Bounce email error: 554 Reject by behaviour spam

Diagnose and fix the 554 Reject by behaviour spam bounce error, which occurs when the sending IP address, domain, or email content is flagged by Alibaba Mail's anti-spam system.

Problem description

When Alibaba Mail rejects an inbound email, the sender receives a bounce message starting with:

554 Reject by behaviour spam...

554 is a permanent rejection code. Retrying the same email without fixing the underlying issue will not succeed.

Cause

The rejection comes from Alibaba Mail's behavior-based anti-spam check. The sub-message at the end of the bounce string identifies the specific cause.

1. IP address, sender address, or domain is on an international anti-spam blacklist

Sub-messages: bad sending, list on rbl sites, bad antispam requestCONTINUE

host mxn.mxhichina.com[xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx] said: 554 Reject by behaviour spam at DATA State(Connection IP address:xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx)ANTISPAM_BAT[]: bad sending

host mxn.mxhichina.com[xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx] said: 554 Reject by behaviour spam at DATA State(Connection IP address:xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx)ANTISPAM_BAT[]:list on rbl sites

554 Reject by behaviour spam at Rcpt State(Connection IP address:xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx)ANTISPAM_BAT[01201311R9565, ay29a033002195075]: bad antispam requestCONTINUE

Alibaba Mail's anti-spam system detected that the sending IP address, sender address, or domain is on an international anti-spam blacklist. These sources are identified as having a low email reputation and engaging in spam or phishing. To protect users, Alibaba Mail rejects their emails.

Resolution: Check whether the sending IP address or domain is on a blacklist or has a low reputation. Use a reputation lookup tool such as Talos Intelligence to run a query.

If the IP address or domain is on a blacklist, contact the sender's email service provider (ESP) and request that the IP address be removed. The delisting process varies by anti-spam organization.

2. Invalid sender address in the mailfrom field (multiple possible reasons)

Sub-message: bad antispam requestCONTINUE

554 Reject by behaviour spam at Rcpt State(Connection IP address:xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx)ANTISPAM_BAT[01201311R9565, ay29a033002195075]: bad antispam requestCONTINUE

The sender address contains an invalid format. The domain part (after @) cannot be an IP address. For example, gitlab@192.168.1.0 is invalid.

Resolution: Check the sending program and verify that the mailfrom field contains a valid sender address with a proper domain name, not an IP address.

3. Sending frequency or volume exceeds Alibaba Mail limits

Sub-message: too frequently sending

554 Reject by behaviour spamANTISPAM_BAT[01201311R196xxxxx, c01a1xxxxx]: too frequently sending

The sending IP has exceeded Alibaba Mail's sending frequency or volume limits, triggering the spam filter.

Resolution: Reduce the sending frequency or volume.

4. Blocked by other anti-spam rules

Sub-message: unexpected sendingREJECT

554 Reject by behaviour spam at Rcpt State(Connection IP address:xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx)ANTISPAM_BAT[01201311R78xxxxx, ay29a0330021xxxxx]: unexpected sendingREJECT

The email was blocked by Alibaba Mail's anti-spam rules. Common causes include shortened links, links to malicious websites, or other suspicious content in the email body.

Resolution: Review the email body and remove any shortened links or links to malicious websites, then resend.

Solutions

Match the sub-message in your bounce log to the resolution below:

For related bounce errors, see:

Bounce email error: too frequently sending

Bounce email error: 454 Transient reject by behavior spam