spam management (was [vox-tech] Why change default ssh port?)

[Marc Elliot Hall]

On Mon, Jun 19, 2006 at 11:54:16AM -0700, Bill Kendrick wrote:
> On Mon, Jun 19, 2006 at 01:52:49PM -0400, Peter Jay Salzman wrote:
> > > I have a whole stack of .procmail rules to chuck mail daemon bounces
> > > regarding this crap to /dev/null.
> >  
> > waste of resources.  better to do this at the MTA level than the MUA level.
> > 
> > http://www.t29.dk/header_check_notes.php
> 
> So tell me how to 0wnz0r my ISP's mail server, and I'll set that up right
> pronto. ;)
> 
You're right, Bill: handling spam at the MTA is fairly straightforward 
if you control the server. 

Your 1337 5|<1llz far surpass my own; I'm surprised you haven't done 
this for a long time already. 
 
I've run my own Postfix-based server for the last five years, during
which time I've physically relocated the box three times, changed
distros twice, and changed ISPs four times. Yet, I've been very happy 
with the results. Aside from a few full disk issues, my mail service 
has been uninterrupted and my *visible* spam volume has steadily
decreased. 

You already have web hosting with a shell account, right? It should be 
no big deal to either add mail capability to your current hosting plan,
go co-lo, move to a different provider, or get biz-class DSL or cable 
to run your server from home. 
 
Naturally, if you want to retain your new breed software at sonic email 
address, the latter three options are not so viable, without some kind 
of forwarding functionality -- Yet another reason to promote your own 
domain rather than your povider's. But that's a topic for another time.

On the topic of why change the default SSH port, my current employer
elected to firewall outbound port 22, but left the default for FTP 
(port 21) open, without bothering to do any more sophisticated checking. 
I don't run an FTP server; so, I simply configured my firewall and SSH 
daemon to listen on both 21 *and* 22. Am I violating policy and risking 
my job? I don't see it that way...

-- 
Marc Elliot Hall
621 River Moss Drive
St. Peters, MO 63376
www.hallmarc.net