Death to Spam?

MarkD · 30 Dec 2001, 10:15 PM

Jeremy,

I came across the below usenet post from you, and wasn't aware of this feature. Would be an EXTREMELY useful tool against spam - is this operational? Can I really give out mylogin+anyothername@fastmail.fm and have it divert to mylogin@fastmail.fm? Would it then be be a simple case of having a rule look for "+anyothername" in the to field and filter it out?

Thanks and happy new year!

Mark

-----------------------
Subject: Re: Unique Protection for your email
Newsgroups: comp.mail.misc
Date: 2001-09-08 00:23:50 PST
-----------------------
A way simpler approach is to use a service that sends any message addressed
to user+keyword@domain to user@domain. This means that you can use an email
address such as jhoward+somecompany@fastmail.fm when you register with
somecompany, and +somecompany is automatically stripped out on delivery.
Then if you get spam from user+keyword@domain, you can add a filter that
kills everything to this address.

A webmail and IMAP provider that offers this feature is http://fastmail.fm

You don't have to do anything to enable this feature on FastMail, it's on by
default. Just sign up at http://fastmail.fm and then start registering with
companies using user+companyname@fastmail.fm as your address. FastMail also
lets you use your own domain name instead of fastmail.fm if you prefer.

basilmaven · 31 Dec 2001, 12:09 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by MarkD
-----------------------
Subject: Re: Unique Protection for your email
Newsgroups: comp.mail.misc
Date: 2001-09-08 00:23:50 PST
-----------------------

You don't have to do anything to enable this feature on FastMail, it's on by
default. Just sign up at http://fastmail.fm and then start registering with
companies using user+companyname@fastmail.fm as your address. FastMail also
lets you use your own domain name instead of fastmail.fm if you prefer.

Now this is very cool

but I never saw it mentioned in the FAQ or Tips...

bjorn_temp · 31 Dec 2001, 12:20 AM

Yes it works great!
And if you have a folder with that name, it automaticly ends up there, eg;

username+test@fastmail.fm

will land in the folder called test if you have one.

Jeremy Howard · 31 Dec 2001, 11:23 AM

To define a rule to search for this, you need to select 'Envelope' from the popup box.

Note that the nifty auto-filing feature that bjorn mention only works if you create you folder using all lowercase letters.

spruce · 31 Dec 2001, 12:25 PM

Ok, so suppose I *only* want to use this plus addressing and bounce my main user@fastmail.fm address. See any problems with this? Also, further suppose that some unscrupulous spammer tries to *guess* a plus address to get through my main Envelope filter. If I want to debug how an email got through the filter, how do I *see* the envelope information for a particular message?

Jeremy Howard · 31 Dec 2001, 03:16 PM

You can't see it. We'll be adding that to a header shortly.

pobelly · 1 Jan 2002, 06:44 AM

Quote:

Ok, so suppose I *only* want to use this plus addressing and bounce my main user@fastmail.fm address. See any problems with this?

really, that's probably the only effective way to do it, since it would be a simple matter to design harvesting software to strip out a '+' and everything between it and '@'... that's why i'm waiting till i know exactly what i want to do before setting up an account geared towards this, to avoid bouncing mail from an address i've already given out to folks... which brings up a question i have: will the plus adressing work for aliases as well?

Quote:

also, further suppose that some unscrupulous spammer tries to *guess* a plus address to get through my main Envelope filter...

the mind recoils from thoughts of anyone going to such lengths, but still - probably best to stick with not-too-obvious folder names... maybe the fact that the default folders are unusable for this purpose isn't such a bad thing...

Jeremy Howard · 1 Jan 2002, 07:32 AM

Yes, aliases and virtual domain addresses can point to a 'plussed address' to cause that alias to be sent directly to a folder.

When we set up our aliases screen, it will have an option to associate an alias with a personality (and therefore with a folder), which will actually use this technique behind the scenes.

pobelly · 1 Jan 2002, 09:07 AM

Quote:

Yes, aliases and virtual domain addresses can point to a 'plussed address' to cause that alias to be sent directly to a folder.

let me be just a little more specific, here:

will it be possible for something like alias+foldername@anydomainyoucanafford to work the same as username+foldername@any_fastmail_domain, as opposed to the alias itself being identified with a folder/identity?

just curious... i want to have a pretty good overview of this whole concept before i start setting it up.

Jeremy Howard · 1 Jan 2002, 09:17 AM

Yes, that works too.

spruce · 3 Jan 2002, 02:22 AM

Thanks! Can't wait to see the new header. I, too, hope that I won't be needing to use it much. However, as some may recall, the mind recoiled to spam itself about a decade ago.

FYI my plan is to give every contact I know a different box/personality that way, even if a spammer guesses the box name, I only have to contact one person to give them a new address for contacting me, and start bouncing the old box ASAP (as well as manually bouncing the first spam.) Since I am willing to shut off any given box, the guessability of the box name won't be that important to me, as it is really "disposable".

BTW, in addition to bouncing a box that I know is only getting spam, can I also forward it somewhere to get the source voted for inclusion in the RBL or something? Such a mechanism should discourage guessing of plus addresses by anyone, I would think...

MarkD · 3 Jan 2002, 07:37 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by spruce
FYI my plan is to give every contact I know a different box/personality that way, even if a spammer guesses the box name, I only have to contact one person to give them a new address for contacting me, and start bouncing the old box ASAP (as well as manually bouncing the first spam.)

