Re: calling Philip Hands <phil@hands.com> [OFF TOPIC]
We provide open relay SMTP for other physically local ISPs. We
figure if they are close enough to beat over the head with a lead
pipe when they screw up we will offer that service because many
of our own clients have multiple accounts, some of which are elsewhere.
We've still had to shut off maybe 20% of the **local** ISPs for
repeated abuse, failure to close open relays, forging mail with
our headers, etc.... That is a sorry comment on mankind.
Dialup users are easy; they **should** be relaying through a
well connected SMTP server, typically that of their local ISP.
That ISP might very well be filtering SMTP packets
from their dialup ports for the same reasons they might filter
against smurf attacks: SPAM is ultimately DOS. A user with
reason to do otherwise can always arrange appropriate services
with a cluefull ISP.
Personally I'm mostly concerned about the rapid increase in SPAM
from open relays in "newly wired" areas. Such SPAM typically
originates from a dialup in US and relays through th, cz, ru, se
etc.... Judging by what we receive, some of those countries
must be completely choked by SPAM on some days. Poor administration
and aggressive RBL could/will shut off entire countries, not just
a single Debian developer here and there.
Just another case where those who can least afford it get burned
the worst. I feel it is our job as sysadmins to prevent abuse of
other people's networks as well as our own.
cfm
>
> Dwarf _was_ using a mail relay (mail.polaris.net) which was (and is)
> listed in ORBS, so was presumably an open relay at some point.
...
> It's not persecution. In fact to a large extent they are being done a
> favour, since they are having the open relay brought to their
> attention before it gets a chance to get popular with spammers, which
> could be far more damaging.
--
Christopher F. Miller, Publisher cfm@maine.com
MaineStreet Communications, Inc 208 Portland Road, Gray, ME 04039
1.207.657.5078 http://www.maine.com/
Database publishing, electronic commerce, office and internet integration.
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