Reverse DNS does not match SMTP Banner

[rogerw]

Thanks... I've been running into the same issue. The resource being linked to does not resolve the issue, it discusses sending form cPanel accounts each with dedicated IP addresses, that's not quite what we need.

We need help with a server for example: box1.domain.com <==> 123.456.789 (with appropriate PTR created) - But... When using test tools (like mxtoolbox.com) we get the "SMTP Check Banner" error that says "Reverse DNS does not match SMTP Banner".

What this means is when a cPanel server is set up, for some reason, an incorrect banner is created (even though there's a PTR and A record for "box.domain.com").

Any help would be immensely appreciated!
Thanks!

 

[cPanelMichael]

We need help with a server for example: box1.domain.com <==> 123.456.789 (with appropriate PTR created) - But... When using test tools (like mxtoolbox.com) we get the "SMTP Check Banner" error that says "Reverse DNS does not match SMTP Banner".

Hello

Could you verify if the issue persists when temporarily disabling the "Introduce a delay into the SMTP transaction for unknown hosts and messages detected as spam" option in "WHM >> Service Configuration >> Exim Configuration Manager >> Basic Editor"? I've seen reports that this option prevents third-party utilities such as MXToolBox from completing a check of the RDNS entry.

Thank you.

 

[rogerw]

Hello

Could you verify if the issue persists when temporarily disabling the "Introduce a delay into the SMTP transaction for unknown hosts and messages detected as spam" option in "WHM >> Service Configuration >> Exim Configuration Manager >> Basic Editor"? I've seen reports that this option prevents third-party utilities such as MXToolBox from completing a check of the RDNS entry.

Thank you.

Yes! That works! Also found that "Only-verify-recipient" - Click "Edit" and add (to allow mxtoolbox.com testing): pws3.mxtoolbox.com (but leaving "Introduce a delay into the SMTP transaction for unknown hosts and messages detected as spam" works as well. That is providing the person "trusts" mxtoolbox.com.

Thanks cPanelMichael - Muchly appreciated!

 

[cPanelMichael]

I'm happy to see you were able to address the issue. Thank you for updating us with the outcome.

 

[i-Strategi]

This saved my life.

 

[luiz878]

Hello

Could you verify if the issue persists when temporarily disabling the "Introduce a delay into the SMTP transaction for unknown hosts and messages detected as spam" option in "WHM >> Service Configuration >> Exim Configuration Manager >> Basic Editor"? I've seen reports that this option prevents third-party utilities such as MXToolBox from completing a check of the RDNS entry.

Thank you.

Michael,

Taking advantage of this your post I've disabled this message you mentioned above and now resolved part of my issue, but I still have this 3 errors below showing in Mxtoolbox from my IP 107.173.183.51

SMTP Reverse DNS Mismatch - Reverse DNS does not contain the hostname
SMTP Banner Check - Reverse DNS does not match SMTP Banner
SMTP Transaction Time - 5.720 seconds - Warning on Transaction Time

Can you give me a orientation how to fix it?

Best Regards

Luiz Osorio

 

[cPanelMichael]

SMTP Reverse DNS Mismatch - Reverse DNS does not contain the hostname
SMTP Banner Check - Reverse DNS does not match SMTP Banner
SMTP Transaction Time - 5.720 seconds - Warning on Transaction Time

Hello,

Let us know if the following thread helps:

SOLVED - Easy FIX your SMTP banner, SMTP greeting and Reverse DNS for Dedicated IPs

Thank you.

 

[Secmas]

I know this thread is kind of old but I want to thank you all of you.

I have just one amend for nowadays (May 19, 2022).

Before modifying in EXIM the option "only-verify-recipient" and add what it was proposed a few years ago, do the following:
- Go to your WHM and search at /var/log/exim_mainlog for any connection comming from MxToolbox.
In my server I found that the connections came from: mxtoolboxsmtpdiag.com
- Now, open EXIM CONFIGURATION in WHM and add that Domain Name to "Only-verify-recipient" and save.

Thank you all for this great Thread,
Sergio

 

[eugenevdm.host]

@cPanelMichael,

> Introduce a delay into the SMTP transaction for unknown hosts and messages detected as spam

Wow this is such revealing news to me!

For years I've been testing "perfectly" configured systems thinking that maybe I'm not understanding something on the system's side.

Meanwhile it goes to show one should not completely trust a mainstream service, even one as well known as MX Toolbox.

And if that setting is on they spit sometimes even spit out other bogus information, e.g.:
`Warning - Does not support TLS.` and
`15.281 seconds - Not good! on Transaction Time`

I get the second one and I guess if DNS PTR lookup timeout that's what you have to deal with.

What I do notice is there might be a fairly trivial workaround, that is to say MX Toolbox can become either a "trusted host" or a "common mail provider" as these two settings are linked the delay transaction time:

> Do not delay the SMTP connections for hosts in the Greylisting “Trusted Hosts” list
> Do not delay the SMTP connections for hosts in the Greylisting “Common Mail Providers” list

I'm not sure where to find their data on this or where to change it on WHM side.

I know the drill - if this is really important to me, and to make 1000 WHM administrators happy, add a new feature request Going to skip this one till I easily get the MX info.

 

[eugenevdm.host]

For those interested in bypassing MX Toolbox weird errors, I've identified these two IPs that you can add as Greylisting hosts:

18.205.72.90
52.55.244.91