[Xitami] Spam

[Brian {Hamilton Kelly}]

In message <004b01c1b4dc$dffb07a0$6500a8c0@COWBOY>
   "Frank Harrell" writes:

> This is off subject, but I reported the spam to the provider of the IP
> address that the "click here" pointed to, and apparently the server has
> been closed down just since this morning. 

Well done; I *do* like confirmed kills :-)

> I am working on a set of pages that show how to report spam to the
> managing provider of the place the spam actually originated from. The
> pages will also cover how to report to the provider if the spam came
> through an open SMTP server or through a mailing list like this one did.

One of the biggest problems these days are computers running open SOCKS
proxies (often on ADSL or cable modems).  The owners of these machines
install such a proxy service to facilitate sharing a connection between
multiple computers in a home/SoHo, and take no steps to secure it against
being exploited by outsiders.

The latter come along and send their UCE ["spam" is the wrong
nomenclature] via the ISP's smart host, which is not an open SMTP relay,
but doesn effectively act as one, because it's been duped into believing
that the traffic has originated from an authorized user.

AIUI, the worst example of this for the Windoze world is something called
AnalogX, which comes with the SOCKS proxies completely open by default.
The manual does say how to close it down and make it secure, but...
how many people ever bother to RTFM, hey?

> I have had very good results using this method.

UCE/UBE is always worth fighting (if you just sweep it under the carpet
by filtering it, nothing will ever be done by ISPs to eradicate it at
source), but with the existence of things like AnalogX it becomes VERY
much harder to identify the real source.

-- 
Brian {Hamilton Kelly}                                          bhk@dsl.co.uk
    "We have gone from a world of concentrated knowledge and wisdom to one of
    distributed ignorance.  And we know and understand less while being incr-
    easingly capable."              Prof. Peter Cochrane, formerly of BT Labs