Re: [cobalt-users] Email relaying

[Larry Smith <lesmith@xxxxxxxxx>]

INRE RE: [cobalt-users] Email relaying:
> > 
> > Someone posted that Verizon/GTE is doing this as well, but I've found
> > that more frequent is the AOL and Earthlink method of "you can send
> > 'From:' anybody, but only through -our- SMTP server and we'll
> > block you
> > from sending out SMTP to anywhere else."
>
> At least AOL will do it regardless of the From: address.

A lot of "providers" have tried similar schemes - but I get "probed" 
regularly from AOL ip addresses so they must not do it very well.

Problem is they can only block or redirect selected ports - eg smtp is port 
25.  So someone just connects to an open proxy on port 3128 and sends to 
their hearts content - or to any number of other servers/systems that will 
allow relay or proxy on "non-standard" ports.  For example, they connect to 
one of your webmail systems and send all they want....

What they are trying to do is clamp down on "spammers", but spammers don't 
use their own ISP mail server because it has all the records of who logged on 
when, where, for how long, etc....  Instead they use open relay or open proxy 
systems all over the world and unless you can get the system logs for "that" 
system, you have no way to tie it back to them...

-- 
Larry Smith
SysAd ECSIS.NET
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