On Thu, 30 Sep 1999, Info-LabVIEW List Maintainer wrote:
>> Question; I'm getting SPAM messages sent out the a list from
>> someone not subscribed and is not a good return address. How
>> are they doing this and how do I put a stop to it?
>
> Is your list a closed list with subscribe confirmation turned
> on? If not, there's not much you can do except live with the
> problem.
If his list isn't closed and setup for subscription confirmation
he probably doesn't know what you are talking about.
Closed List - The list only accepts posts from subscribers. This
simple measure stops most casual spammers. Most spammers I've
encountered don't bother to subscribe. They just pick up the
list address from a directory and blast away. Without this
filter, your list is very vulnerable to spam.
Subscription Confirmation - The software (or list admin) sends
email to the address that requested the subscription. The
subscriber must reply from that address to join. Many software
packages send the potential subscriber a "cookie" that must be
returned to activate the subscription. The cookie is a serial
number that usually expires in a few days. If the cookie isn't
returned in the specified time, the subscribe request expires.
Both of these security measures are pretty basic. I would not
consider hosting a public list with software that did not support
these very important features. If you don't know how to activate
these options, read the manual for your software or ask for help
on the support list for your software.
- murr -
