Hi,
I'm currently using Mailwasher to manage my SPAM messages and I'm
quite satisfied, but I'd like to find some program who allows me to
create a personalized message for a certain group of users, for
example for the users of a certain domain etc...
Any suggestion?
Thanks,
Penna
On 2007-03-23, Pennaverde
> Hi,
> I'm currently using Mailwasher to manage my SPAM messages
[snip]
Sorry to snip all of your question, and then not answer it, but I was
wondering whether you use the 'bounce' feature of that Mailwasher program.
I've had a look at the Mailwasher site, and it seems to me (although I'm
probably wrong) that in the wrong hands, this program could generate
backscatter through users 'bouncing' spam mails with (typically) forged
envelope-senders. As a client connecting to a mail server, you have to
download the entire message before your machine (under your control) can
then 'bounce' spam messages ?
My mail server (Exim) rejects blacklisted senders at RCPT time, so the mail
isn't actually accepted, stored, then bounced. It is not possible to do this
with a client-side application, AFAIK ?
Just need some facts straightening out here if anyone can help me after the
OP.
Thanks very much all.
BH.
> I'm currently using Mailwasher to manage my SPAM messages and I'm
> quite satisfied, but I'd like to find some program who allows me to
> create a personalized message for a certain group of users, for
> example for the users of a certain domain etc...
Penna,
What kind of personalized message do you mean? So when spam reaches your
local users, you want to attach a message to it? I don't see the point.
--
Jem Berkes
www.sysdesign.ca
Benson Hedges
news:MWSMh.24319$Lz4.1273@newsfe7-gui.ntli.net:
> Just need some facts straightening out here if anyone can help me
> after the OP.
I don't know if the situation has changed, but Mailwasher has been really
bad for creating backscatter.
There is NO reason to bounce back spam. It makes users feel good, but they
are accomplishing nothing. The addresses they bounce back to are always
forged, and often real addresses of innocent victims. The process of
bouncing back is in fact creating, not curing spam.
And if your bounced backscatter hits a spamtrap, your host is going to get
blacklisted for spamming.
--
Jem Berkes
www.sysdesign.ca
On 2007-03-23, Jem Berkes
> Benson Hedges
> news:MWSMh.24319$Lz4.1273@newsfe7-gui.ntli.net:
>
>> Just need some facts straightening out here if anyone can help me
>> after the OP.
>
> I don't know if the situation has changed, but Mailwasher has been really
> bad for creating backscatter.
>
> There is NO reason to bounce back spam. It makes users feel good, but they
> are accomplishing nothing. The addresses they bounce back to are always
> forged, and often real addresses of innocent victims. The process of
> bouncing back is in fact creating, not curing spam.
>
> And if your bounced backscatter hits a spamtrap, your host is going to get
> blacklisted for spamming.
Thanks for the reply Jem. I hope that in Mailwashers case, the option to
bounce spam at least throws up a few warning boxes or notices before it is
executed.
I don't know what good that would do overall though, like you say the
illusion of being able to return junk mail to it's (alleged) origin is very
alluring, particularly for users who just want a clean mail box, but don't
care too much for how email works on a technical level.
Regards,
BH.
On Mar 23, 6:07 pm, Jem Berkes
> Penna,
>
> What kind of personalized message do you mean? So when spam reaches your
> local users, you want to attach a message to it? I don't see the point.
No, the message would not be for spammers, of course!
I'd like to create a filter, let's say on the size of attachments, and
then delete the messages sending back to the sender a message like
"Hi, your message with an attachment was deleted. I will, from now on,
delete every message with ppt attachments, chains, jokes, etc...
Please don't send them anymore. Thanks.".
I mean: a lot of people who are not spammers, but friends, colleagues,
etc... send stupid jokes and chain. I don't want to reply manually to
everyone saying not to send those things, but I need a filter.
Obviously I will check the filter manually in order not do delete
useful attachments, but the most part of the job would be done
automatically.
