Re: e-postage stamps, was Welcome to the new(ish) ASRG list

Furthermore...what I'm suggesting below (NOT "e-postage stamps"... but
my suggestion for a solution I inserted into this discussion) ...is
basically ALREADY happening industry-wide for "no rDNS"... MANY large
ISPs outright block on "no rDNS" alone! Therefore, I see my suggestions
below as really just a VERY NATURAL progression of what is ALREADY
happening in the industry for "no rDNS" (aka "no PTR record"). That is
my rebutal to anyone who would (mistakenly!) consider my suggestion as
just another unrealistic and outlandish and impossible "FUSSP" (SEE:
http://www.rhyolite.com/anti-spam/you-might-be.html). This is in
contrast to the "e-postage stamps" suggestion... which does have some of
the problems lampooned on the "FUSSP" page.

Rob McEwen


On 3/16/2013 11:17 PM, Rob McEwen wrote:
> It seems to me that if the industry would do the following:
>
> (1) get strongly behind *requiring* FCrDNS for IPs sending
> NON-authenticated mail (i.e. "last external" MTA)
>
> (2) and ESPECIALLY make that a *requirement* for NON-authenticated IPv6
> e-mail
>
> (3) Then solve the HUGE HUGE HUGE HUGE and CONSTANTLY UNDER-RATED
> problem of overabundance of mail-sending IPv6 addresses (a spammer's
> dream as they never run out of new fresh IPs, and can send each e-mail
> from a DIFFERENT IP address!) ...we could solve that problem... by
> simply making it an industry standard to block ALL NON-authenticated
> IPv6 mail that doesn't originate from one single designated (as in
> "standardized") "root" IP per /48 block. (or, make it even MORE
> scarce... like one designated IP per /36 block? other?)... this would be
> the equivalent of blocking all NON-authenticated IPv4 mail that isn't
> sent from an IP ending in ".0"... sort of like that, except far more
> strict. IPv6 mail-sending is still youthful enough to where it isn't too
> late to get behind this idea... but time is running out!
>
> ...those won't be a magic cure... would go a long way towards helping to
> solve the spam problem... and these suggestions ARE feasible because
> they (A) use existing technologies, and (B) in the case of FCrDN,
> involve already existing "best practices".
>
> NOTE: I specified "NON-authenticated mail" because I'm making the point
> that ANY ip address can still password-authenticate to an MTA for that
> MTA to then send the message on their behalf. These ideas don't impact
> THAT part at all... so your toaster or watch or car or whatever can
> STILL send an e-mail to you via smtp-authentication via ANY IP (as long
> as it uses a valid SMTP mail server and doesn't try to send directly,
> like a botnet would do.)
>


-- 
Rob McEwen
http://dnsbl.invaluement.com/
[email protected]
+1 (478) 475-9032