Gentoo Archives: gentoo-project

From: "Robin H. Johnson" <robbat2@g.o>
To: gentoo-project@l.g.o
Subject: [gentoo-project] Spam reduction proposal - switching lists to a web-form for subscription
Date: Wed, 27 May 2009 16:28:13
Message-Id: robbat2-20090527T162328-307748750Z@orbis-terrarum.net
1 Lately we've been seeing a LOT of spam being sent to the mailing list
2 subscribe mechanism, with the side effect that the subscribe mechanism
3 responds to the From header address with a confirmation request. That
4 address (along with the envelope sender) are unfortunately forged.
5
6 The volume of the confirmation requests is getting worse than direct
7 spams, because the spam filtering considers the confirmation requests to
8 be valid email (they would be, except for the fact they are
9 unsolicited).
10
11 To combat this problem, I'd like us to consider switching the subscribe
12 mechanism for the mailing lists to be a web form (protected with
13 recaptcha). Unsubscribe will continue to be offered as an email action
14 for the moment, because it ignores the mail if the address was not
15 subscribed.
16
17 --
18 Robin Hugh Johnson
19 Gentoo Linux Developer & Infra Guy
20 E-Mail : robbat2@g.o
21 GnuPG FP : 11AC BA4F 4778 E3F6 E4ED F38E B27B 944E 3488 4E85

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