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Ed, I'm glad to see a more proactive approach to fighting spam, quite a change from the way it was at MSU just a few years ago. I very much agree that the benefits outweigh the side effects, and hope all goes smoothly. Regards, -Russell > -----Original Message----- > From: MSU Network Administrators Group > [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Edward R Kryda > Sent: Monday, March 05, 2007 1:12 PM > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: Re: [MSUNAG] New spam-fighting technique for > mail.msu.edu going to DDC mailing list > > Thanks for the input Russell, > > The techbase page, > http://techbase.msu.edu/viewpathfinder.asp?id=7772, has been > updated to provide a clearer and more accurate response. The > particular question, now reads: > > " > Will greylisting block valid email messages? > > Greylisting will eventually allow all mail servers that > follow internet > standards for resending messages to process normally. However, some > legitimate mail systems don't follow these standards. > Identified legitimate > sources of email can be added to an exception list. > " > > Its true that some email services will have issues with > greylisting, and we > will be monitoring the system to try and help identify those > issues. The > Help Desk will also be working with our team to help users > that are having > email delivery issues. > > Work has been done to help identify some of the major servers > that will have > issues with greylisting, which have been added to our > exception list. Its > not a perfect solution, but its my belief that the benefits > outweigh the > minimal side effects. > > -Ed > > Russell J. Lahti writes: > > > I can't tell you how many broken MTA's there are out there > > that will not handle a TEMPFAIL correctly, and junk the mail > > instead of queuing it for later delivery attempts. While I > > definitely don't have much sympathy for the people running > > these non-RFC compliant systems, they definitely are out there, > > and answering the question of: > > > > Will greylisting block valid email messages? > > > > With the response: > > > > No. Greylisting will eventually allow all valid mail servers > > that resend messages to mail.msu.edu to process normally. > > > > is a slight bit misleading. There is a definite chance that > > what an end user might consider legitimate mail might be lost > > by implementing greylisting. While a vast majority will work > > normally, some will likely not. For example, web apps that > > have been developed to emulate an SMTP conversation instead > > of dumping the mail to an MTA queue for delivery, etc. > > > > I'd be interested in what others have run across in their > > greylisting endeavors. The few times that I have seen it > > implemented I have also seen it removed. > > > > -Russell > > > > > >> -----Original Message----- > >> From: MSU Network Administrators Group > >> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Edward R Kryda > >> Sent: Friday, March 02, 2007 2:14 PM > >> To: [log in to unmask] > >> Subject: [MSUNAG] New spam-fighting technique for > >> mail.msu.edu going to DDC mailing list > >> > >> NAG has asked that we give a heads-up when we send mailings > >> related to computing at MSU to MSU's Deans, Directors, and > >> Chairs (DDC) list. > >> The following mailing from Tom Davis, director of ACNS, will > >> go to DDC soon. > >> > >> Edward Kryda > >> Email Team Leader > >> mail.msu.edu > >> > >> ============================================================== > >> ========= > >> To: Deans, Directors, and Chairs > >> Subject: New spam-fighting technique for mail.msu.edu > >> > >> Unsolicited commercial e-mail, or spam, annoys us all and > >> inhibits our productivity. Industry experts estimate that at > >> least 80% of all Internet e-mail is now spam. Mail.msu.edu > >> processes up to four million messages per day, blocking about > >> half as spam. > >> > >> To combat this problem, the ACNS mail team will add a new > >> feature to mail.msu.edu on March 7, a technique called > >> "greylisting." Rather than attempting to identify spam based > >> on the content of the message, greylisting blocks spam based > >> on the behavior of the remote e-mail server. > >> > >> When first installed, greylisting will introduce a temporary > >> delay in the receipt of incoming e-mail (as it "learns" which > >> remote e-mail servers can be trusted). Delays will be as > >> little as 5 minutes to as much as a few hours, depending on > >> the configuration of the sender's e-mail server. These > >> delays will fade within a day or so. > >> > >> Greylisting is another tool to fight the scourge of spam. Our > >> existing spam techniques have strained our mail servers and > >> introduced e-mail delays due to the sheer volume of messages > >> being processed. We expect the implementation of greylisting > >> to improve this situation. > >> > >> The ACNS mail team will carefully monitor the performance of > >> this new procedure. If you note any problems or have > >> questions, contact the ACNS Help Desk at (517) 432-6200. For > >> more information, please visit: > >> http://techbase.msu.edu/viewpathfinder.asp?id=7772&service=help > >> > >> Tom Davis, Director > >> Academic Computing and Network Services > >> > > > >