Re: [fetchmail-users] Fwd: [fetchmail]Multidrop fetchmail bouncing non-existing local addresses

[Rob M. <rob...@gm...>]

On 7/17/06, Andy Hawkins <adh...@gm...> wrote:
>
> Should we continue this here for now, or move to there?

Here :-)  Very few people watch the old lists.  As far as I can tell
mostly only me.

> > On 7/17/06, Andy Hawkins <adh...@gm...> wrote:
> > Upgrade to 6.3.4
>
> Ok, didn't want to do that as it involves building from source, but
> I've done that now.

Great.

> > Spam messages almost never have a legit return address.  All you'll
> > end up doing is annoying some poor innocent sod, and possibly becoming
> > a spam source yourself.  Better to drop them on the floor.
>
> True, but I want legitimate mail (but with invalid addresses) to be
> bounced so that the sender knows they've got it wrong.

As long as you're aware of the risks.  Keep an eye on the volume of
bounces.  If/when people realise what you're doing they may target you
for a spam run (basically using you to "bounce" the spam to the
recipient).

That isn't theory - that's a pretty standard spam tactic.

> Below:
>
<---SNIP--->
> fetchmail: SMTP> RCPT TO:<yyy@yyy.yyy>
> fetchmail: SMTP< 550 unknown user
> fetchmail: SMTP error: 550 unknown user
> fetchmail: SMTP listener doesn't like recipient address `yyy@yyy.yyy'
> fetchmail: SMTP< 220 zzz.zzz.zzz ESMTP Exim 4.50 Mon, 17 Jul 2006 16:15:41 +0100
> fetchmail: SMTP> HELO zzz.zzz.zzz
> fetchmail: SMTP< 250 zzz.zzz.zzz Hello localhost [127.0.0.1]
> fetchmail: SMTP> MAIL FROM:<>
> fetchmail: SMTP< 250 OK
> fetchmail: SMTP> RCPT TO:<xx...@xx...>
> fetchmail: SMTP< 250 Accepted
> fetchmail: SMTP> DATA
> fetchmail: SMTP< 354 Enter message, ending with "." on a line by itself
> fetchmail: SMTP: (bounce-message body)
> fetchmail: SMTP>. (EOM)
> fetchmail: SMTP< 250 OK id=1G2Uov-0005GD-HY
> fetchmail: SMTP> QUIT
> fetchmail: SMTP< 221 zzz.zzz.zzz closing connection
> fetchmail: SMTP> RCPT TO:<postmaster@zzz.zzz.zzz>
> fetchmail: SMTP< 250 Accepted
> fetchmail: no address matches; forwarding to postmaster.
<---SNIP--->
>
> It looks like it has sent a bounce, but still forwarded the mail to
> the postmaster.

Not sure why it did that - hopefully one of the maintainers will come
by and have an idea what's going on.

It wouldn't hurt to provide the output of "fetchmail --configdump" so
we can see what fetchmail thinks of it's config file.

-- 
                 Please keep list traffic on the list.

Rob MacGregor
      Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he
        doesn't become a monster.                  Friedrich Nietzsche