Comments on: My life as a false positive http://blogs.gnome.org/bolsh/2006/08/30/my-life-as-a-false-positive/ Dave Neary's view of the world Sun, 11 Dec 2011 14:17:21 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Qball http://blogs.gnome.org/bolsh/2006/08/30/my-life-as-a-false-positive/comment-page-1/#comment-311 Qball Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://blogs.gnome.org/bolsh/2006/08/30/my-life-as-a-false-positive/#comment-311 I have this problem too, one of the smtp servers from my isp is in the banlist and also the whole adsl ip range.<p/>Spam is a big problem, but this isn't the solution.<p/>Q I have this problem too, one of the smtp servers from my isp is in the banlist and also the whole adsl ip range.

Spam is a big problem, but this isn’t the solution.

Q

]]> By: Simon http://blogs.gnome.org/bolsh/2006/08/30/my-life-as-a-false-positive/comment-page-1/#comment-312 Simon Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://blogs.gnome.org/bolsh/2006/08/30/my-life-as-a-false-positive/#comment-312 Ok, I'd recommend to register your own domain. That at least requires your email partner to put you in his blacklist explicitely. Ok, if he is blocking the entire country he does not deserve better, but that is more an exception probably (and a .org domain might help here...).<p/>At least in Germany registering a domain is cheap and most providers have SMTP servers. Pick a smaller service provider, makes it less likely to have it in the blacklist.<p/>My personal grief are error messages for mails that have my address in the faked From:-header. Ok, I’d recommend to register your own domain. That at least requires your email partner to put you in his blacklist explicitely. Ok, if he is blocking the entire country he does not deserve better, but that is more an exception probably (and a .org domain might help here…).

At least in Germany registering a domain is cheap and most providers have SMTP servers. Pick a smaller service provider, makes it less likely to have it in the blacklist.

My personal grief are error messages for mails that have my address in the faked From:-header.

]]> By: Np237 http://blogs.gnome.org/bolsh/2006/08/30/my-life-as-a-false-positive/comment-page-1/#comment-313 Np237 Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://blogs.gnome.org/bolsh/2006/08/30/my-life-as-a-false-positive/#comment-313 I also have encountered numerous issues of the like. As I don't use my ISP's SMTP servers, I usually don't hit many blacklists, but one of them is biting hard: mail-abuse.com. After trying to discuss the issue with them for quite a while, I'm convinced this RBL is administered by a bunch of fucking ignorants who deserve a long and painful death. The worst thing is, they sell this service, and if you ask their clients to stop using it so stupidly, they simply can't because they want to use the thing they spend money for. I also have encountered numerous issues of the like. As I don’t use my ISP’s SMTP servers, I usually don’t hit many blacklists, but one of them is biting hard: mail-abuse.com. After trying to discuss the issue with them for quite a while, I’m convinced this RBL is administered by a bunch of fucking ignorants who deserve a long and painful death. The worst thing is, they sell this service, and if you ask their clients to stop using it so stupidly, they simply can’t because they want to use the thing they spend money for.

]]> By: Tomasz Torcz http://blogs.gnome.org/bolsh/2006/08/30/my-life-as-a-false-positive/comment-page-1/#comment-314 Tomasz Torcz Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://blogs.gnome.org/bolsh/2006/08/30/my-life-as-a-false-positive/#comment-314 Complain to ISP. This is THE way to solve this issue. Complain to ISP. This is THE way to solve this issue.

]]> By: Dave Neary http://blogs.gnome.org/bolsh/2006/08/30/my-life-as-a-false-positive/comment-page-1/#comment-315 Dave Neary Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://blogs.gnome.org/bolsh/2006/08/30/my-life-as-a-false-positive/#comment-315 <br/>Np237: yes, mail-abuse.com is the bane of my life.<p/>Simon: Is that really a solution? It just seems to be moving the problem further down the line. I do have enough knowledge to set up a small server at home with bind and postfix, but I still have to route my mail somewhere. Isn't it a better idea to fix the bloody spam filters?<br/> Np237: yes, mail-abuse.com is the bane of my life.

Simon: Is that really a solution? It just seems to be moving the problem further down the line. I do have enough knowledge to set up a small server at home with bind and postfix, but I still have to route my mail somewhere. Isn’t it a better idea to fix the bloody spam filters?

]]> By: Johan http://blogs.gnome.org/bolsh/2006/08/30/my-life-as-a-false-positive/comment-page-1/#comment-316 Johan Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://blogs.gnome.org/bolsh/2006/08/30/my-life-as-a-false-positive/#comment-316 Wanadoo used be one of the worst spam source networks anywhere, they were positively crawling with trojaned systems and their abuse handling was non-existent. Unless this has changed recently, I'm not surprised people don't want e-mail from them. <p/>More generally, banning e-mail from netblocks marked as dynamic/residential is an effective way of making a large dent in your spam load. If you don't like this, fine, but it's not likely to change. Either convince your ISP to give you a static IP with delegated rDNS or relay your mail through a proper mail server provided by someone else (especially in the case of Wanadoo, I'd recommend that this someone else not be your ISP).<p/>As for Graham's rant, anyone who labels a boycott "terrorism" is not worth listening to.<br/> Wanadoo used be one of the worst spam source networks anywhere, they were positively crawling with trojaned systems and their abuse handling was non-existent. Unless this has changed recently, I’m not surprised people don’t want e-mail from them.

