Common Issues security

My App Is Sending Spam Emails I Didn't Create

Users are telling you they're getting weird emails from your app — promotional messages, phishing attempts, or password reset links they didn't request. You didn't set up any of these emails, and you have no idea how they're being sent.

This usually means someone has gained access to your email sending service (like SendGrid, Mailgun, or your SMTP credentials) and is using your account to blast out spam. Your domain and reputation are being destroyed with every email sent.

The damage goes beyond annoying your users. Email providers like Gmail and Outlook may permanently blacklist your domain, meaning even your legitimate emails will go to spam forever if you don't act quickly.

Error Messages You Might See

Bounce notification: message rejected Email delivery failed: blacklisted Your sending has been suspended SPF check failed Users reporting phishing from your domain
Bounce notification: message rejectedEmail delivery failed: blacklistedYour sending has been suspendedSPF check failedUsers reporting phishing from your domain

Common Causes

  • Email API key stolen — Your SendGrid, Mailgun, or other email service API key is exposed in your code or has been stolen
  • Contact form exploited — Your app's contact form or email feature has no rate limiting, so bots are using it to send thousands of messages
  • Open email relay — Your email server is configured to let anyone send emails through it without authentication
  • Compromised server — Someone gained access to your server and installed their own email-sending scripts
  • Spoofed sender address — Someone is sending emails that look like they're from your domain (you can't fully prevent this without proper DNS records)

How to Fix It

  1. Revoke your email API key immediately — Go to your email service dashboard and delete/rotate the current API key to stop all sending
  2. Check your email service logs — Look at SendGrid, Mailgun, or your email provider to see how many emails were sent and to whom
  3. Add rate limiting to forms — Limit how many emails any single user or IP address can trigger per hour
  4. Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records — These DNS records help prove that only you can send emails from your domain
  5. Add CAPTCHA to public forms — Prevent bots from abusing any form that triggers email sending
  6. Check for malicious code on your server — Have a developer scan your server for unauthorized scripts or files

Real developers can help you.

Krishna Sai Kuncha Krishna Sai Kuncha Experienced Professional Full stack Developer with 8+ years of experience across react, python, js, ts, golang and react-native. Developed inhouse websearch tooling for AI before websearch was solved : ) Caio Rodrigues Caio Rodrigues I'm a full-stack developer focused on building practical and scalable web applications. My main experience is with **React, TypeScript, and modern frontend architectures**, where I prioritize clean code, component reusability, and maintainable project structures. I have strong experience working with **dynamic forms, state management (Redux / React Hook Form), and complex data-driven interfaces**. I enjoy solving real-world problems by turning ideas into reliable software that companies can actually use in their daily operations. Beyond coding, I care about **software quality and architecture**, following best practices for componentization, code organization, and performance optimization. I'm also comfortable working across the stack when needed, integrating APIs, handling business logic, and helping transform prototypes into production-ready systems. My goal is always to deliver solutions that are **simple, efficient, and genuinely useful for the people using them.** Alvin Voo Alvin Voo I’ve watched the tech landscape evolve over the last decade—from the structured days of Java Server Pages to the current "wild west" of Agentic-driven development. While AI can "vibe" a frontend into existence, I specialize in the architecture that keeps it from collapsing. My expertise lies in the critical backend infrastructure: the parts that must be fast, secure, and scalable. I thrive on high-pressure environments, such as when I had only three weeks to architect and launch an Ethereum redemption system with minimal prior crypto knowledge, turning it into a major revenue stream. What I bring to your project: Forensic Debugging: I don't just "patch" bugs; I use tools like Datadog and Explain Analyzers to map out bottlenecks and resolve root causes—like significantly reducing memory usage by optimizing complex DB joins. Full-Stack Context: Deep experience in Node.js and React, ensuring backends play perfectly with mobile and web teams. Sanity in the Age of AI: I bridge the gap between "best practices" and modern speed, ensuring your project isn't just built fast, but built to last. Mehdi Ben Haddou Mehdi Ben Haddou - Founder of Chessigma (1M+ users) & many small projects - ex Founding Engineer @Uplane (YC F25) - ex Software Engineer @Amazon and @Booking.com Richard McSorley Richard McSorley Full-Stack Software Engineer with 8+ years building high-performance applications for enterprise clients. Shipped production systems at Walmart (4,000+ stores), Cigna (20M+ users), and Arkansas Blue Cross. 5 patents in retail/supply chain tech. Currently focused on AI integrations, automation tools, and TypeScript-first architectures. Milan Surelia Milan Surelia Milan Surelia is a Mobile App Developer with 5+ years of experience crafting scalable, cross-platform apps at 7Span and Meticha. At 7Span, he engineers feature-rich Flutter apps with smooth performance and modern UI. As the Co-Founder of Meticha, he builds open-source tools and developer-focused products that solve real-world problems. Expertise: 💡 Developing cross-platform apps using Flutter, Dart, and Jetpack Compose for Android, iOS, and Web. 🖋️ Sharing insights through technical writing, blogging, and open-source contributions. 🤝 Collaborating closely with designers, PMs, and developers to build seamless mobile experiences. Notable Achievements: 🎯 Revamped the Vepaar app into Vepaar Store & CRM with a 2x performance boost and smoother UX. 🚀 Launched Compose101 — a Jetpack Compose starter kit to speed up Android development. 🌟 Open source contributions on Github & StackOverflow for Flutter & Dart 🎖️ Worked on improving app performance and user experience with smart solutions. Milan is always happy to connect, work on new ideas, and explore the latest in technology. legrab legrab I'll fill this later Costea Adrian Costea Adrian Embedded Engineer specilizing in perception systems. Latest project was a adas camera calibration system. Vlad Temian Vlad Temian 15+ years shipping production infrastructure for startups. Former CTO at qed.builders (acquired by The Sandbox). Cursor ambassador and agentic tooling builder. I've scaled systems, automated deployments, and built observability tools for AI coding workflows. I specialize in taking vibe-coded apps from broken prototype to production-ready: fixing Supabase auth/RLS, Stripe integrations, deployment pipelines, and cleaning up AI-generated spaghetti. I build tools in this space (agentprobe, claudebin, micode) and understand both sides: how AI generates code and why it breaks. https://blog.vtemian.com/ Luca Liberati Luca Liberati I work on monoliths and microservices, backends and frontends, manage K8s clusters and love to design apps architecture

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know if my domain has been blacklisted?

Use free tools like MXToolbox.com or mail-tester.com to check if your domain or IP is on any email blacklists. If it is, you'll need to clean up the issue and then request removal from each blacklist.

Can I stop people from sending emails that look like they're from my domain?

You can make it much harder by setting up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records in your domain's DNS settings. These tell email providers which servers are authorized to send email on your behalf.

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