[geeks] to click on "unsubscribe" or not...?

[Mike Meredith]

On Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:27:08 -0400 (EDT), Sandwich Maker wrote:
> " Spammers frequently intentionally redirect the backsplatter to
> innocent " third parties giving them little opportunity to 'clean'
> their address " lists. 
> 
> true; i've been one.

I guess most people do get that these days. I get an obvious joejob
about once a week (to my home email domain). I was also involved quite
a few years ago, when JANET threatened to organise a European blackhole
for all IP addresses of a Canadian ISP who were hosting a spammer who
forged addresses coming from .ac.uk addresses in the millions.

> also true; i'm seeing it here.  it appears you can count on every
> address you've ever used hanging around forever, complete with
> genetic mutations.

I think most joejob coming in here(*) are a result of shuffling the
"local part" and the domain. Except for the few remaining
chicken-boners, I guess most spammers want to avoid joejobbing valid
addresses --- they might hit someone with the will and power to Do 
Someting. Similarly they rotate the forged addresses pretty fast too.

*: Yes I do accept and deliver everything at my domain. It's a dumb
   idea except if you want to collect the spam for traffic analysis.

> another fine idea blasted by reality...

Email? At least part of the damage is being done by clueless ISPs who
implement anti-spam techniques that break email delivery for legitimate
deliveries on a 'random' basis. The worst offenders are those who have a
large "SPAM" button on their webmail interfaces.


-- 
Mike Meredith (http://zonky.org/)
  "Spammers on the Internet are like hula hoops, pet rocks, or subway
   alligators; only incredibly fertile, incontinent, and able to fly.
And it's still illegal to shoot them, so bring an umbrella." SC, on
SPAM-L.