Operational RFC hygiene: postmaster@ and abuse@
Why working postmaster@ and abuse@ handling matters in mail operations and incident response.
Summary
RFC 2142 requires every domain that sends mail to operate reachable postmaster@ and abuse@ mailboxes. These addresses are still the fastest route for coordinating fixes when your systems misbehave.
Expectation baseline
Messages to postmaster@ should bypass spam filtering and arrive in a monitored queue. Abuse@ mailboxes must auto-acknowledge reports with a ticket number or human contact. Ignoring these channels guarantees that external parties escalate by blocking your traffic, sometimes via DNSBL listings.
Implementation tips
Point both aliases at a shared mailbox that is visible to the NOC and security teams. Enforce DMARC alignment so that recipients can trust that the reply truly comes from your organization. Document expected response times and rotate staff through the inbox to keep the load manageable.
Measurement
Test the addresses from outside your network every month. Send a STARTTLS-enabled message, verify that an auto-response arrives, and log the turnaround time. If a provider cannot reach you through these channels, it might file a complaint directly with upstream peers or certificate authorities.
Further reading (German)
Keywords
postmaster, abuse, operations, incident response, mail