Re: A request to all mail admins

From: Nils Petter Vaskinn (no_at_spam.for.me.invalid)
Date: 08/28/03 

Date: Thu, 28 Aug 2003 15:47:06 GMT

On Thu, 28 Aug 2003 15:48:22 +0100, Tim Haynes wrote:

> Jem Berkes <jb@users.pc9.org> writes:
>
> [snipped, return-path checking on steroids]

:)

> Does this thing contain netblocks instead of just IP#s, so an ISP's
> allocated blocks could be trusted? I mean, I wouldn't want to adopt such
> a system if I couldn't say that stirfried.vegetable.org.uk was OK to
> come from blueyonder's netblocks in entirity.

If it doesn't already it should.

> Speaking of which: it's entirely possible to abuse this system, isn't
> it? You just send your spam in the name of a domain you own, or an
> equally-evil friend owns, and they set their permitted netblock to 0/0
> in the RMX records.

It's open to abuse yes, but the job is that much easier for blocking
software. Now all you have to do is check the RMX and then check if the
from address is evildomain.com. Since a domain registration (usually)
takes a little time and money.

Blocking a spammer domain would hurt the spammers a lot more since it
would cost a lot to continually register new domains.

Relay raping would become less attractive too, since you could only fake a
from address belonging to the domain(s) the relay is for, and only that
domain would get hurt by the bounces. Another incentive for the owners to
close their relay. Also the bounces going back to the relays domain
instead of all over the internet will limit the capacity available for
sending out the spam.

regards
NPV

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