Security Incidents mailing list archives
Administrivia: SPAM control accounts...
From: Daniel Hanson <dhanson () securityfocus com>
Date: Wed, 17 Mar 2004 10:31:13 -0700 (MST)
Hi all, I just posted a message to the list, and was dismayed with the number of vacation messages, account full, and other auto-response messages that I received. Most disturbing was the people who had subscribed to the mailing list from one of those "Click here to have your message go through to the recipient" SPAM control accounts. I always wonder how these people manage to actually subscribe in the first place, but that is just an aside. While I can understand the vacation messages (people in a hurry, not aware of their actions) these SPAM control accounts are just plain rude on a mailing list (I won't debate their use for non-mailing list email). There is nothing more disconcerting about posting to a mailing list, and having your email box fill up with automated messages. In general the subscribers to this list are quite good, and when I have sent a message, I usually get around 10-15, but there are 15000+ subscribers on this list, and it takes just a very small percentage of those to turn this 5-15 messages into a mailbox filling flood. So PLEASE do not subscribe from addresses that have an auto-response associated with it, we have headers in the mail that can be used to filter out the list traffic for exclusion. Incidently for anyone who does subscribe from one of these accounts, I will not click on the link, you will be unsubscribed, and I will even send an email stating why you have been unsubscribed, but in all likelyhood, that message will not get through, so you will just silently stop receiving the small subset of messages that you were getting anyways (I can't see most posters actually caring whether you receive their post, so I suspect that these people are receiving almost none of the list traffic.) I realize that I am essentially preaching to the converted (I think I have unsubscribed everyone on one of those services), but in case anyone is changing accounts, or going on vacation, please keep this in mind. Thanks for the time. Daniel --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Free 30-day trial: firewall with virus/spam protection, URL filtering, VPN, wireless security Protect your network against hackers, viruses, spam and other risks with Astaro Security Linux, the comprehensive security solution that combines six applications in one software solution for ease of use and lower total cost of ownership. Download your free trial at http://www.securityfocus.com/sponsor/Astaro_incidents_040301 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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- Administrivia: SPAM control accounts... Daniel Hanson (Mar 17)