Is it clear, now? :-) Sorry, but english isn't my mother
tongue !!! :-)
On Mar 23, 6:07 pm, Benson Hedges
> Sorry to snip all of your question, and then not answer it, but I was
> wondering whether you use the 'bounce' feature of that Mailwasher program.
I use it only occasionally and not to spammers, but to the category of
people mentioned above. But it's not use, to them.
> envelope-senders. As a client connecting to a mail server, you have to
> download the entire message before your machine (under your control) can
> then 'bounce' spam messages ?
No, you don't.
Penna
>> What kind of personalized message do you mean? So when spam reaches your
>> local users, you want to attach a message to it? I don't see the point.
>
> No, the message would not be for spammers, of course!
> I'd like to create a filter, let's say on the size of attachments, and
> then delete the messages sending back to the sender a message like
> "Hi, your message with an attachment was deleted. I will, from now on,
> delete every message with ppt attachments, chains, jokes, etc...
> Please don't send them anymore. Thanks.".
That sounds like a big problem. You are planning on sending a new message
back to the sender.
How do you know that the sender address is genuine? You can if the message
originated from a local user, but if the message (with attachments) comes
from an external address, you have no way of knowing if the address has
been forged.
You should not send automated messages back to senders. It is a bad idea,
you will end up spamming innocent victims and I can virtually guarantee it
will eventually get your host blacklisted by a spam detection network.
--
Jem Berkes
www.sysdesign.ca
> How do you know that the sender address is genuine? You can if the message
> originated from a local user, but if the message (with attachments) comes
> from an external address, you have no way of knowing if the address has
> been forged.
No, I know it's not forged because I recognize the message. I mean:
I've a friend, xxx.yyy@italiannbank.it, who sends jokes and messages
are NOT forged, because she writes "Hey, this one is really
interesting" or other messages which are not generated automatically
by spammers.
Most spam is en english and if here in Italy you receive a message
from a friend with an english text, you immediately recognize that the
friend's address has been forged.
But here, I talk about true people which keep on sending messages like
"There is a girl in the hospital with a bad disease bla bla bla"
etc... etc... WITHOUT veryfing them. They don't check if the messages
they forward are fake or old, they simply forward them. I tried
writing them to CHECK those messages on the internet before forwarding
them, but it's no use.
So, I'm tired, and I want to automatically delete them sending a
warning.
> You should not send automated messages back to senders. It is a bad idea,
> you will end up spamming innocent victims and I can virtually guarantee it
> will eventually get your host blacklisted by a spam detection network.
It's not the case, absolutely! I'm talking about people I do actually
know, and not hundreds of people.
Besides, I'm an IT technician and I've a certain knowledge on the
subject, I know the difference between spam, scam, forged addresses
etc... and STUPID people who misuse their email service.
This is the case :-)
I only need a software.
Thanks.
"Pennaverde"
>I'd like to create a filter, let's say on the size of attachments, and
>then delete the messages sending back to the sender a message like
>"Hi, your message with an attachment was deleted. I will, from now on,
>delete every message with ppt attachments, chains, jokes, etc...
>Please don't send them anymore. Thanks.".
You may be able to achieve this with your email client. If you use
Outlook for example (full Outlook, not OE) then you could set up a
rule which reads:
Apply this rule after the message arrives
from "Fred Bloggs"
and with a size of at least 100K and at most 999999K
reply using a specific template
and permanently delete it
and stop processing more rules
On Mar 29, 12:49 pm, Landmark
> You may be able to achieve this with your email client. If you use
> Outlook for example (full Outlook, not OE) then you could set up a
> rule which reads:
>
> Apply this rule after the message arrives
> from "Fred Bloggs"
> and with a size of at least 100K and at most 999999K
> reply using a specific template
> and permanently delete it
> and stop processing more rules
Yes, but I think Outlook (I have it) has to download the message prior
to filter it, isnt'it? Mailwasher and other program like it don't
download the whole message. Mailwasher is perfect for me, but it lacks
the personalized message, therefore I asked here :-)
Thanks!
