Mail servers changes (INFO)

From: James B. DiGriz <jbdigriz_at_dragonsweb.org>
Date: Thu Feb 24 10:41:44 2000

Jay West wrote:
>
> Greetings;
>
> We have recently made changes to our mail servers here that may possibly
> affect some list users. In our ongoing effort to limit SPAM, our mail
> servers were recently configured to utilitize the MAPS RBL, DUL, and RSS
> databases (see www.mail-abuse.org for details).
>
> Entities that send spam typically make use of mail servers that are
> improperly configured in such a way as to allow relaying (ie. they are "open
> relays"). This means that these problem mail servers are often used to
> bounce mail off of and redistribute spam. Our mail servers have been
> configured to properly reject mail that is neither from or to a "local"
> address for many years. However, if our users (or any domains we host,
> including classiccmp.org) are on the spammers mailing list we have not been
> able to reject that spam in the past because the target address was both
> valid and local. By utilizing MAPS, any inbound mail is checked to see if it
> originated from a system or network that is known to be an open relay - if
> so, the message is rejected. Thus not only are we not an open relay, but we
> will refuse to accept or send mail that is from or to any system that is an
> open relay. That is the function of RBL and RSS; DUL is a blacklist of
> non-open relays that are however known originators of spam.
>
> You can check the above URL for details, but the basic gist is that when
> anyone on the internet receives junk mail via an open relay, they can submit
> the open relay's IP address to the MAPS database. The MAPS folks will test
> the server and if problematic they'll contact the administrator for that
> system and ask them to fix their open relay. If they do not fix the system
> within 5 days, they are added to the maps database. Once the administrator
> fixes the open relay their system is retested by MAPS and if compliant it is
> removed from the database. Our mail servers will not accept mail from or
> deliver mail to any system in the MAPS database. You can tell if you've
> encountered this by your message being returned to you with a note clearly
> stating that your message was rejected due to RBL, DUL, or open-relays.
>
> As you may gather, this does open the possibility of "throwing the baby out
> with the bath water". If your ISP has an open relay, we will not accept your
> mail. In this case you need to call your ISP and ask them to fix their mail
> server security deficiency. If one of your ISP's other customers is a source
> of spam, it is somewhat possible your ISP will be blocked (which albeit
> unfairly blocks you). This generally isn't much of a problem because most
> ISP's are very responsive to requests from MAPS. After weighing these issues
> we decided that there's no reason that our servers should have to converse
> with other servers that are known to be insecure or frequent sources of
> spam. We really really really dislike spam, and feel that this action is
> wholly appropriate.
>
> Regards,
>
> Jay West

I don't believe in RBL's etc. to combat spammers. I prefer a baseball
bat. They
don't learn anything from it, they're too goddam stupid, but it makes me
feel better.
 
Seriously, there are valid reasons to use or offer an open relay, and
there are other technical means to deal with spam, which are improving
with time. The MAPS
RBL throws the baby out with the bathwater, and smacks of moral
cowardice, hypocracy bolstering the egos of the net.nazis pushing it on
everyone, to boot. I feel that strongly about it. I'd much rather let my
mail system filter the spam out than have my options restricted by a
pack of dissimulating busybodies, whose motives I question when all
their actions appear to be dirty work designed to artificially bolster
the hegemony of the big ISPs.

Nevertheless, it's not my list, and it's up to you, Jay, as the
administrator, to run it as you see fit. I implore you, though, NOT to
use the DUL, at least, as this just flat out discriminates against those
of us who are forced by circumstance to run our mail servers on dial-up
dynamic IPs. No one has to complain to anyone that you have spammed. The
DUL simply collects all the known major ISP dynamic IP ranges
preemptively. This just isn't fair. They hide this in the fine print,
and then pass the blame to you, the sysadmin. (Oh, WE didn't block your
mail, complain to Jay West. (How, if he's blocking your mail?)) I've
lost out on at least one multi-thousand dollar deal because of this
nonsense.

How Vixie lets his name be used for this crap is beyond me. If you were
trying to generate as much tension and animosity amongst users and
administrators as possible, you couldn't do a better job. Doesn't anyone
else see what's wrong with this picture? It's not fair to me, you, or
the average list reader, no matter how much mealy-mouthed propaganda
we're all fed.

My intention is not to start flames. I'd go to n.a.n.a.e for that. I
realize that mine is not a popular opinion- it's totally against the
recieved wisdom from the net.gods and issue-milking politicians- but
it's a valid one, and I had to put my 2 cents in.

Sincerely,
James B. DiGriz
Received on Thu Feb 24 2000 - 10:41:44 GMT