"Re: [M]: RE: MAPUG admin: good news / bad news" in the Meade Astronomy Archive

Subject: Re: [M]: RE: MAPUG admin: good news / bad news
From: John Unkovich
Reply To: mapug@shore.net
Date: Thu Apr 02 17:57:06 1998

While you're here, how about checking out the Astronomy Book List ?

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DO NOT LISTEN TO THIS FOOL!
Unk

Michael Hannigan wrote:

> Why not just let them through and leave it up to the end users to delete
> them. It really is our responsibility, not yours, to deal with the spam
> that hits our mailboxes.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> JohnLX200
> Sent: Wednesday, April 01, 1998 11:13 PM
> Subject: [M]: MAPUG admin: good news / bad news
>
> Some good news and some bad news:
>
> First, the good news: Thank you all for the civil tone on the list lately.
> You are even forgiven for the excessive OT banter in exchange for the good
> behavior.
>
> Next, the bad news:
>
> Apparently mapug has found its way onto a serious SPAM mailing list. It's
> currently at a workable volume, but is rapidly accelerating, making me
> suspect
> that we've made it onto some list of "57 million email addresses for $99"
> and
> is being spread around. I don't believe it is a deliberate attack upon the
> list, just the usual get-rich-quick emails, porno website promotion, etc.
>
> I'd use the Majordomo list server's capabilities to block it, if from
> predictable addresses, but it's coming in from reasonable-looking addresses,
> mostly but not all on AOL, and there are way too many MAPUG members on AOL
> for
> me to just block email from AOL anyway. Not to mention that it would block
> ME
> ;-)
>
> Luckily, it all bounces to my shore.net account without hitting the list,
> so
> you don't get to read all these creative pitches like I do. I'm concerned
> that the number of bounced SPAM emails is approximately tripling with each
> wave of junk every 12-24 hours, so the trend is "going parabolic" on us.
>
> If anyone knows of a good method to deal with it (beyond forwarding them to
> the abuse department at each ISP, which is a losing battle in this case
> where
> multiple new sources keep springing up) please privately email me.
>
> As it could be serious enough to bring my shore.net account (and therefore
> MAPUG) down, I've taken the precaution of saving all your email addresses as
> currently subscribed to mapug and mapug-digest so that, worst case, I could
> change the name of the list and subscribe all of you to the new list.
> Perhaps
> shore.net could rename the list without unsubscribing/subscribing everyone,
> but I haven't checked that out yet.
>
> I don't know that anything this drastic will be necessary, but wanted to
> give
> you all advance notice just in case the list comes down for a few days.
> This
> is by far the most ominous series of SPAM attacks we've had so far, but
> don't
> worry, I'll be able to deal with it one way or another.
>
> On a separate note, newsgroups will have vastly more SPAM starting on April
> 3,
> due to a boycott by SPAM-canceling administrators who are feeling that more
> of
> the burden should be taken on by ISPs. The boycott has no effect upon
> MAPUG,
> but those of you following s.a.a. may soon be looking back on "the good old
> days" for a while too.
>
> John Hopper
> MAPUG administrator

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<HTML>
DO NOT LISTEN TO THIS FOOL!
 Unk

Michael Hannigan wrote:
<BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE>Why not just let them through and leave it up to
the end users to delete
 them.  It really is our responsibility, not yours, to deal with
the spam
 that hits our mailboxes.

-----Original Message-----
Behalf Of
 JohnLX200
 Sent: Wednesday, April 01, 1998 11:13 PM
 Subject: [M]: MAPUG admin: good news / bad news

Some good news and some bad news:

First, the good news: Thank you all for the civil tone on the list lately.
 You are even forgiven for the excessive OT banter in exchange for the
good
 behavior.

Next, the bad news:

Apparently mapug has found its way onto a serious SPAM mailing list. 
It's
 currently at a workable volume, but is rapidly accelerating, making
me
 suspect
 that we've made it onto some list of "57 million email addresses for
$99"
 and
 is being spread around.  I don't believe it is a deliberate attack
upon the
 list, just the usual get-rich-quick emails, porno website promotion,
etc.

I'd use the Majordomo list server's capabilities to block it, if from
 predictable addresses, but it's coming in from reasonable-looking addresses,
 mostly but not all on AOL, and there are way too many MAPUG members
on AOL
 for
 me to just block email from AOL anyway.  Not to mention that it
would block
 ME
 ;-)

Luckily, it all bounces to my shore.net account  without hitting
the list,
 so
 you don't get to read all these creative pitches like I do.  I'm
concerned
 that the number of bounced SPAM emails is approximately tripling with
each
 wave of junk every 12-24 hours, so the trend is "going parabolic" on
us.

If anyone knows of a good method to deal with it (beyond forwarding
them to
 the abuse department at each ISP, which is a losing battle in this
case
 where
 multiple new sources keep springing up) please privately email me.

As it could be serious enough to bring my shore.net account (and therefore
 MAPUG) down, I've taken the precaution of saving all your email addresses
as
 currently subscribed to mapug and mapug-digest so that, worst case,
I could
 change the name of the list and subscribe all of you to the new list.
 Perhaps
 shore.net could rename the list without unsubscribing/subscribing everyone,
 but I haven't checked that out yet.

I don't know that anything this drastic will be necessary, but wanted
to
 give
 you all advance notice just in case the list comes down for a few days.
 This
 is by far the most ominous series of SPAM attacks we've had so far,
but
 don't
 worry, I'll be able to deal with it one way or another.

On a separate note, newsgroups will have vastly more SPAM starting on
April
 3,
 due to a boycott by SPAM-canceling administrators who are feeling that
more
 of
 the burden should be taken on by ISPs.  The boycott has no effect
upon
 MAPUG,
 but those of you following s.a.a. may soon be looking back on "the
good old
 days" for a while too.

John Hopper
 MAPUG administrator</BLOCKQUOTE>
 </HTML>

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