RE: [cobalt-users] Spam blocking

["Michele Neylon :: Blacknight Solutions" <michele@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> >You may reduce your spam by 75% if you add in three or four RBLs
> at the MTA
> >level, but you are also going to block a lot of legitamate email in the
> >process if you are blindly grabbing tips of mailing lists.
>
> I seriously doubt that you are going to block a log of legitimate
> email.  Yes you may block some.

A lot of European ISPs, for example, use dynamic IP addresses. Some
blacklists will block all mail from the IPs, so yes you will block
legitimate mail - I've seen it happen

> This point is very true.  At this point in time, anyone using a
> dynamic IP
> address to send their own mail should be considered nuts.

Unfortunately a lot of people using dialup in Europe have no choice about
this. Those on broadband may have static IPs, but due to abuse of their ISPs
SMTP a lot of mail is also blocked.

> It is turning out that ISP's are
> winning here and it is best is people send their email out via the SMTP
> server of their ISP.

A lot depends on the ISP. Fastweb (in Italy) for example has a lot of
problems as their SMTP has been abused by spammers. Most RBLs will give a
high score to any mail issuing from those SMTP.


> If you modify the refusal statement and provide a web page of
> your own with
> a form for the person to notify you, you can make adjustments
> when contacted.

Do you mean you want to bounce the spam with a URL in the bounce message?
Please tell me you are joking.


> People shouldn't do anything to their server unless they know
> what they are
> doing. Duh!

Unfortunately they do - which is why I posted originally.