Re: Zmailer accepts mail from <> (empty address) - causes problems

[Chris Maxwell <maxwell@cs.dal.ca>]

>> My standard zmailer configuration to my great surprise accepts a mail with
>> 
>> 3J1O28648r      MAIL From:<> SIZE=2495
>> 3J1O28648w      250 2.1.0 Sender syntax Ok
>> 
>> How can I disable this?
>
>Unfortunately, you may not. See http://www.rfc-ignorant.org/policy-dsn.html for full 
>explanations.

  I have a problem that is sort of related.


Running: Zmailer 2.99.55 on  Solaris 8


  This is all well and good, and I have been forced to go back to being 
compliant because I was also losing listserv responses.  However, I am getting 
many messages sent to the mailer-demon, which we have aliased to 
our support group alias.  The messages look like this:


======================================================================
To:	mailer-daemon@cs.dal.ca
From:	The Post Office <postmaster@cs.dal.ca>
Sender:	mailer-daemon@cs.dal.ca
Subject: Invalid message envelope information

Error in "to" envelope address:

	<< > >
	 ^-expected word, illegal end of route address, missing end of address


Error in "To" header address:

	<< > >
	 ^-expected word, illegal end of route address, missing end of address



The entire original message file follows.

-----------------------------------------
rcvdfrom STDIN ("??"@waffle.cs.dal.ca)
channel error
todsn NOTIFY=NEVER ORCPT=RFC822;<>
to <<>>
env-end
To: <<>>
From: The Post Office <postmaster@cs.dal.ca>
Sender:	mailer-daemon@cs.dal.ca
Subject: Errors: No such user(s)
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: multipart/report; report-type=delivery-status;
	boundary="S247969AbSJISYP=_/errmail/waffle.cs.dal.ca"


--S247969AbSJISYP=_/errmail/waffle.cs.dal.ca
Content-Type: text/plain

This is a collection of reports about email delivery
process concerning a message you originated:


error: nosuchuser: cweqx@cs.dal.ca

--S247969AbSJISYP=_/errmail/waffle.cs.dal.ca
Content-Type: message/delivery-status

Reporting-MTA: dns; waffle.cs.dal.ca
Arrival-Date: Wed, 9 Oct 2002 15:24:14 -0300

Original-Recipient: rfc822;cweqx@cs.dal.ca
Final-Recipient: RFC822; cweqx@cs.dal.ca
Action: failed
Status: 5.0.0
Diagnostic-Code: X-LOCAL; 500 (nosuchuser)

--S247969AbSJISYP=_/errmail/waffle.cs.dal.ca
Content-Type: message/rfc822

Date:	Thu, 10 Oct 2002 00:03:11 +0900
From:	Mail Delivery Subsystem <MAILER-DAEMON@newtiis.co.kr>
Message-Id: <200210091503.g99F3Bj13747@newtiis.co.kr>
To:	<cweqx@cs.dal.ca>
Subject: Returned mail: see transcript for details
Auto-Submitted:	auto-generated (failure)


This is a MIME-encapsulated message

--g99F3Bj13747.1034175791/newtiis.co.kr

The original message was received at Wed, 9 Oct 2002 23:53:23 +0900
from 200-204-118-235.dsl.telesp.net.br [200.204.118.235]

   ----- The following addresses had permanent fatal errors -----
<tamtheram@ipxnet.com>
    (reason: 550 Host unknown)
<onesti@ix.netcom.com>
    (reason: 550 Dialups/open relays blocked. Contact <openrelay@abuse.earthlink.net>.)
<rogbabb@ix.netcom.com>
    (reason: 550 Dialups/open relays blocked. Contact <openrelay@abuse.earthlink.net>.)

[.....]

======================================================================


  So, here is my take:

+random_spam.net -> newtiis.co.kr
  MAIL From: <cweqx@cs.dal.ca>
  RCPT To: <various recipients>

   Hi!  I am a spammer!

+newtiss.co.kr -> cs.dal.ca [smtpserver]
  MAIL FROM: <> 
  RCPT To: <cweqx@cs.dal.ca> 

   Failed to deliver to <various recipients>

+cs.dal.ca [router] -> [scheduler]
   todsn NOTIFY=NEVER ORCPT=RFC822;<>
   to: <>

        cweqx does not exist

+cs.dal.ca [router]
   rfc822.c: parse envelope.
    Parse error in envelope, before checking that NOTIFY=NEVER.
    Must tell mailer-daemon.

  I can not quite figure out if this is fixed in a newer version, or if I 
have an incorrect configuration that is leading to this making it further
in the process than it should.

  We were not getting this behavior in what I think was a 2.99.54 
configuration.


  Any comments?  Help?

-- 
  Chris Maxwell
  Unix SysAdmin, Faculty of Computer Science, 
  Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
  (902) 494-1369 / chris.maxwell_AT_dal.ca / FAX: (902) 492-1517
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