[CLUE-Tech] The SPAM Wars '03

[Mike Staver]

> Sure it's possible.  You should learn something about procmail rules.
>  Basically you could write a fairly simple perl script (or language of
> your choice) to pipe messages from procmail and reject based on
> conditions you define, such as keywords or senders, etc.

Ok, that sounds good - but I don't know what procmail is.  Is it
something that runs server side along with sendmail?  Sorry I sound like
such a newbie, but I have very limited experience with any type of mail
server. 

> What I've found to be very helpful for me is SpamAssassin.  I have had 0
> false-positives in the 6 months or so that we've been running it here.
>  And it catches about 1500 spams per month.  This would be the easier
> way for you to go but not quite as flexible as writing your own code.
> My mailbox went from 30+ spams per day to 1 per week.  It works.. :)

Ok, I've heard of SpamAssassin, but isn't that a client side thing that
you can attach to your mail client? If so, I can't use that because I
check my mail various ways throughout the day:

Pine
Netscape Messenger
Webmail

And not to mention, it would only work for me and not the rest of my
account holders for my server.  

> Another tool is to look at is the RBL (real-time blackhole list).  This
> is an internet-based database of known open-relays.  Any of the major
> MTA's (including Sendmail) can be configured to check sender against the
> rbl before accepting mail.
 
I do have sendmail set up to use this, or so I thought, from this code
in my sendmail.cf file:

# DNS based IP address spam list rbl.maps.vix.com
R$*                     $: $&{client_addr}
R::ffff:$-.$-.$-.$-     $: <?> $(host $4.$3.$2.$1.rbl.maps.vix.com. $:
OK $)
R$-.$-.$-.$-            $: <?> $(host $4.$3.$2.$1.rbl.maps.vix.com. $:
OK $)
R<?>OK                  $: OKSOFAR 
R<?>$+                  $#error $@ 5.7.1 $:  Mail from $&{client_addr}
refused by blackhole site rbl.maps.vix.com  

Then again, maybe there is some other way to turn it on, but I don't
know what it would be. 

-- 

                                -Mike Staver
                                 staver at fimble.com
                                 mstaver at globaltaxnetwork.com