Re: Mail.app "Bounce" Option

In article <siegman-08E7DB.11030014062008@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
AES <siegman@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

It sends a bounce message to the same mail server that sent you the SPAM
message. The "mail server" for the large majority of SPAM messages is
actually some poor schmuck's virus-ridden or otherwise compromised PC
that happens to be hooked up to the net. It's been compromised by
malware, and spammers are using it to send thousands of SPAM messages to
people all day every day. There's no mail server "admin" manning these
servers - the mail server is just a background program spammers
installed on the computer unbeknownst to the owner of the computer.
Bouncing the message back to that machine will have no effect, or
certainly not the *intended* effect. All you are doing is increasing
email traffic.

I do take this advice seriously, and as a result would probably not
launch a personal "bounce all spam" effort.

But, the other side of the coin: If a massive "bounce all spam"
initiative were initiated, it's unwanted effects might just eventually
lead to some realistic and effective efforts to actually curb the spam
epidemic -- something that doesn't seem to be happening now.

As it stands, there already *is* a massive effect resulting from
spammers sending thousands upon thousands of emails to random addresses,
a large percentage of which simply don't exist to begin with. So if it
hasn't lead to "some realistic and effective efforts" by now... And
actually, it's not like nobody has been *trying* to cure the spam
problem. Many have, and many have largely failed. How do you solve the
problem, when the computers being used to do the dirty deed are spread
across the world, and the owners of the compromised computers are, for
the most part, completely unaware that their computers are being used
for such things to begin with?

[As my personal candidate for a starting point, how about a massive
class action "defective product" suit against Microsoft for all the
long-standing and massive Windows security defects that make all these
compromised bot-networked PCs so readily possible? Can't understand
how this hasn't happened long ago.]

Ironically, the most popular operating system (Windows) happens to also
be the operating system most vulnerable to this sort of attack. I
suppose one "realistic and effective effort" might be to ban Windows
from all homes... ; )

One obstacle is that corporations and the people in charge of their
infrastructure who decide to stick with Windows rely on the perpetuated
security problem for their livelihood. Home users are most comfortable
buying what they use at work simply because it's familiar to them.

--
Please send all responses to the relevant news group rather than directly
to me, as E-mail sent to this address may be devoured by my very hungry
SPAM filter. Due to Google's refusal to prevent spammers from posting
messages through their servers, I often ignore posts from Google Groups.
You'll need to use a real news reader if you want me to see your posts.

JR
.

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