FC: Email a RoadRunner address, get scanned by their security system

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

---

Date: Fri, 14 Mar 2003 15:22:24 -0500
Subject: RoadRunner Automated Portscans
From: Gunnar Hellekson <gunnar () onepeople org>
To: declan () well com

After sending an email to a friend at a RoadRunner address, I see this in 
my web access log:

24.30.199.228 - - [13/Mar/2003:15:11:25 -0500] "CONNECT security.rr.com:25 
HTTP/1.0" 404 535 "" ""

Basically, RoadRunner tried to spam themselves using my server.  I mailed 
abuse () rr com about this, and received a canned response, enclosed.  It's a 
humble response, but woefully inadequate.  Have anti-spam measures come to 
this?  This seems like an ill-considered compromise between privacy and 
anti-spam efforts.  A blunt instrument that betrays less-than-careful 
thinking.  The opt-out option, which was revealed only after my complaint, 
is even more obnoxious.

Under their logic, I feel entitled to poke and prod their customers, just 
to make sure they don't spam me.  Is that fair?  I promise to provide an 
opt-out if anyone complains.

I'm curious whether this preemptive measure is effective at all.

-Gunnar

> From: "Road Runner Security \[DSR\]" <abuse () rr com>
> Date: Fri Mar 14, 2003  2:05:12 PM America/New_York
> Subject: Re: Port scans?
>
> Hello,
>
> The securityscan.sec.rr.com machine is a Road Runner Security resource that
> is used as a tool to assist us in determining if machines being used to
> send us mail may be abused from outside sources, allowing them to be used
> to spam our customers and role accounts. We fully understand your concerns
> surrounding the probing of your machine. This issue has been raised
> internally and we hope this email helps you better understand our process.
>
> The intention of this process is truly not meant to be a "big brother"
> system, but we understand that some may view it as such. Our ultimate goal,
> however, is to protect our network, our customers, and our role accounts.
>
> Road Runner has begin the REACTIVE testing of IP addresses which connect 
> to its inbound SMTP gateways. If your machine connects to ours to send 
> email, we reserve the absolute right to perform SMTP relay and open proxy 
> server tests upon the connecting IP address to ensure that the machine at 
> that IP address cannot be abused for malicious > purposes.
>
> These scans are done once per week per IP, via an automated process, and 
> only on those servers that have sent our subscriber base mail. The only 
> way for these tests to occur is if an IP address connects to our inbound 
> SMTP gateway. If found to be an open proxy or smtp relay, the IP address 
> will be blocked at our mail gateway borders with one of the following 
> error messages:
>
> ERROR:5.7.1:550 Mail Refused - See 
> http://security.rr.com/mail_blocks.htm#proxy
> ERROR:5.7.1:550 Mail Refused - See 
> http://security.rr.com/mail_blocks.htm#relay
>
> We understand that some entities may not wish to be scanned as part of this
> automated process. If you do not wish to be tested by Road Runner, there
> are two ways to accomplish this:
>
> 1. Send an e-mail to 'donottest () security rr com' with the IP address that
> you do not wish to be tested. Please note that if you are not the
> designated contact for your IP address range (for example, if you are on a
> cable modem, DSL, or dialup range), we will be unable to fulfill your
> request for addition or removal.
> 2. Do not connect to our inbound SMTP servers. Again, this test is only
> conducted on servers that connect to our servers.
>
> If you have any further questions, you can visit http://security.rr.com or
> contact Road Runner Security via e-mail at 'spamblock () security rr com'
>
> Regards,
> Road Runner Security





-------------------------------------------------------------------------
POLITECH -- Declan McCullagh's politics and technology mailing list
You may redistribute this message freely if you include this notice.
To subscribe to Politech: http://www.politechbot.com/info/subscribe.html
This message is archived at http://www.politechbot.com/
Like Politech? Make a donation here: http://www.politechbot.com/donate/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Declan McCullagh's photographs are at http://www.mccullagh.org/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------