Penna
"Pennaverde"
>Yes, but I think Outlook (I have it) has to download the message prior
>to filter it, isnt'it? Mailwasher and other program like it don't
>download the whole message. Mailwasher is perfect for me, but it lacks
>the personalized message, therefore I asked here :-)
To be honest I think you are making a mountain out of a mole hill. You
say this person is a friend but you don't seem to want to write to her
and explain that you don't want these mails from her. Instead you want
something that will automatically and impersonally slap her every time
she sends you a mail you don't want.
You could just delete the mail without downloading by screening it
with Mailwasher but that's not enough for you. You want something that
sends a slap as well, but it is too much trouble for you to mail your
friend manually. Just how many mails are you getting from your
"friend" that makes you think you need an automated solution? If she
is such a pest, why don't you just blacklist her address and tell her
she'll have to text you on your mobile if she wants to talk to you
again.
If you'd put as much effort into communicating the problem to her as
you've put into this thread then I'm sure you wouldn't have a problem.
Computer programs are not always the solution to dealing with people.
On 2007-03-26, Pennaverde
> On Mar 23, 6:07 pm, Benson Hedges
>
>> Sorry to snip all of your question, and then not answer it, but I was
>> wondering whether you use the 'bounce' feature of that Mailwasher program.
> I use it only occasionally and not to spammers, but to the category of
> people mentioned above. But it's not use, to them.
>> As a client connecting to a mail server, you have to
>> download the entire message before your machine (under your control) can
>> then 'bounce' spam messages ?
> No, you don't.
Could you elaborate ? Mailwasher can filter/delete messages from a remote
(POP3/IMAP) server, ok, but it can 'bounce' messages on remote servers too,
without downloading them ? The message that you intend to send a 'bounce' to
has already been accepted and stored has it not ? That's why it's on the
POP/IMAP server.
So as far as the sending MTA of this (hypothetical) message is concerned,
that message was delivered in it's entirety. Anything after this is surely
not a bounce, it's simply a reply. Innit ?
You then log in remotely equipped with Mailwasher and then 'bounce' it ?
I'm sure that's not a bounce. Mailwasher takes some details from that
message and constructs a 'fake' bounce message from it, which you then send
? Is that what you mean ?
Help me out here. My mind is a tangled knot I can no longer untie.
Update : I read some more of this thread, and I know what I'd do. Send your
friend/s a mail telling them you don't want the particular mails that offend
you anymore. If they keep on coming, set up a filter in Mailwasher to delete
the mails. Done.
(as long as you can resist disabling the filter just to see if they've sent
you some more. I don't think any of us can help you out with that one.)
Regards,
BH.
> say this person is a friend but you don't seem to want to write to her
> and explain that you don't want these mails from her. Instead you want
> something that will automatically and impersonally slap her every time
> she sends you a mail you don't want.
Yes, and you know why ?
Because a lot of people use their email to forward useless and heavy
things. I made an example with a person, but the problem regards more
than one person.
Besides, who told you I don't want to write her ??? I already wrote to
those persons asking not to forward jokes, chain, heavy attachments
but they don't care! Obvioulsy they're decent people, but.... give
them a pc and they forget normal rules of behaviour. If this doesn't
happen to you, maybe it's because where you live there is a widespread
culture about pc and email etiquette. Here in Italy people keep on
forwarding long chains with long lists of addresses, they don't use
the BCC, etc....
I'm not a preacher, who wants to write to everyone teaching the basic
rules of email!!! I also tried, but did not succeed.
So I don't want to "slap" anyone, but only to send them a pre-written
message which seems more official, as done by an antivirus, so they
MAYBE will read it more carefully.
> friend manually. Just how many mails are you getting from your
> "friend" that makes you think you need an automated solution? If she
> is such a pest, why don't you just blacklist her address and tell her
20 a day ? But this is not the point. I want them to UNDERSTAND basic
rules.
> Computer programs are not always the solution to dealing with people.
I think some kind of people would rather understand a pc "scary"
message than a gentle mail from a friend. In fact, this is my
experience.
Thanks for your lecture.
Penna