Re: Spam on info-cvs list.

[Greg A. Woods]

[ On Monday, January 14, 2002 at 06:35:47 (-0800), Wim Kerkhoff wrote: ]
> Subject: Re: Spam on info-cvs list.
>
> I got fed up, so on Saturday installed SpamAssassin in conjuction with
> Vipul's Razor. It seems to work extremely well, and I suggest others to
> do the same. I checked my 'caughtspam' folder (where all spam gets
> filtered to after being defanged) this morning. Every spam message sent
> to the list since Saturday was trapped.

The problem is with distribution of the spam.  I don't even want to
receive it, let alone be one of the hundreds of people who has to filter
out my own individual copy of it.  Spammers get free distribution with
lists and it saves them a bundle.  List maintainers must learn to be
ruthless at stopping spam.

Restricted posting (allowing only subscribers and their registered
alternate posting addresses to post) is apparently VERY effective on all
the other mailing lists I'm on.

On the other hand even if the list distribution host blocked all mail
from known open relays (eg. those listed in relays.orbz.org) and from
sites listed in bl.spamcop.net I guarantee there'd be only a tiny
fraction of the current spams would have made it onto the list (I've
checked many of them manually, so I know this to be factual).  For
example the spam that came out from the .kr site early this AM would
have been blocked:

$ rblookup 211.48.62.161
161.62.48.211.xbl.selwerd.cx    CNAME   kornet.xbl.selwerd.cx
kornet.xbl.selwerd.cx   A       127.0.0.4
161.62.48.211.xbl.selwerd.cx    CNAME   kornet.xbl.selwerd.cx
kornet.xbl.selwerd.cx   TXT     "no rDNS on mail4.kornet,net"
kornet.xbl.selwerd.cx   TXT     "open relays that stay open"
kornet.xbl.selwerd.cx   TXT     "spam"
161.62.48.211.blackholes.five-ten-sg.com        CNAME   
kornet.net.spam.blackholes.five-ten-sg.com
kornet.net.spam.blackholes.five-ten-sg.com      A       127.0.0.2
161.62.48.211.blackholes.five-ten-sg.com        CNAME   
kornet.net.spam.blackholes.five-ten-sg.com
kornet.net.spam.blackholes.five-ten-sg.com      TXT     "added 2001-04-23; no 
reverse dns; original spam from 211.35.169.236"
161.62.48.211.ztl.dorkslayers.com       A       127.0.0.2
161.62.48.211.ztl.dorkslayers.com       TXT     "211.48.62.161 is listed by 
ztl.dorkslayers.com"
161.62.48.211.outputs.orbz.org  A       127.0.0.2
161.62.48.211.outputs.orbz.org  TXT     "Open relay.  Please see 
http://orbz.org/?211.48.62.161";


-- 
                                                                Greg A. Woods

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