Re: spam return address backlash

[Paul Russell <prussell () ND EDU>]

On 1/11/2007 15:21, Cal Frye wrote:
> Please correct me if I'm wrong, but my understanding runs like this:
>
> Bounce a message, and your mail server creates a new bounce message and sends
> back to the sender of the suspected spam.
>
> Reject a message, and if the sending system is a genuine mail server, /that
> server/ will send an error message to the local user regarding the "bounce."
> If the sending system is a suborned spammer, the reject will be ignored and it
> will pass on to the next address in the queue.
>
> Result: genuine users do receive word of the delivery failure; forged sender
> addresses go unmolested.

For most cases, that should be correct, however, if the original recipient
has mail forwarding in effect, the message will be accepted, then forwarded.
From the point of acceptance, any delivery problem will result in a bounce.

--
Paul Russell, Senior Systems Administrator
OIT Messaging Services Team
University of Notre Dame
prussell () nd edu