[PLUG] Open relays for spammers

[Miller, Jeremy]

I just remember how flabbergasted I was when a person running an Exchange
server asked me if I knew any reasons some emails were being bounced back,
and if I knew what RTBL meant.

"You mean that mail server is an open relay?!"

"Huh?"

"Let's go fix this, shall we?"  *Poke and prod icky server*  "OMG, there's
not even an option to turn it off!" *Dumbfounded look on face*  "I can't
believe they shipped something like this.  Well, maybe I can... but I still
don't believe this!"

It was fixed long ago, as soon as it was possible to do so.  But it still
gives me the heebie-jeebies.

Speaking of relays, now there is a different problem with it... there is now
an internal server that it *should* relay for.  And is configured to relay
for (by IP under "Hosts and clients with these IP addresses")... but it
doesn't.  (I've read those docs before, and looked it over.  It does look
like it is set up right, but it certainly doesn't work.  Looked at it via
telnet from that server, and it is rejected.  "Relay not allowed or
whatever".  Figures. :)

They're not suprised at all, but don't want to mess with it until they get
the Exchange 2000 server up and everything hunky-dory.  Of course there is
no-such-thing as a non-Exchange email server to some persons.  So in the
meantime I don't get my relay.  *sigh*.

I don't trust Exchange as far as I can throw it.  I'm no wimp, but it IS a
very big machine. :)

Jeremy