Wow, you really really don't like spam do you!

spruce · 4 Jan 2002, 02:58 AM

If Personalities (see this thread: http://www.emaildiscussions.com/...?threadid=1495 )
are implemented well, this should be just as easy as maintaining an address book.

Jeremy Howard · 4 Jan 2002, 06:22 AM

Yes, personalities should make this all easier.

For reporting spammers and general tips on avoiding spam, see http://www.spamcop.net .

pobelly · 4 Jan 2002, 09:01 AM

...and for those who favor a more colorful and subjective telling of the story, here's a touching (and continuing) saga:

http://www.honet.com/Nadine/

irony: upon ducking to my ISP's status page to grab this link, i read, much to my gnashing of teeth, that spamcop had mistakenly listed them as a spam host (which they most certainly are not). the situation was apparently resolved in a matter of hours, but still... there's such a thing as overly aggressive blacklisting. does fastmail use spamcop lists, or just the ORDB stuff?

30 Dec 2001, 10:15 PM	#1
MarkD Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Sydney Posts: 127	Death to Spam? Jeremy, I came across the below usenet post from you, and wasn't aware of this feature. Would be an EXTREMELY useful tool against spam - is this operational? Can I really give out mylogin+anyothername@fastmail.fm and have it divert to mylogin@fastmail.fm? Would it then be be a simple case of having a rule look for "+anyothername" in the to field and filter it out? Thanks and happy new year! Mark ----------------------- Subject: Re: Unique Protection for your email Newsgroups: comp.mail.misc Date: 2001-09-08 00:23:50 PST ----------------------- A way simpler approach is to use a service that sends any message addressed to user+keyword@domain to user@domain. This means that you can use an email address such as jhoward+somecompany@fastmail.fm when you register with somecompany, and +somecompany is automatically stripped out on delivery. Then if you get spam from user+keyword@domain, you can add a filter that kills everything to this address. A webmail and IMAP provider that offers this feature is http://fastmail.fm You don't have to do anything to enable this feature on FastMail, it's on by default. Just sign up at http://fastmail.fm and then start registering with companies using user+companyname@fastmail.fm as your address. FastMail also lets you use your own domain name instead of fastmail.fm if you prefer.

31 Dec 2001, 12:25 PM	#5
spruce Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Boston Posts: 38	Envelope question Ok, so suppose I only want to use this plus addressing and bounce my main user@fastmail.fm address. See any problems with this? Also, further suppose that some unscrupulous spammer tries to guess a plus address to get through my main Envelope filter. If I want to debug how an email got through the filter, how do I see the envelope information for a particular message?

3 Jan 2002, 02:22 AM	#11
spruce Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Boston Posts: 38	Re: Envelope question Thanks! Can't wait to see the new header. I, too, hope that I won't be needing to use it much. However, as some may recall, the mind recoiled to spam itself about a decade ago. FYI my plan is to give every contact I know a different box/personality that way, even if a spammer guesses the box name, I only have to contact one person to give them a new address for contacting me, and start bouncing the old box ASAP (as well as manually bouncing the first spam.) Since I am willing to shut off any given box, the guessability of the box name won't be that important to me, as it is really "disposable". BTW, in addition to bouncing a box that I know is only getting spam, can I also forward it somewhere to get the source voted for inclusion in the RBL or something? Such a mechanism should discourage guessing of plus addresses by anyone, I would think...

4 Jan 2002, 02:58 AM	#13
spruce Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Boston Posts: 38	Re: Envelope question If Personalities (see this thread: http://www.emaildiscussions.com/...?threadid=1495 ) are implemented well, this should be just as easy as maintaining an address book.

31 Dec 2001, 12:20 AM	#3
bjorn_temp Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Posts: 29	Yes it works great! And if you have a folder with that name, it automaticly ends up there, eg; username+test@fastmail.fm will land in the folder called test if you have one.

31 Dec 2001, 11:23 AM	#4
Jeremy Howard Ultimate Contributor Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Australia Posts: 11,501	To define a rule to search for this, you need to select 'Envelope' from the popup box. Note that the nifty auto-filing feature that bjorn mention only works if you create you folder using all lowercase letters.

31 Dec 2001, 03:16 PM	#6
Jeremy Howard Ultimate Contributor Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Australia Posts: 11,501	You can't see it. We'll be adding that to a header shortly.

1 Jan 2002, 07:32 AM	#8
Jeremy Howard Ultimate Contributor Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Australia Posts: 11,501	Yes, aliases and virtual domain addresses can point to a 'plussed address' to cause that alias to be sent directly to a folder. When we set up our aliases screen, it will have an option to associate an alias with a personality (and therefore with a folder), which will actually use this technique behind the scenes.

1 Jan 2002, 09:17 AM	#10
Jeremy Howard Ultimate Contributor Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Australia Posts: 11,501	Yes, that works too.

4 Jan 2002, 06:22 AM	#14
Jeremy Howard Ultimate Contributor Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Australia Posts: 11,501	Yes, personalities should make this all easier. For reporting spammers and general tips on avoiding spam, see http://www.spamcop.net .

4 Jan 2002, 09:01 AM	#15
pobelly Cornerstone of the Community Join Date: Nov 2001 Posts: 586	...and for those who favor a more colorful and subjective telling of the story, here's a touching (and continuing) saga: http://www.honet.com/Nadine/ irony: upon ducking to my ISP's status page to grab this link, i read, much to my gnashing of teeth, that spamcop had mistakenly listed them as a spam host (which they most certainly are not). the situation was apparently resolved in a matter of hours, but still... there's such a thing as overly aggressive blacklisting. does fastmail use spamcop lists, or just the ORDB stuff?