[Hallicrafters] w8dbf@arrl.net Disabled

[Duane Fischer, W8DBF]

Ken is correct. All the 'arrl.net' is, is a bounce reflector. That is, it
bounces mail off it to your 'real' account. However, spammers use special
software to find the arrl.net addresses and target them. 	
	
I realize that my address is all over the place. The one most used, the
dfischer at usol.com rarely ever gets spam. The one I use for the qth.net admin
work, the w8dbf at usol.com account, is the one being bounced to. Since signing up
for the w8dbf at arrl.net, the spam has quadrupled and I now get several viruses a
week or more. Never had this problem before. It could be pure coincidence, but
the dfischer at usol.com account is not any different. Hence, it is the Ham call
sign they are going after and they know that the arrl.net is a perfect place to
snag them with random generators.	
	
There have been all sorts of problems with the arrl.net system, everything from
frequent failures to the problems Ken aludes to. Ken is absolutely on the mark,
as the ARRL refuses to change. The system is so bad, they are considering
turning it off. Whoever the real provider is, they are doing a horrible job of
it. 	
	
I am extremely careful with my computer systems. I do not wander the web, I do
not download files and I do not let others who do, use the systems. Frankly, my
ability to live alone in my home depends to a great deal on these computers
being fully operative. Hence, I guard them with great diligence. Being as the
computer system in question is not used for my personal e-mail, only for admin
work and large files or images friends send to me, the address is nowhere near
as bisible as the dfischer at usol.com is. 	
	
It would be nice if the laws that exist could be enforced, but I am not
convinced control of the Internet traffic is a realistic possibility, ever. Just
too many side roads and easy diversions for a spammer to quickly escape on. The
more that are blcoked, the more that appear. Except far more appear than are
blocked.	
	
Duane W8DBF   

----------
From: Kenneth D. Grimm, K4XL <kgrimm at adelphia.net>
To: hallicrafters at mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [Hallicrafters] w8dbf at arrl.net Disabled
Date: Sunday, May 05, 2002 1:53 PM

I subscribe to several qth.net lists, a couple on tempe.net, and
contesting.com.  In addition to having my address listed on the BAMA web
site, I post occasionally to a few Usenet newsgroups and I have an
arrl.net address.  Almost all of the spam that I receive comes from the
arrl.net relay.  For some reason they refuse to implement spam and virus
filtering.  I understand that Al Waller has offered to help them
implement the same effective filtering scheme that he has working on
qth.net lists, but for whatever reason, they have not accepted his offer
of assistance.  (An example of the "not invented here syndrome,
perhaps?)

I sympathize with Duane and understand his decision to opt out of the
arrl.net forwarding service.  However, I really like the idea of having
a stable pop3 address that I don't have to keep asking my friends to
change each time I change ISP.   Which leads me to the point of this
message...  I have installed MailWasher on my computer and haven't had a
problem with spam or virus infected messages since I did so.  The little
program is freeware, with a relatively unannoying advert for the
software itself which will go away if you register.

You should have a look at http://www.mailwasher.net/ if you want a quick
way to screen out unwanted spam and/or to preview mail on your ISP's
server before downloading it to your computer.  If you choose to
"bounce" a message, the message is never downloaded to your computer.
It is deleted from the ISP's server and a message saying that your
address doesn't exist is sent to the originator of the spam.  The source
address is added to your "blacklist" and the next message you receive
from that address will either be marked "blacklisted," for your
approval, or automatically deleted and bounced...your choice.

This little program does for me in just a few seconds, without any
anxiety, what it used to take several minutes for me to do manually.  It
currently works only on POP3 accounts, but a version for web based
accounts is apparently expected in the near future.

Ken K4XL
k4xl at arrl.net
*** BoatAnchor Manual Archive ***
On the web at http://bama.sbc.edu or
FTP site info: bama.sbc.edu login: anonymous p/w: youremailadr



_______________________________________________
List Administrator: Duane Fischer, W8DBF **for assistance**
dfischer at usol.com
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