to control spam let's break the net?
Well spam is bad, but I do not think this is the answer either. DataXchange has spent lots of efforts at spam control, but apparently Karl does not think we have done enough. Based on receiving this one email, relayed thru us, he has decided to put a block in place. Most of our customers use portal.dx.net and other machines in the same address block as a mail relay, so he has effectively cut off most of our ISPs and their customers from his net. Of course maybe his network is pure, and he has found the magic bullet that stops any of his customers from spamming or relaying spam from any of his hosts or his customer's hosts. Regards, Robert Laughlin president ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- DataXchange sales: 800-863-1550 http://www.dx.net Network Operations Center: 703-903-7412 -or- 888-903-7412 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- On Fri, 31 Oct 1997, Karl Denninger wrote:
Dear Site Administrator:
Your netblock has been banned from our service for one or more of the following offenses:
1) You have been used as a mail relay for spam or other unsolicited electronic mail, and we are unable to determine if you are an unwilling victim or a participant in the scheme.
2) Your domain ORIGINATED a spam or other unsolicited transmission of electronic mail to multiple accounts on our service, and we have received complaints or otherwise detected this unsolicited transmission.
3) A customer of your service appears to have used *OUR* servers as a relay for unsolicited email or other traffic to other unwitting users of the Internet.
If the offense is (2) or (3), your netblock has been PERMANENTLY blocked until and unless you do one of the following:
1) Identify and remove the perpetrator of this offense. We require documentation that the perpetrator has been removed from your service and will not be sold access through your organization or any affiliate or subsidiary in the future. Note that this option will be offered only ONCE per perpetrator (ie: if you misrepresent that a given organization has been removed, we will not allow you this option a second time)
2) Identify *TO US* the source and perpetrator of this offense. This includes their physical address, telephone number, and sufficient unambiguous identifying information so that we may take remedial action ourselves against this party if we so choose to do so.
3) You may choose to pay MCSNet a fee for the processing of the spam or other UCE which your organization originated, whether by yourself or on behalf of one of your customers who you choose to protect. The fee is currently US $500.00, doubled for each offense (ie: the first offense is $500, the second $1000, the third $2000, etc). The block will be removed when the fee has been paid in good US funds. HOWEVER, note that paying the fee does not prevent the block from being reinstated if you spam us again (in which case the fee escalates as stated above).
If the offense is (1) above, the block will be removed when you demonstrate to our satisfaction that further relaying from the originating source is no longer possible.
Since you can no longer transmit email to our domain, to correspond with us you must call our technical department at +1 312-803-6271 (press "T"). A technical support representative will assist you. This department is open from 8:00 AM - Midnight Monday through Friday, and 9-5 on weekends.
Thank you.
MCSNet Management
-----Forwarded message from 56694256@compuserve.com-----
Received: from portal.dx.net (portal.dx.net [199.190.65.2]) by Mailbox.mcs.net (8.8.7/8.8.2) with ESMTP id EAA05582; Fri, 31 Oct 1997 04:03:14 -0600 (CST) From: 56694256@compuserve.com Received: from dx.net (ppp-206-171-250-28.vntrcs.pacbell.net [206.171.250.28]) by portal.dx.net (8.8.5/8.8.5) with SMTP id FAA10023; Fri, 31 Oct 1997 05:00:10 -0500 (EST) Date: Fri, 31 Oct 97 01:04:14 EST To: FreeSatellite@aol.com Subject: FREE SATELLITE DISH Message-ID: <>
WOULD YOU LIKE TO USE A FREE SATELLITE DISH ???
Sounds too GOOD to be TRUE, right? Believe me, it's not! All you have to do is call 800-733-8643, tell them that you want special offer # 954123595, leave your name and telephone number. We will call you shortly and arrange for you to receive your FREE Satellite Dish. A small $99.00 installation charge is all that you pay (you will not want to install it yourself!) and the small monthly television charge just like cable but YOU DO NOT PAY FOR THE DISH!
Now, you can receive cable channels over a Satellite Dish - pretty hot huh? And eventually you might use the same dish for high speed internet access.
Digital clarity, many options, 2 FREE Remotes AND a FREE DISNEY WATCH. Just in time for the Holidays. There are many more features available to you for free, but first call 800-733-8643 and remember to mention Special Offer # 954123595, your name and telephone number.
SIMPLE - EASY - AFFORDABLE - AND A GREAT DEAL!!! DON'T DELAY - CALL TODAY!!!
-----End of forwarded message-----
[ On Fri, October 31, 1997 at 11:29:07 (-0500), Robert Laughlin wrote: ]
Subject: to control spam let's break the net?
Well spam is bad, but I do not think this is the answer either.
I'm getting very very close to doing exactly what Karl is doing. Currently the only remaining significant volume of spam that I receive is via third-party relays. I currently send a far more friendly and personal letter to the contacts for the relay site but often I never hear back from them and more than too often I get repeat spam relayed from the same organizations. Unfortunately it's next to impossible to show complicacy on the part of the relay operator too, so I'm never 100% certain if they're a victim or not when I don't receive a reply, and sometimes I'm never sure even if I do receive a reply. A repeat offence is often the only thing resembling evidence and since I don't go out of my way to entrap them I never really know. Instantly blocking their entire netblock (or the smallest matching one if their ISP doesn't assign it) and only removing the block after they've demonstrated their mail server can no longer be abused as a relay by spammers is the next level of escalation and probably a much better way of getting the attention of those that are not yet encouraged to upgrade and/or fix their mailers. Of course this is still not fixing the real problem. I claim the only real answer is for dial-up providers to a) institute effective AUPs; b) ensure direct accountability of their customers; and c) to implement technical mechanisms that prevent their customers from even attempting to violate the AUP, esp. in the realm of abusing other mail relays and of sending unreasonable quantities of mail. -- Greg A. Woods +1 416 443-1734 VE3TCP <gwoods@acm.org> <robohack!woods> Planix, Inc. <woods@planix.com>; Secrets of the Weird <woods@weird.com>
On Fri, 31 Oct 1997, Robert Laughlin wrote:
Well spam is bad, but I do not think this is the answer either. DataXchange has spent lots of efforts at spam control, but apparently Karl does not think we have done enough. Based on receiving this one email,
If you don't block relaying, what do you do?
relayed thru us, he has decided to put a block in place. Most of our customers use portal.dx.net and other machines in the same address block as a mail relay, so he has effectively cut off most of our ISPs and their
Why would ISP's (even if they are your customers) be using you as a relay rather than have their servers handle delivery directly? ------------------------------------------------------------------ Jon Lewis <jlewis@fdt.net> | Unsolicited commercial e-mail will Network Administrator | be proof-read for $199/message. Florida Digital Turnpike | ______http://inorganic5.fdt.net/~jlewis/pgp for PGP public key____
participants (3)
-
Jon Lewis -
Robert Laughlin -
woods＠most.weird.com