On Mon, 12 Feb 2001 14:49:37 -0600, Charles Cazabon wrote:
>> Am I right in think qmail-smtpd will never give this error?
>
>Yes. However, it should be noted that servers which do return this error
>are revealing valuable information -- spammers can use this technique to
>build a list of valid email addresses, simply by connecting to port 25
>and throwing a dictionary at it.
I do not disagree. However you are damned if you do and damned if you don't.
Ever had a spam random attack? Sounds just like the dictionary attack just get
squillions of messages directed at squillions of potential mailboxes.
What would you rather handle: spam sent to the valid few or bouncing heaps?
The spammers will get some through either way and sometimes an innocent forged
MTA will have to handle all the bounces if the rejection is not immediate.
No simple answer, I think. I'd be pleased to be proven wrong, tho'.
What say Charles?
In the beginning was The Word
and The Word was Content-type: text/plain
The Word of Rod.
