[Samba] SPAM

[Ray Simard]

J. Frisbie wrote:
> Hello,
> 
> I singed up for the samba at lists.samba.org using a one-time
> email address (jf-samba at stan.mit.edu) and now I get virus
> laden spam messages at that address about every ninety seconds
> -- thanks.
 > ...

The most effective step to reduce this is to restrict posting to 
subscribed list members.

Some consider such restrictions to be a form of censorship. I cannot see 
the rationale for this. Subscribing is easy, fast and open. Anyone with 
something to say to the list can do so in a matter of minutes. Getting 
off the list is just as easy. Nobody is "censored" except the 
spam-fountains whose target lists happen to include the posting address 
of this list.

Of course, this does not prevent a determined spammer from a hit-and-run 
spam spew, joining, spamming and then leaving. But few are. There's 
little benefit to going through even these few steps to join the list to 
spam it when one can spam hundreds of thousands of addresses while 
sitting back and swilling beer while the computer does the work.

It also doesn't prevent a list subscriber's computer infected with a 
worm or virus from hitting the list with it. However, it again limits 
the harm and it also makes it easy to identify the source and inform the 
party of the infection. In such a case the owner is nearly always a 
victim of the infection and not an intentional propagator and will 
appreciate the tip.

Ray Simard