Frustration with spurious posts.

[Alan Kennedy]

Bob Gailer wrote:

> Does anyone know why we keep getting these posted to the list. Is there a
> way to stop it?

I think (?) it is because

1. There is a gateway process on python.org that emails usenet posts
from comp.lang.python to an email list, and vice versa.

2. So you can send to UseNet by sending to the email address of the
list.

3. People who receive the emails from the email list have emails with
the email list address on them.

4. Those people receive an email virus, e.g. SoBig, which sends a copy
of itself to every email address found in the persons mail folders,
which includes the address of the email list.

5. The email list receives the malware email, and forwards it to
everyone on the list.

6. Antivirus email gateways for *some* of the subscribers of the email
list spot the malware, and send back an email to the originator, i.e.
the email list address, saying "you sent me a virus!"

7. The gateway faithfully gateways these emails into Usenet posts, as
well as sending them to the list subscribers.

I might have got it wrong though. Take a look through the headers of
some of the messages in question, and see if the theory holds up.

Bringing an end to the problem would probably involve a fairly
substantial admin effort on the part of the python.org admins. Who are
volunteers, and pretty busy trying to keep up with the needs of the
ever-growing python community, and don't have much spare time.

regards,

-- 
alan kennedy
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