More generally, banning e-mail from netblocks marked as dynamic/residential is an effective way of making a large dent in your spam load. If you don’t like this, fine, but it’s not likely to change. Either convince your ISP to give you a static IP with delegated rDNS or relay your mail through a proper mail server provided by someone else (especially in the case of Wanadoo, I’d recommend that this someone else not be your ISP).

As for Graham’s rant, anyone who labels a boycott “terrorism” is not worth listening to.

]]> By: segphault http://blogs.gnome.org/bolsh/2006/08/30/my-life-as-a-false-positive/comment-page-1/#comment-317 segphault Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://blogs.gnome.org/bolsh/2006/08/30/my-life-as-a-false-positive/#comment-317 My ISP's email server will automatically add special header tags to all messages that come from overseas ISPs. I have Evo dump them in a special folder to keep them out of my regular email. I look through all the subject lines to make sure none of them are legitimate emails before I delete them. I don't remember the last time I found a message in there that wasn't spam. The problem is that foreign ISPs don't enforce policies to prevent their systems from being used for massive spamming. Please complain to your ISP to get them to institute an anti-abuse policy and in the meantime get a GMail account or something. My ISP’s email server will automatically add special header tags to all messages that come from overseas ISPs. I have Evo dump them in a special folder to keep them out of my regular email. I look through all the subject lines to make sure none of them are legitimate emails before I delete them. I don’t remember the last time I found a message in there that wasn’t spam. The problem is that foreign ISPs don’t enforce policies to prevent their systems from being used for massive spamming. Please complain to your ISP to get them to institute an anti-abuse policy and in the meantime get a GMail account or something.

]]> By: Michele http://blogs.gnome.org/bolsh/2006/08/30/my-life-as-a-false-positive/comment-page-1/#comment-318 Michele Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://blogs.gnome.org/bolsh/2006/08/30/my-life-as-a-false-positive/#comment-318 Blocking entire countries may seem extreme, but I can understand why people do it. Personally I reject all of Asia, but as an ISP we have to accept mail from almost everywhere. Spamhaus-xbl listings, however, are the one exception that we do make.<br/>Gmail is hardly a solution either, as they are constantly getting blocked on a number of DNSBLs. Blocking entire countries may seem extreme, but I can understand why people do it. Personally I reject all of Asia, but as an ISP we have to accept mail from almost everywhere. Spamhaus-xbl listings, however, are the one exception that we do make.
Gmail is hardly a solution either, as they are constantly getting blocked on a number of DNSBLs.

]]> By: Np237 http://blogs.gnome.org/bolsh/2006/08/30/my-life-as-a-false-positive/comment-page-1/#comment-319 Np237 Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://blogs.gnome.org/bolsh/2006/08/30/my-life-as-a-false-positive/#comment-319 Tomas: these ISPs (Orange and Free) don't want to lose time in discussing with mail-abuse.com. I can understand that as they have no business with them.<p/>Johan: Free is providing its customers with static IPs, this is a reason for their popularity among geeks. However mail-abuse.com has banned several /16 networks of static IPs. I tried to discuss the issue with them and they don't even understand the level of stupidity they have reached. Tomas: these ISPs (Orange and Free) don’t want to lose time in discussing with mail-abuse.com. I can understand that as they have no business with them.

Johan: Free is providing its customers with static IPs, this is a reason for their popularity among geeks. However mail-abuse.com has banned several /16 networks of static IPs. I tried to discuss the issue with them and they don’t even understand the level of stupidity they have reached.

]]> By: Complex http://blogs.gnome.org/bolsh/2006/08/30/my-life-as-a-false-positive/comment-page-1/#comment-320 Complex Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://blogs.gnome.org/bolsh/2006/08/30/my-life-as-a-false-positive/#comment-320 segphault wrote "The problem is that foreign ISPs don't enforce policies to prevent their systems from being used for massive spamming"<p/>A quick look through my junk folder suggests that over half of the spam emails I have come from a (probably forged) .com email address. Perhaps I should just blacklist everything from a .com domain? After all, the biggest convicted spam-king was running his operation from Florida.<br/> segphault wrote “The problem is that foreign ISPs don’t enforce policies to prevent their systems from being used for massive spamming”

A quick look through my junk folder suggests that over half of the spam emails I have come from a (probably forged) .com email address. Perhaps I should just blacklist everything from a .com domain? After all, the biggest convicted spam-king was running his operation from Florida.

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