[SpamCop-List] Re: Would someone please explain this to me?

[Michael Lefevre]

Stephen Satchell wrote:
> On Sat, 07 Feb 2004 02:25:47 +0000, Michael Lefevre wrote:
[snip]
> That wouldn't surprise me.  I get about 120 complaints a day from AOL, and
> 90 of them are from people who are LARTing their own Web servers by being
> just a little free with the "Report Spam" button in that interface.
>
> We have had to remove the redirects for several AOL users because of this.
> It got so bad that I had to write a Perl script to ferret these false
> reporters out of the abuse mail traffic so I can see a true problem emerge
> from the chaos.

That was indeed the issue.  Your rather odd qmail-scanner header was
making Spamcop stumble, and it then failed to recover because of the
multiple IPs with one rDNS thing.  If it could be arranged, it would be
"cleaner" to not have the source IP in the qmail-scanner line, but just in
the line where qmail receives the email from the remote host.  It would
also be easier to work with if you could have fixed IP/hostname pairs (so
it simply looks like multiple machines with a simple config), rather than
having services running across different IP/hostname combinations.

Having said all that, in response to my forwarding your post along, RW
figured out what was happening and has marked your server as a trusted
relay, so this issue shouldn't happen any more for that IP, even with your
unusual configuration.

> Suggestion:  if the person won't file an abuse report but causes a
> listing, can we ISPs at least be told at the time you do it that you have
> set up a roadblock?  Tripping over the damn thing in the dark hurts, it
> does.  I don't need to know the details, just the fact I've been added
> without ANY other notification or chance to take care of the problem would
> be enough.

That suggestion has been made before, and I believe the man behind
Spamcop's curtains is figuring out what to do next with this new thing.
Consider it as experimental for the moment...

> Ellen had set up routing for 63.105.72.0/21 to abuse at amhosting.com -- why
> isn't that information reflected in your records?

As was explained in another post, it is.

[snip]
> Let me close by saying "Thank You" for recognizing my problem and for
> working to find a reasonable way to fix it.  I believe there is a process
> problem, and I think we can find adjustments that will result in a better
> system.  I hope that y'all take my negative comments as constructive
> criticism instead of bitching.

Sure. For future reference, this newsgroup is a fine place to do the
general criticism (and/or bitching) about Spamcop but if, as an ISP, you
have any issues like this in future, you'd probably be better off by
emailing deputies at admin.spamcop.net directly.

-- 
Michael