Re: Anti-spamming (was Re: Huge amounts of resources)

[Andy Poling <andy@realbig.com>]

On Fri, 4 Apr 1997 Nicholas_Briggs.PARC@xerox.com wrote:
> I watch the bounces -- since the spammers almost always have bogus Xerox
> addresses on their list, and I have a (small, but growing) list of addresses I
> just refuse to accept mail from (both domains for the HELO, and envelope From
> addresses).

Our spammers sometimes use real addresses from the domains they're spamming
through as the sender.  We thus cannot block them that way.


> The latest trick i've seen is that they are now sending
> 	MAIL FROM:<>

Yes - I've seen growing use of this.

Pretty soon it's going to get alot harder to stop them.  Especially since
there is now a growing industry of increasingly clever/obnoxious software
that will allow any idiot to drive us insane.

I am firmly committed, however, to two goals.  First I want to concentrate on
defeating the spam-specific software since I think that's a industry that
should just *die* a flaming death (and I'll be more than happy to help it
along).  Second I want to prevent more amateurish attempts at mail and
mailbox abuse.

If anyone has an idea how we can figure out how the spamming software works
without buying it, I'd love to hear it.  There is no substitute for studying
the target software, but I really don't want to make them rich (plus some
packages are like $300US).

-Andy