On Sun, 29 Oct 2000 15:47:01 -0700 (MST), Steve Linux User wrote:
> Any time I get spammed, I just
> insert another recipe (simple regexp) to prevent it from getting
> through again. In addition, procmail works as an autoresponder to send
> a message back to the sender... or into the darkness of a /dev/null
> somewhere if it's a fake address.
Hello Steve:
If you just send the message back to the sender, then you are letting
the spammer know that your email address is a viable and confirmed
target and that he got through to you and scored. Don't you have a
problem with that?
Furthermore, another problem with sending the spam back to the sender
is that doing so will annoy the spammer and he can easily retaliate by
sending you even more spam. He knows his missiles will hit you because
by sending the message back you have confirmed for him your email address.
Spammers use a tactic known as "recon by fire" in order to hunt for
targets. When they fire on a location from which they receive return fire
then they have a fix on the hapless victim's position. Then they can
bring their big guns on line and key in the target's coordinates and
deliver a heavy barrage to blow the target away. For this reason I have
a problem with shooting back from a position that I intend to continue to
occupy when the enemy is just conducting a recon by fire tactic. When you
shoot back you expose your position. In order to successfully attack a
spammer you need to first pinpoint his position and then periodically shell
his location by using a roving gun which you can shift about from place to
place taking care never to fire from the same position more than once and
never to fire from a position which you plan to strategically occupy for
any more time than whatever is needed to complete your fire mission.
Here is another potential problem that you can encounter by setting up
your machine to auto-respond to a spammer by sending the spam back:
The spammer can set up his program to recognize an auto-response and
send back an auto-responded reply. This kind of thing can degenerate
into a grenade-toss game whereby the thing gets thrown back and forth
until it eventually blows up damaging one side or the other. This kind
of thing can get quite nasty and there will be no winners.
In addition to attacking individual spammers by using a roving gun, it
might also be a good strategy to attack ISPs that harbor spammers. One
good way of attacking an ISP is to deliver a plague of stupid questions
for their technical support people to answer. You can really get in their
hair this way. Make sure that the pestilence is severe and enduring.
In addition to asking stupid questions you could also ask some highly
intelligent questions that they don't know how to answer. Nobody likes a
smart ass and they will probably do anything to clean up their act in hopes
that you would go away and get even with somebody else. Whatever you do,
make sure that they don't find out your identity or your permanent email
address. Assume a role and pretend to be somebody important instead of
just one of their paid subscribers.
All the best,
Sam Heywood
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