We're getting more spam now. There are a number of options open to us:
1. Can whoever has posted our mailing list address on a web site *please* remove it again and email alug-admin@stu.uea.ac.uk to let us know?
2. We can lock the list down so that only subscribed addresses can sent without being approved.
3. We can lock the list down so that only emails with [Alug] in the subject line are allowed through.
4. We can try to fight a rear-guard action and try to block obvious spammers.
5. We can hold anything which looks like it might possibly be spam for approval
6. We can ask Brett to hook the list software up to ORBS or MAPS.
Opinions/votes? I hope that option 1 would work, but I quite like option 3 too.
--- MJ Ray markj@cloaked.freeserve.co.uk wrote:
We're getting more spam now. There are a number of options open to us:
Recruit Vikings :o) sorry poor Montey Python reference.
- Can whoever has posted our mailing list address on a web site
*please* remove it again and email alug-admin@stu.uea.ac.uk to let us know?
Yes they should, thats a good idea.
- We can lock the list down so that only subscribed addresses can
sent without being approved.
Sounds like a good idea, I know many lists which work that way.
- We can lock the list down so that only emails with [Alug] in the
subject line are allowed through.
No definatly not, this means we have to put [alug] in every time, and you only need one typo to bounce the message.
- We can try to fight a rear-guard action and try to block obvious
spammers.
Doubt this would be practical
- We can hold anything which looks like it might possibly be spam
for approval
I know of mailing lists where evry post must be approved! But I don't think its a good idea, you only need the approver to get sent away on business at short notice and we are screwed.
- We can ask Brett to hook the list software up to ORBS or MAPS.
Na.
7. set up a Alug-adverts list for people to post to which get put on a webpage for us to view if we so desire.
Opinions/votes? I hope that option 1 would work, but I quite like option 3 too.
see above.
Thanks
D
-- MJR
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David Freeman wrote:
- Can whoever has posted our mailing list address on a web site
*please* remove it again and email alug-admin@stu.uea.ac.uk to let us know?
1. yes they should, but it is in our archives, www.ukuug.org, atm.tut.fi and arch.freeciv.org after doing a quick google search, so it looks as though the secret is out! 2. Seems like the best option, and probably the most sensible. 3. Agree with David 4. Probably not worth the effort (agree with David) 5. To much trouble (agree with David) 6. A bit OTT? (agree with David) 7. Not really necessary? but should we have a generic ALug list for ALug discussion and perhaps a ALug-help list for people who need help to separate some of the posts?
Adam
On Sun, 06 May, 2001 at 1:16 +0100, MJ Ray wrote:
- Can whoever has posted our mailing list address on a web site
*please* remove it again and email alug-admin@stu.uea.ac.uk to let us know?
Probably not gonna help -- anyone pointing a crawler at the list archive will see the alug address plenty of times. The address appears to be 'out there' now, so it's probably too late.
- We can lock the list down so that only subscribed addresses can
sent without being approved.
Seems a reasonable course of action. We don't get many unsubscribed valid people wanting to post, do we?
- We can lock the list down so that only emails with [Alug] in the
subject line are allowed through.
Blech!
- We can hold anything which looks like it might possibly be spam for
approval
Seems fair.
- We can ask Brett to hook the list software up to ORBS or MAPS.
Seems fair.
Opinions/votes? I hope that option 1 would work, but I quite like option 3 too.
+1 for 2, 5, 6. -1 for the others.
Andrew.
At 07:16 PM 5/5/2001, MJ Ray wrote:
We're getting more spam now. There are a number of options open to us:
- Can whoever has posted our mailing list address on a web site
*please* remove it again and email alug-admin@stu.uea.ac.uk to let us know?
- We can lock the list down so that only subscribed addresses can
sent without being approved.
In my opinion, this is the easiest course of action. Unfortunately, I'm on a couple of lists that see spam in spite of this rule being in effect. Spammers will subscribe, spam, then unsubscribe all in the space of time that it takes to run their nasty little script.
One list that I'm on has taken this a step farther and will not allow a new subscriber to post until they've been on the list for a period of 6 days. This seems to be reasonably effective since spammer's accounts don't usually last that long.
But being spammers, you know that they will find a way around it. <sigh>
- We can lock the list down so that only emails with [Alug] in the
subject line are allowed through.
