Removing the Spam : Email Processing and Filtering

by Mulligan, Geoff

• ISBN13: 9780201379570
• ISBN10: 0201379570
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-04-01
• Publisher: Pearson P T R

Summary

Provides a practical guide offering detailed instructions for installing and configuring an effective email system for your organization focusing on the growing problem of unwanted junk mail also known as SPAM. Softcover. DLC; Electonic mail systems.

Author Biography

Geoff Mulligan is a founder of Geocast Network Systems, which specializes in research and development of emerging network technologies. Previously, he was a senior staff engineer at Sun Microsystems, where he was principal architect of SunScreen, Sun's premiere firewall product. Mr. Mulligan also helped found USA.NET and create the NetAddress product for permanent email addresses.

Table of Contents

Preface	xi	(3)
About the Author	xvi
Chapter 1: The Dawn of Electronic Mail	1	(40)
1.1 The Internet Protocols	3	(1)
1.2 Email Standards and Fundamentals	4	(7)
1.2.1 RFC821: Simple Mail Transfer Protocol	4	(5)
1.2.2 RFC822: Standard for the Format of ARPA Internet Text Messages	9	(2)
1.3 Spam: Unsolicited Commercial Email	11	(10)
1.3.1 Removing the Spam	14	(1)
1.3.2 Tracking the Spammer	15	(3)
1.3.3 Spam through Relays	18	(1)
1.3.4 Spam Blacklisting, Blackholing, and Filtering	19	(2)
1.4 Anti-Spam Resources	21	(1)
1.5 Mailing Lists	22	(4)
1.5.1 Mailing List Types	24	(2)
1.6 Mailing List Etiquette	26	(2)
1.7 Mail Filtering	28	(1)
1.8 Email Addresses and the Domain Name System	29	(5)
1.8.1 Finding Domain Information	32	(1)
1.8.2 Mail Exchange Records	33	(1)
1.9 Size and Growth of the Internet	34	(1)
1.10 Messaging Technology	35	(3)
1.11 What Is Next?	38	(3)
Chapter 2: Sendmail	41	(44)
2.1 The Current Version	42	(2)
2.2 Getting the Current Version of Sendmail	44	(3)
2.3 Building Your New Version of Sendmail	47	(3)
2.3.1 Compiling Makemap	49	(1)
2.4 Building Your Sendmail Configuration File	50	(9)
2.4.1 Save Your Old Sendmail	52	(1)
2.4.2 Install and Start Your New Configuration	53	(2)
2.4.3 The Generic Sendmail Configuration	55	(4)
2.5 Modifying Your Configuration	59	(3)
2.6 Stopping Spam via Sendmail	62	(5)
2.6.1 The Access Database	62	(3)
2.6.2 Turning On Relay-Domains	65	(1)
2.6.3 Using the Realtime Blackhole List	66	(1)
2.7 Other Configuration Options: Tweaking Sendmail	67	(4)
2.7.1 Blacklist Recipients	68	(1)
2.7.2 Redirect Mail	68	(1)
2.7.3 Privacy Flags	69	(1)
2.7.4 Identification Protocol (IDENT) Time-Out	69	(1)
2.7.5 Maximum Message Size	70	(1)
2.7.6 Maximum Recipients per Message	70	(1)
2.7.7 Include Sender in List Expansion	70	(1)
2.7.8 Aliases Auto Rebuild	71	(1)
2.7.9 Check Aliases	71	(1)
2.8 The Aliases File	71	(9)
2.8.1 The forward File	73	(1)
2.8.2 Mailing Lists	73	(3)
2.8.3 Storing Mail in a File: Archiving	76	(2)
2.8.4 Sending Mail to a Program	78	(2)
2.9 Hiding Local Host Names	80	(1)
2.10 Supporting Virtual Users and Virtual Domains	81	(1)
2.11 A Local Mailer: Procmail	82	(2)
2.11.1 Procmail as Your Local Mailer	83	(1)
2.11.2 Procmail as a Special Mailer	83	(1)
2.12 Succeeding with Procmail	84	(1)
Chapter 3: Procmail	85	(34)
3.1 Getting Procmail	86	(2)
3.2 Building and Installing Procmail	88	(1)
3.3 Setting Up Procmail	89	(2)
3.4 Procmail Recipe Files	91	(8)
3.4.1 Comments	92	(1)
3.4.2 Procmail Recipes	92	(1)
3.4.3 Recipe Flags	93	(1)
3.4.4 Conditions	93	(2)
3.4.5 Actions	95	(2)
3.4.6 Regular Expressions (RE)	97	(2)
3.4.7 A Simple But Complete Recipe	99	(1)
3.5 Building Your procmailrc: Some Examples	99	(14)
3.5.1 Controlling Your rcfile	100	(2)
3.5.2 Duplicate, Empty, and Bloated Messages	102	(3)
3.5.3 A Vacation Recipe	105	(2)
3.5.4 Mail Sorting	107	(1)
3.5.5 Auto-Responders	108	(4)
3.5.6 A File Server	112	(1)
3.6 Spam Filtering	113	(4)
3.7 Advancing to Mailing Lists	117	(2)
Chapter 4: Mailing Lists	119	(50)
4.1 Mailing List Lists	120	(1)
4.2 Types of Lists	120	(3)
4.3 Mailing List Abuse	123	(1)
4.3.1 Combating Spammers	123	(1)
4.3.2 List Terrorists	123	(1)
4.4 Automatic versus Manual: Which Is Right for You?	124	(1)
4.5 Mailing Lists: Subscriber's View	125	(3)
4.5.1 Manual Lists	126	(1)
4.5.2 Automated Lists	126	(2)
4.6 Mailing Lists: Administrator's View	128	(1)
4.6.1 Manual Lists	128	(1)
4.6.2 Automated Lists	129	(1)
4.7 Using Sendmail (A Manual List)	129	(5)
4.7.1 Archiving	132	(1)
4.7.2 Sending Mail to a Program	132	(2)
4.8 Majordomo	134	(19)
4.8.1 Getting and Installing Majordomo	134	(8)
4.8.2 Majordomo Files and Directories	142	(1)
4.8.3 Creating a Mailing List	143	(2)
4.8.4 List Options	145	(3)
4.8.5 List Administrator Commands	148	(1)
4.8.6 Creating a Digest	149	(4)
4.9 SmartList	153	(15)
4.9.1 Getting and Installing SmartList	153	(3)
4.9.2 SmartList Files	156	(3)
4.9.3 Configuring SmartList	159	(2)
4.9.4 Creating a New List	161	(2)
4.9.5 List Options	163	(3)
4.9.6 List Administrator Commands	166	(1)
4.9.7 Creating a Digest	166	(2)
4.10 The Ensuing Tasks	168	(1)
Appendix: Internet Resources	169	(6)
Anti-Spam Web Sites	169	(1)
Anti-Spam Organizations	169	(1)
Spammer Address Sites	169	(1)
Request for Comments	169	(1)
RFC Web Sites	169	(1)
Relevant RFCs	170	(1)
Anti-Spam Software	170	(1)
Windows	170	(1)
Procmail Tools	170	(1)
Mailing Lists	171	(1)
FAQ Sites	171	(1)
Mail Filtering Sites	172	(1)
General	172	(1)
Procmail	172	(1)
Email Software	172	(1)
Message Transfer Agents	172	(1)
Formail: For Use with Procmail	172	(1)
Mailing List Software	173	(1)
Other Software	173	(1)
Miscellaneous Web Sites	173	(2)
Index	175