I apologize to anyone if this has been brought up before, but I'd be curious to get some opinions on the concept of "greylisting" as a spamfighting tool. To summarize, it involves initially rejecting an SMTP session from an unknown source in the expection that a valid SMTP host will try again a short time later while a spamming host will not. Here's a link to a fuller treatment:
http://projects.puremagic.com/greylisting/
Ryan
I've seen another post regarding this on another list.
Funny, the lists to which I subscribe violate the stated tenet that lists are generally slow to distribute, and the subscribers won't notice a delay. What a load!
This method proposes to delay EVERY SINGLE MESSAGE until a database match is found for sending IP, FROM, and TO.
So...we punish everyone in the world, and hope that a delay of one or more hours is considered "acceptable"?
WEEKLY SCENARIO:
New Customer sends email to SalesRep in my domain.
--my "greylist" mandates one hour delay
--real delay is 2+hours because sender's MTA has longer retry interval
SalesRep gets email and replies, sending CSR's email address.
--no delay on outbound
Customer emails CSR.
--again 1-2 hour delay due to greylist
CSR replies to Customer, and gives email of ArtDepartment to send copy/graphics.
--no delay
Customer sends email to ArtDepartment
--again 1-2 hour delay
CRAP! The workday is over, and we are one day behind a production schedule.
Now, the Customer gives our email addresses to his/her Freelancer.
Freelancer sends revised logo to ArtDepartment.
--one hour delay
We need final copy for layout, and request from Customer.
--no delay
Customer's Assistant sends final copy.
--somewhere in the 1-2 hour delay, Assistant gets frustrated and tells CopyWriter to send it his damn self
CopyWriter sends final copy to ArtDepartment.
--one hour delay.
CRAP! Here we are at the end of Day Two, and we just received two different emails saying that they contain the final copy. Which is final?
CRAP! We can't call anyone, because it's the end of the day!
Hmmm. Took me 5 seconds to see this problem. Did anyone ever apply this "theory" to the real worlds?
Or do I live in a completely different world?
More delays, for no reason?
1. You are SMTP rejecting for no reason. Arbitrary.
2. You are doubling the load of an innocent SMTP relay.
3. Sender is violating no RFC, and you are punishing an innocent admin who must field support calls.
4. Are you the same person who dreamed up "Enforce reverse IP lookup"?
ARBITRARY! ARBITRARY! ARBITRARY! (the new battle cry of the desperate)
As always, YMMV. </RANT> - Alan
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