nanog mailing list archives

Re: IETF SMTP Working Group Proposal at smtpng.org


From: Jared Mauch <jared () puck Nether net>
Date: Wed, 21 Aug 2002 16:25:35 -0400


        I'm not saying it's a solution for all problems
but that lets-say-for-example,

        AOL probally gets a lot of mail with forged yahoo,hotmail,
btamail.net.cn or smiliar MAIL FROM:<>'s

        Lets say AOL, hotmail, yahoo all today had a way they
could say "we would like to cooperate in validating source addresses
as at least somewhat more valid than today" and had a mechanisim to
do this with a patch to sendmail/qmail/postfix/zmailer.

        This would allow for while a few extra commands and bytes
per smtp-transaction the ability to authenticate such data.

        You could also then start keeping statistics and rate-limit
the callback mechanisim.  AOL (and i'm sure others) have done "so,
you want to bulk-mail aol users, sign here".  Including this
ability to increase customer satisfaction is in all ISPS
interest today.

        - jared

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20020820/ap_wo_en_po/fea_us_spammed_war_of_attrition_1

On Wed, Aug 21, 2002 at 04:17:53PM -0400, Valdis.Kletnieks () vt edu wrote:
On Wed, 21 Aug 2002 15:51:36 EDT, Jared Mauch said:
    i do think some sort of smtp-callback would be nice/useful
for validation of e-mail addresses.  it'll make it so
the bounces go to someplace at least instead of Postmaster.

The fact that you can call back in no way means that bounces won't
double-bounce into the postmaster mailbox. I'm sure that yahoo.com
would buy into a callback scheme, but it wouldn;t have done squat for
this double-bounce:

   ----- Transcript of session follows -----
... while talking to mx1.mail.yahoo.com.:
DATA
<<< 554 delivery error: dd Sorry, your message to xxxxxxxx () yahoo com cannot be delivered.  This account is over 
quota. - mta461.mail.yahoo.com
554 5.0.0 Service unavailable

(OK, so THIS double-bounce was a W32/Klez-H generated one, but I get enough
of the same thing for spam with a Yahoo return adress).
-- 
                              Valdis Kletnieks
                              Computer Systems Senior Engineer
                              Virginia Tech




-- 
Jared Mauch  | pgp key available via finger from jared () puck nether net
clue++;      | http://puck.nether.net/~jared/  My statements are only mine.


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