jp.
5 Re-check before you resume sending. Confirm the IP is no longer returned by virus.rbl.jp before ramping mail back up. If it persists well after you have cleaned up, treat that as a sign the infection was not fully removed rather than a stuck listing.

The official route

Straight to the source.

Removal happens on Virus RBL JP's own tool — never through a paid service.

Virus RBL JP removal tool ↗

How long it takes

This list is built from recent infection activity and expires entries automatically: once an IP stops sending infected mail it is normally dropped on its own, without a manual request. If a listing lingers, assume the source has not been fully cleaned rather than that removal is delayed.

Common questions

About Virus RBL JP, specifically.

How do I get removed from virus.rbl.jp? For this list there is usually nothing to submit. It drops IPs automatically once they stop sending virus-infected mail, so the job is to find and clean the infected machine and stop it reaching mail servers directly. Removal follows on its own once the source is quiet.

Is removal from virus.rbl.jp free? Yes. rbl.jp is a free, volunteer-run project and never charges for listing or removal. Any service offering to delist you from virus.rbl.jp for a fee is a scam — no third party can clear the entry faster than stopping the infected source does.

Why is my IP on virus.rbl.jp? A machine behind that IP was seen sending virus- or worm-infected mail directly to mail servers. It almost always means a device on your network is compromised, not that you deliberately sent spam.

Does a virus.rbl.jp listing actually block my mail? Only at receivers that have specifically enabled the rbl.jp zones. It is a small regional list the major mailbox providers do not use, so check whether virus.rbl.jp is genuinely named in your bounce before treating it as the cause of a wider delivery problem.

I cleaned the infection but I am still listed — what now? Allow time for the automatic expiry, and make sure nothing is still emitting infected mail. A single reinfected or missed device relists the whole IP. Blocking outbound port 25 from client machines, so only your authenticated mail server reaches MX, is the reliable way to stop it recurring.

What is rbl.jp and who runs virus.rbl.jp? rbl.jp (Realtime Blackhole List Japan) is a free, volunteer-run set of DNS blocklists based in Japan. virus.rbl.jp is its anti-virus zone, listing IP addresses that emit virus-infected mail directly to mail servers.

The bounce behind the listing.

554 5.7.1 message rejected → The permanent bounce a listing most often triggers — what it means and how to clear it. 550 5.7.1 blocked → A rejection on reputation grounds — usually the same listing, seen from the sender side. Blacklist checker → Re-check your domain and every sending IP once the cause is fixed.

Do not fix it blind.

See every list you are on and every authentication problem behind the listing in one 40-second check — then let monitoring tell you the day a listing comes back.

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