Re: AGIS Signing up New Spammers

[Karl Denninger <karl () Mcs Net>]

On Mon, Nov 17, 1997 at 01:18:21PM -0500, Leo Bicknell wrote:
> In article <64q19v$o1 () gizmo dimension net> you write:
> > Best guess at ths time, without having had a full review done, is that
> > filtering spam at the source *might* fall into the same category. However,
> > since in theory mail is *personal* in nature ratehr than broadcast, it might 
> > be deemed to fall into the same category as blocking all carrier route sorted 
> > bulk mail in the real world. However, note that you *can't* get USPS to do 
> > that, either.
>
>       The follow your argument wouldn't there be a difference
> between blocking e-mail from a site (eg, the RBL, or your own
> sendmail.cf rules) and blackholing an entire site at the IP
> level?  In one case you are acting as an editor claiming that
> only mail is offensive, in the other you are acting as a
> service provider preventing damage to your network?
>
>       It would seem to me that if you argue that the site 
> causes "network problems" and simly toss all of their packets
> regardless of content you are safer.  It is also nastier to
> the spammer/their provider (eg one or two bad apples 
> render all of AGIS's network unreachable to a great many),
> which in theory should get better responce to fix the 
> problem.
>
>       To site an example, no one questions a providers
> ability to filter a site when it is Smurf'ing them, why not
> when spamming them?
>
> -- 
> Leo Bicknell - bicknell () dimension net
> Network Engineer - Dimension Enterprises
> 1-703-709-7500, fax, 1-703-709-7699

Filtering at the SMTP level does exactly that.  It prevents the damage
done by the spam.

Its also carefully crafted to do ONLY that, where a general packet filter is
not.  A general packet filter is appropriate in the case of a smurf attack.

--
-- 
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