[Mailman-Users] messages getting auto discarded

[Mark Sapiro]

On 02/16/2018 11:09 AM, Jim Dory wrote:
> I've gotten a ton of spam directed at our mailing list so I set up some
> auto discard filters. Unfortunately I don't know regular expressions so may
> have misconfigured - result is some seemingly valid messages getting
> discarded (could be different reason than my filters).
> 
> A couple yesterday were from un-subscribed users. but usually I get a
> bounce saying it is held for moderation.. though not in this case. I don't
> always check the auto discard messages because of the number of them, but a
> registered user sent an email that never showed up as a bounce (held for
> moderation) or as accepted, so I assume it was auto discarded as well.


First, you need to look at logs. Mailman's vette log will have a message
like

Message discarded, msgid: ...'
        list: ...,
        handler: ...

for each discarded message. In the case of header_filter_rules, the
handler will be SpamDetect.

Note that if you change the action to Hold,the vette log message will be

<listname> post from <sender> held, message-id=<...>: <reason>

and if your Mailman is 2.1.26, <reason> will tell you which regexp
matched. Prior to 2.1.26 it just says "message matched a filter rule"


> Here's my filter config for subject:
> ...


You should be aware that these regexps are matched case-insensitively.
You can't make them be case-sensitive.


> and legacy:
> # Lines that *start* with a '#' are comments.

For bounce_matching_headers it appears you just have the defaults which
probably never match as they are over 15 years old, and these result in
Holds, not Discards.
> 
> and email:
> 
...

If these are in discard_these_nonmembers, the handler will be Moderate.


> The subject on one discarded msg was (from unsubscribed user - just used
> wrong email):
> MEDITATION! RURAL BUSINESS FINANCE! Register today.
> 
> And another subject same situation:
> SPARC MEETING
> 
> Message sources didn't give me any clues, but I could provide one if it
> would help.


How are you seeing these things if the messages are discarded?

-- 
Mark Sapiro <mark at msapiro.net>        The highway is for gamblers,
San Francisco Bay Area, California    better use your sense - B. Dylan