[Mailman-Users] RE: OSIRUSOFT

[Don Levey]

-----Original Message-----

------------------------------

Message: 5
Date: Wed, 27 Aug 2003 13:25:42 -0500
From: Paul H Byerly <paul at thcwd.com>
Subject: [Mailman-Users] Osirusoft blocking all IPs
To: mailman-users at python.org
Message-ID:
	<5.2.1.1.0.20030827132121.0199b940 at mail.themarriagebed.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed

      I realize this is not a Mailman issue, but it may be causing some
Mailman systems to reject all mail.  If you are using relays.osirusoft.com
it's rejecting all e-mail.

<>< Paul, who has his mail flowing again


*********************************************

Osirusoft has been under a VERY heavy DDoS attack for a while now.
In order to reduce traffic, Joe set things up so that legitimate users of
his service would cease - all that leaves left is the terrorist attack,
which can now be analysed.

The underlying lists from which he drew his information are still there:
SPEWS, for one, is still in operation.  I personally salute Joe for his
valiant effort over the past few years; making these lists available has
meant that I've blocked many thousands of spam messages, with only one
false-positive in the bunch.  There are some who ignorantly blame Joe for
problems in their own server, their ISP, or the listing criteria on the
lists he used; they fail to see that we as mail server operators have the
final say on who uses our resources.  Lists such as the Osirusoft relay list
have had a significant impact on spam; otherwise, they'd never have been hit
as hard as they are, because the spammers wouldn't be afraid.

Keep in mind also that it's these criteria that have given Mailman some of
the features that allow it to be a good netizen - in particular, the
confirmation option.  No-one should ever be added to a mailing list without
their knowledge and consent.  It's the lists that DON'T do this that get
their IPs blacklisted.

The spammers and electronic terrorists perpetrating this attack have failed
to foresee two things: the rise of multiple alternate lists, and the
reactivation of individual blocklists.  It's much easier to get off of one
centrally-maintained list than it is to get off of thousands of
individually-maintained lists, especially when the admins are overworked and
vindictive...

 -Don