neohack

Spam is not merely annoying: it is also a serious drain on the resources of ISPs, other organizations, and Internet users. Sending Spam mail may seem like a cheap and convenient way to amplify marketing efforts, yet honest businesses rarely employ this questionable marketing tool. Firstly, nobody wishes to receive unsolicited junk mail. Secondly, it is considered both an annoyance and an intrusion of privacy. Thirdly, each sent e-mail message contributes to Internet traffic and uses up bandwidth. An e-mail message does not reach its recipient instantaneously; instead, it is relayed by any number of systems en route until it reaches its final destination. Spam mail is often sent out in thousands or hundreds of thousands of copies, to huge numbers of unwitting recipients. This large load of messages often causes network problems and congestion, meaning that third parties as well as message recipients are suffering because some inconsiderate person or company has pumped half a million copies of a message through the Internet. Unfortunately, there are many such worthless members of society.

For more information on Spam, refer to the links at the end of this document for some excellent reviews of the problem.

This is a difficult issue. Spammers rarely use their regular e-mail addresses for the following reasons, among others:

1. Their Internet Service Providers will realize they are Spamming, and will take steps to prevent future Spam (for example, by deleting Spammer's e-mail accounts)

    

2. Spammers could become the victims of mail-bombing, as thousands of irate Spam recipients strike back with messages of their own

    

Spammers therefore rely on anonymous e-mail addresses such as those available from free e-mail providers. Sometimes the addresses you see on Spam messages are invalid (faked). It is important to realize where the responsibility for Spam lies. Make no mistake: Spammers are often reasonably skilled frauds and thieves as well as highly annoying. Many Spammers have developed specific strategies of Spamming in order to avoid responsibility for their actions, or to avoid mail blocking and filtering:

1. They relay Spam messages off the mail server of an innocent third party, in which case even more damage is incurred by the on-line population in general. This technique requires an "open relay". It is Outblaze policy to avoid open relays entirely.

    

2. They use the "drop box" strategy. This consists of sending mail out from an account that allows Spam, but putting another address in the "Reply to:" message header, so that anyone replying to the message is actually sending mail to an account that did not originate the Spam. Many Spammers want to send out ads or sales info and do not expect a reply. By drop boxing they are forging their e-mail addresses and relieving themselves of accountability. Recipients of Spam should always check the full message headers to determine the origin of the Spam.

    

3. Spoofing. This fairly complex technique makes a message appear as if it is coming from an address that did not originate the message.

    

4. Including a paragraph claiming that the law sanctions Spam as long as there is a "remove from list" address in the Spam message, or similar variations of this obtuse argument. Do not fall for this trick, as the "remove from list" address is almost always a sham. Not only do you generate useless traffic if you try to remove yourself from a large number of "lists", but in some cases Spammers will be delighted to put an "active"; mark next to your name on their address databases upon receipt of your complaint. Spammers are dishonest people employing dishonest tactics. Don't trust them, report them.

    

Outblaze powers a large number of free e-mail Web sites, which unfortunately are the first place that Spammers choose to set up their Spam accounts. Outblaze technology prohibits users from sending mass mail, however Outblaze can do little about the drop box approach. Nor can Outblaze accept responsibility for spoofing, or Spammers who define a fake series of message headers to create the illusion that a message is coming from a particular site innocent of Spamming.

For example, user annoyingperson@unitedspam.com is sending out half a million messages a day in order to advertise his miserable pyramid scheme. His Spam messages, however, look as if they are coming from innocentfellow@outblaze-site.com, because the message headers have been falsified or the message has been spoofed.

The most important thing is to examine your full message headers to determine where the message really came from. The "From:" header that is commonly shown in basic message header displays can be easily faked! It is harder to fake the complete message header, which can provide useful information about the message. Outblaze technology allows users to see the full message headers of all e-mail messages.

Any users that are suspected of Spamming from an Outblaze site, or of using an Outblaze site for drop boxing or spoofing, should be reported immediately. We will investigate the user and take action if we determine that he/she is guilty.

You may contact abuse@outblaze.com, or the specific Powered by Outblaze Web site from which you received the junk mail.

Spoofing and drop boxing are usually beyond the absolute control and responsibility of Outblaze. Outblaze will do the utmost to prevent Spam, but we ask the recipients of junk mail to understand that very often Outblaze is not the originator of such messages, but one of the victims! The solutions to spoofing and drop boxing are complex and involve co-operation between a number of Web sites and ISPs. Refer to the links below for more information.

http://www.cauce.org -- the Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial Email (CAUCE), one of the valiant organizations dedicated to fighting Spam. Includes information on Spam and how to prevent it. Lend your support to this worthy cause or one like it!

http://www.mail-abuse.org -- Mail Abuse Prevention System, a non-profit organization whose mission is to defend the Internet against Spammers. Take a look at their Realtime Blackhole List (RBL) information

http://www.efuse.com/Grow/postage_due.html -- Spam and the damage it causes

http://www.tincher.to/antispam.htm -- Comprehensive links and information on Spam

http://www.efuse.com/Grow/direct_email_marketing_.html -- Direct e-mail marketing tips

http://www.mail-abuse.org/rbl/manage.html -- Ethical management of mailing lists

http://www.cauce.org/about/resources.shtml -- Various resources on the Internet to help in the fight against Spam

Determining the origin of Spam

It is extremely important to identify the origin of a message. A useful technique in doing this is the correct analysis of the message headers contained in every e-mail message, which provide useful information on the message's origin and path. A little training is required to read message headers, but the links below should furnish the necessary information in a matter of minutes:

http://combat.uxn.com/tracing.html -- Tracing Spam and reading message headers-- Who do I complain to?

http://www.pop-cram-spam.net/SMTP.htm -- reading message headers

http://netdemon.net/tutorials/whois.txt -- WHOIS, one of the most useful tools for tracking down a Spammer's location

http://samspade.org/ -- several useful tools available here

http://chickenboner.com/antispam/ -- how to analyse a spam message, what to do about it, and several useful links

http://www.spamfree.org/resources/header_reading.html -- Free resources from the Forum for Responsible and Ethical Email

http://home.att.net/~marjie1/ -- Dedicated to those with little or no experience in fighting against Internet Abuse

Spam complaint boilerplates

http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/~af380/boilerplates.links.html -- Offers boilerplates for categories of Spam, so you don't have to write a whole new message every time you report abuse to an ISP or Web site