Though everyone else seems to be against this one, personally I don't have a problem with it. But majority rule and all that...
- We can try to fight a rear-guard action and try to block obvious
spammers.
- We can hold anything which looks like it might possibly be spam for
approval
- We can ask Brett to hook the list software up to ORBS or MAPS.
Opinions/votes? I hope that option 1 would work, but I quite like option 3 too.
On Sun, May 06, 2001 at 11:41:12PM -0500, George Waring wrote:
In my opinion, this is the easiest course of action. Unfortunately, I'm on a couple of lists that see spam in spite of this rule being in effect. Spammers will subscribe, spam, then unsubscribe all in the space of time that it takes to run their nasty little script.
There are a couple of measures to try to defeat this kind of five minute subscriber.
The first and easiest is to make subscription into a two step process. The potential subscriber e-mails the list server (or fills in a web form) and this results in a confirmation token (something based on a random or pseudo random number) being mailed to the subscription address. Only when an e-mail is received by the list server from the subscription address quoting the correct token is the address actually subscribed.
The above scheme primarily protects users from being subscribed malliciously by others, but it has the side effect of complicating the process or spamming the list to the point that most spammers hopefully wont bother.
If too many of them _do_ bother then the second option is to require subscription requests be approved.
Steve.
--- Steve Fosdick fozzy@pelvoux.demon.co.uk wrote:
On Sun, May 06, 2001 at 11:41:12PM -0500, George Waring wrote:
In my opinion, this is the easiest course of action. Unfortunately, I'm on a couple of lists that see spam in spite of this rule being in effect. Spammers will subscribe, spam, then unsubscribe all in the space of time that it takes to run their nasty little script.
There are a couple of measures to try to defeat this kind of five minute subscriber.
The first and easiest is to make subscription into a two step process. The potential subscriber e-mails the list server (or fills in a web form) and this results in a confirmation token (something based on a random or pseudo random number) being mailed to the subscription address. Only when an e-mail is received by the list server from the subscription address quoting the correct token is the address actually subscribed.
The above scheme primarily protects users from being subscribed malliciously by others, but it has the side effect of complicating the process or spamming the list to the point that most spammers hopefully wont bother.
This is a bloody good idea, it even stops people from subscribing others to lists when they don't want to, (like you say). I had this happen to me on about 50 lists from memail.com, each of which delivered me over 50 80KB emails daily, after lots of emails asking them to stop, I did a whois on them and emailed the CEO, 10 minutes latter I was unsubscribed! But I digress.
If too many of them _do_ bother then the second option is to require subscription requests be approved.
This is one way to put people off, it makes people think that they may not be wanted and will go else where.
I did like the idea of a 5 day intro before you could post, Also I don't know if you can, but make it so that first post must have a subject of Intro, so all members introduce them selves properly, until a Intro post has been posted, all mails are approved by the admins.
Thanks
D
Steve.
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MJ Ray wrote:
We're getting more spam now. There are a number of options open to us:
what mailing list software are you using ?? we're using mailman on our servers, and this makes option 2 and 3 very easy and managable...
1. I have not done as far as I know... I think that 4 is a little dificult, you can setup the mail server to use RBL/ORBS, but in my experience the spammers change addrees regularly an this becomes a little pointless 5. will take up somebody's valuable time and is will be a managment nightmare...
I vote 2 or 3.. I'm easy ;)..
Sz
- Can whoever has posted our mailing list address on a web site
*please* remove it again and email alug-admin@stu.uea.ac.uk to let us know?
- We can lock the list down so that only subscribed addresses can
sent without being approved.
- We can lock the list down so that only emails with [Alug] in the
subject line are allowed through.
- We can try to fight a rear-guard action and try to block obvious
spammers.
- We can hold anything which looks like it might possibly be spam for
approval
- We can ask Brett to hook the list software up to ORBS or MAPS.
Opinions/votes? I hope that option 1 would work, but I quite like option 3 too.
-- MJR
alug, the Anglian Linux User Group list Send list replies to alug@stu.uea.ac.uk http://rabbit.stu.uea.ac.uk/cgi-bin/listinfo/alug See the website for instructions on digest or unsub!
-
Adam Bower -
Andrew Savory -
David Freeman -
George Waring -
MJ Ray -
Neill Newman -
Steve Fosdick