Here are two ideas I am implementing that curb a lot of spam and cost just a little development time and use. I recommend using these:
- I created a box for my use only. Whenever I get spam on my mailbox, I forward it to that box as a storage area. I change the subject heading to be more specific for spamflt0.txt. So if I get a message with a subject like "Make your wife happeir with V1agra". I forward this message with subject *v1agra* to that box. I know that in the future, anything with 'v1agra' in the subject heading is 100% spam and it will be blocked for everyone.
I have a little vb program that runs every 5 minutes, retrieves the messages from that box, extracts the subject heading, e.g; *v1agra* and adds it to the spamflt0.txt. This little process saves me time from logging into vopmail and going through the manual clicks and text typing.
- The other process is every ip address originating spam is logged into a database with a corresponding counter and timestamp. So if another spam comes in from the same ip address, the counter is incremeneted. Then it's up to me to decide based on the counter threshhold, to add the ip address to my black list. It could be as simple as a counter being incremented to 2 and decide that I will block all future mail from the that server. And based on the timestamp I can decide on a grace period to remove them from the blacklist. All this is done programmatically and can be attached to the process above.
Feedback and improvements are welcome.
Salama
From: "Mike Herrera" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [VOPmail Beta] Date: Wed, 25 Jun 2003 15:44:02 -0500
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Hello Salama,
Its been pointed out by others that most spam is coming from servers outside of the US. I agree that any legislation of this type will be of limited value, but not for that reason. The penalties attached to this legislation are not for the servers used, but for the spammer who is originating the spam and, unfortunately, a great majority of them (right now) are from the USA. We have seen a greater number which appear to be originating from people outside of the US and that will remain a problem. But if we can get even a little handle on the situation here by prosecuting a few good examples to other spammers, we just might begin to see the problem start to move down a little. I don't think this legislation is a panacea, nor do I see the challenge/response idea as being any kind of solution, but taken together they are a start to getting control of a problem which is squezing us to death.
The big guys like AOHELL and Earthlink and MSN etc. can all afford to go after some of the spammers to make exampls of them as they are doing now. But, how many of us have those kinds of resources. We need an organization of pooled resources that can possibly do such things as hire an attorney to go after two or three major spammers to make examples of them.
These are just ideas floating off the top of my head, what I know for sure that this is one case where the old saying holds true: "we shall hang together, or most assuredly we will all hang separately"! We need a group made up of us and ISP's like us, to have a voice on things that concern the very existence of our businesses.
MikeH
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I had a friend who was a clown.. when he died, all his friends went to the funeral in one car..
Mike Herrera Access One Online Services http://www.access-one.com
-----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Salama hussein Sent: Wednesday, June 25, 2003 3:25 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [VOPmail Beta]
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Quick Comments:
The congress thing is only good for servers in the US. Eventually the spammers will use servers outside the US.
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