Re: [Assp-user] SORBS

[Hill, B. <hi...@nl...>]

Alex Frunza wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> I don't use SORBS and don't agree with the fee thing, but 
> it's not extortion - they stick to their criteria, and your 
> system did send spam. 
> Each list is allowed to have whatever policy they want 
> to...and the ones using it obviously agree with their policy 
> (or didn't check it properly, which is their fault!)
> 
> Thanks for the story anyway!
> 
> 
> 
> On 10/9/2009 12:11 AM, Phil Cook wrote:
> > I'd like to relate to you all a little story of my experience with 
> > SORBS. A little while back we had a spammer find a user 
> account with a weak password and used it to auth and send 
> spam using it. Of course this happened at night while I 
> wasn't here unfortunately. Upon discovery the next morning 
> the problem was corrected immediately but not soon enough for 
> us to avoid having been blacklisted by 4 different lists. So 
> I started contacting the lists to get our ip removed and all 
> was going just fine until I had to deal with SORBS. We are 
> still blacklisted by them and probably will be for a year 
> according to the email I received. Because there is no way I 
> am going to pay what to me is nothing more than an outright 
> extortion fee wanted by them. After googling them and doing 
> some reading I learned that I am far from the only person to 
> experience this. Seems that they are quite hated by a lot of 
> people. We have legit business orders that are not going thru 
> to Mexico and I am having a heck of a time contacting the it 
> person or isp down there to get this straightened out because 
> they are using SORBS. It has become a nightmare that I really 
> didn't need to deal with right now. Therefore with that said, 
> as a long time ASSP user, I would highly recommend that SORBS 
> be taken out of the default config file for ASSP, and I ask 
> that mail admins stop using them at all. Stopping spam is one 
> thing, this bullshit is another, and I have had it with them.

Well, I agree with Phil.  It is ridiculous.  Just because a list is
allowed to create their own policy doesn't mean their policies are fair
(even if the money is going to a charity, it's still extortion).  On
their FAQ page:

---
 Third and finally, if you are really not a spammer, or you are truly
reformed, de-listing is relatively easy, and you can choose one of two
options:

    * Donate US$50 to a charity or trust approved by, and not connected
with, SORBS for each spam received related to the listing. This is
referred to as the SORBS 'fine'.
    * Wait for a period of 1 year for each spam received related to the
listing (e.g. if 3 spams were received, wait 3 years).
---

1000 years to wait to be delisted just because someone managed to send
some spam out from your IP Address...pfff?  I can maybe understand this
part of the policy if it were to happen after 3 separate incidents
back-to-back after being de-listed each time, but not for a first-time
offender.  I don't care who you are, we're all human and make mistakes.

BTW, I stopped using Sorbs back when it was having problems finding a
new home.

Kind Regards,
Brett