MalwareURL False Positive Removal

By Glenn Lyvers · Updated September 28, 2026 · 6 min read

MalwareURL is a commercial blacklist of malicious websites and IP addresses, operated by TRV Security SRL and sold to companies as threat intelligence. It publishes no dedicated false-positive form, so removal means cleaning the site first, then writing to MalwareURL through the contact page on malwareurl.com with the evidence a reviewer needs.

What MalwareURL is

MalwareURL describes itself as a provider of “commercial malicious website blacklist services” and has been running since 2003. Its customers are organizations that pull its lists into firewalls, proxies, DNS filters and mail gateways, plus managed service providers that resell the data. It also has a public Site Reputation Lookup on its own site and a form for reporting malicious URLs.

That customer model explains how most owners discover they are listed. You will rarely see a MalwareURL warning page in a browser. Instead, a visitor on a corporate network tells you your site is blocked, a partner’s email gateway rejects your messages, or MalwareURL shows up in a multi-list reputation tool. The block is real for those users even though ordinary home visitors see nothing wrong.

A note on VirusTotal

If you came here from a VirusTotal report, check the engine name carefully. As of this writing, MalwareURL is not in VirusTotal’s published list of URL and domain engines. Similar-looking names are, and each is a different organization with its own dispute route: Malwared, MalwarePatrol, Malwares.com URL checker, and URLhaus among them. Disputing with the wrong company wastes a week.

If you are unsure how to read the report at all, my guide to VirusTotal detection labels explains which rows deserve attention, and the vendor removal directory has the correct route for over 100 engines.

Step 1: confirm you are listed, and for what

Use the Site Reputation Lookup on malwareurl.com to check your domain, and write down exactly what is listed. There is a real difference between these three cases:

What is listed	What it usually means
A specific URL path on your site	A file or page at that path served something malicious. Look at that path first.
Your whole domain	Repeated or site-wide malicious behavior, such as redirects or injected scripts on every page.
Your IP address	Often a shared-hosting neighbour. Your host may need to act, not you. See my guide on cross-site contamination on shared hosting.

At the same time, run the free blacklist checker to see which other lists carry you. Commercial feeds borrow from each other and from public sources, so one listing rarely stands alone.

Step 2: make sure the site is clean

A reviewer at any list does one thing: fetch the URL and look at what comes back. If the malicious response is still there, the request fails. So before you write to anyone:

• Run my free site scanner and check the site from a phone and from a search result, because conditional redirects hide from site owners.
• If a specific path was listed, open it on the server. A .php file in wp-content/uploads/ or a folder of fake bank login pages is the usual answer — my guide to phishing pages on your website covers that case.
• Find the way in and close it. Deleting the visible file without removing the backdoor that planted it only resets the clock; see why sites keep getting reinfected.
• Purge any CDN or page cache so reviewers see the clean version.

Step 3: request removal from MalwareURL

MalwareURL publishes no removal form and no documented delisting procedure, so use the contact form on its site. The form requires your name, an email address and a message of at least 25 characters. Keep the message short and specific:

1. The exact listed URL, domain or IP, copied from the lookup.
2. What you found and removed, with dates. “Removed a phishing kit at /wp-content/uploads/2026/08/ on September 3, patched the plugin it came through, rotated all passwords” is what a reviewer wants.
3. If you found nothing, say so, and say what you checked. Legitimate false positives do happen.
4. A request to re-review and delist.

Send it once. Because there is no published service level, I cannot give you a reliable turnaround; check the lookup again after a week before following up. If you get no response, remember who actually blocked your visitor: the firewall or filter vendor that consumed the list. Most of those accept their own recategorization requests, and fixing it there often matters more to the person who complained.

If it is your email being blocked

Mail gateways sometimes use URL blacklists to score messages. If your newsletters or invoices bounce because they contain a link to your domain, clearing the listing fixes it — but check your sending reputation too. A compromised site often starts sending spam from a hidden mailer script, which lands you on email-specific lists such as Spamhaus and SURBL. My guide to email deliverability after a hack walks through that side.

When to hand it over

A single listing on a commercial feed is a nuisance. Several listings at once, a listed IP you cannot explain, or a listing that returns after you cleaned is a sign the infection is still there. That is where I come in: I clean it completely, find the entry point, and file the removal requests with each list on your behalf. See how blacklist recovery works.

Common questions

What is MalwareURL?

MalwareURL is a commercial blacklist of malicious websites and IP addresses, run by TRV Security SRL since 2003. Companies and managed service providers buy its data to block threats in firewalls, proxies, DNS filters and mail gateways. It also offers a public site reputation lookup on malwareurl.com.

Is MalwareURL a false positive?

Sometimes, but check before assuming. A listing on a specific path usually means that path really served something malicious at some point, even if it has since been removed. A listing on a shared IP address can be caused by another site on the same server. Confirm the site is clean first, then request a review.

How do I get removed from MalwareURL?

Clean the site, then write to MalwareURL through the contact form on malwareurl.com. Include the exact listed URL or IP, what you found and removed, the dates, and what you did to close the entry point. MalwareURL does not publish a dedicated false-positive form or a turnaround time.

Does VirusTotal use MalwareURL?

MalwareURL is not in VirusTotal's current published list of URL and domain engines. If a VirusTotal report shows a similar name, such as Malwared, MalwarePatrol or URLhaus, that is a different organization with its own dispute route. Check the exact engine name before you contact anyone.

Why does my site show as blocked only at some offices?

Because commercial blacklists like MalwareURL are used inside corporate firewalls and filters, not in home browsers. Visitors behind those filters see a block while everyone else sees your site normally. Clearing the listing, or asking the filter vendor to recategorize you, fixes it for those users.