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New email facility

In response to customer requests, we have launched a new email facility, for those customers that collect email via POP3 or SMTP from the punt class servers.

This facility, when enabled, will cause Delivery Service Notification (DSN) messages (commonly called 'bounce' messages) to be silently discarded at the server.

Such messages are normally received when a message you send fails to reach its destination. However, some spam is sent with false addresses (perhaps so as to avoid filters or to induce the recipient to read it) and, if this spam cannot be delivered, the resulting DSNs will be sent to you and not the spammer.

Please note the following cautions if you choose to enable this facility on your account:

This option will discard any message with a null SMTP envelope reverse-path, unless it is a Message Disposition Notification (MDN, RFC2298). The only messages with null reverse-paths should be disposition or delivery notifications. Certain mail-systems have been known to use a null reverse-path for mails from mailing-lists; customers subscribed to mailing-lists should take especial care to verify that this does not apply to them before enabling this option.

Unfortunately, in the real world there is no guaranteed way to determine if a message is a bounce. It is therefore possible other messages may be discarded in error and some 'bounces' from remote sites may be sent with a non-null reverse-paths and hence will be allowed through in error.

**ALL** DSNs will be discarded, including those that result from "real" email that is actually sent from your account and which is mis-addressed or rejected in error by the remote site.

We therefore strongly recommend that this option should only be considered if you are receiving an unmanageable number of DSNs as a result of such an attack, since it will discard all DSNs, legitimate or otherwise. We would also recommend that it is only enabled for short periods, then disabled to check if the unwanted activity has ended, enabling it again if necessary.

This new option has been initially configured as 'disabled' for all customers, except those for whom previous arrangements have been made. To enable the option please visit the Web Password page

http://www.demon.net/toolkit/webpassword/

and follow the instructions there.

 

Malcolm Muir
Technical Relations Manager