MWeb start blocking ports

[boink]

So I am currently a subscriber to MWeb dsl and since yesterday I cannot send email directly out on port 25 to any smtp servers in the Internet.

After speaking to tech support. It seems like MWeb have started blocking all traffic on port 25 out bound an now force you to use port 587 or something like that via their smtp relay proxies.

Anyone know if this is legal. My contract says nothing about them having the right to block ports in the service. Especially SMTP.

I am especially peeved as they now have the ability to intercept my emails, potentially storing them

 

[Will@MWEB]

Hi boink

We actually announced this and notified our customer base quite some time ago. Since then we have been gradually implementing this across our IP ranges.

I can assure you that there is nothing sinister in this approach, Port 25 is extremely vulnerable to spam and bot traffic. If you are connecting via one of our ADSL products and need to send mail via a server which is off our network then you need to use the mail submission port 587.

Kind Regards
will

 

[Kosmik]

How does this effect gmail through pop3 access Will?

 

[Tinuva]

gmail uses smtps and pop3s and imaps thus not affected.

 

[boink]

Will@Mweb - just how long do you think it is going to take for spammers to discover that you have moved to port 587?

Moving a port is not fixing the root issue (SPAM) and unless I am sorely mistaken,I know of no other ISP worldwide takng this approach.....why? because it is not going to work for very long.

All it takes is a few well placed posts to the "correct" bulletin boards to blow this whole strategy of yours out of the water.

Secondly, there is nothing in my original contract which says you can limit port usage???? Bandwidth yes - but no ports.

Anyways - just in the process of moving 10 of my existing accounts to another ISP and canceling another 25 which were in the process.

 

[xrapidx]

I never got the 'notification'... not that I need port 25 atm.

 

[biometrics]

Another Mweb fail.

 

[zamrg]

Will@Mweb - just how long do you think it is going to take for spammers to discover that you have moved to port 587?

Moving a port is not fixing the root issue (SPAM) and unless I am sorely mistaken,I know of no other ISP worldwide takng this approach.....why? because it is not going to work for very long.

All it takes is a few well placed posts to the "correct" bulletin boards to blow this whole strategy of yours out of the water.

Secondly, there is nothing in my original contract which says you can limit port usage???? Bandwidth yes - but no ports.

Anyways - just in the process of moving 10 of my existing accounts to another ISP and canceling another 25 which were in the process.

This is actually a common approach used globally by ISPs. If you google 'isp block port 25, you'll find plenty of reading material.

A lot of SMTP servers have port 26 or 587 enabled for alternative use over 25 so it's really not too hard to bypass anyway.

 

[Anthro]

Well that's nice.
Now our developers are having to release a emergency patch for our MWEB clients :erm:

 

[Fudzy]

Well that's nice.
Now our developers are having to release a emergency patch for our MWEB clients :erm:

Eish, you hard-code port numbers?

 

[Anthro]

Well, the standard 'has always been' 25
So deviating from the norm was not initially in our minds.
But I guess you learn.

 

[Chunkyfeather]

Eish, you hard-code port numbers?

LOL, yeah why anyone hardcodes setup information is beyond me, things change people, put it in a config file or table rather.

@Mweb, im pretty sure you are going against your own ToS, but hey, i am not a lawyer. blocking ports, tsk tsk tsk.

 

[Murlin]

I am not sure why you chaps are complaining. As a dynamic IP user, you should not be delivering mail on port 25 to anywhere but your ISP. That is an internet standard that mweb is following...

 

[w1z4rd]

Ouch. This is going to cause chaos.

 

[w1z4rd]

I am not sure why you chaps are complaining. As a dynamic IP user, you should not be delivering mail on port 25 to anywhere but your ISP. That is an internet standard that mweb is following...

My PC, connects to my mail servers on port 25, as per international standards. My mail servers are not associated with the ISP. Fail logic is fail.

 

[xrapidx]

I am not sure why you chaps are complaining. As a dynamic IP user, you should not be delivering mail on port 25 to anywhere but your ISP. That is an internet standard that mweb is following...

Not many people use their ISPs smtp servers, I certainly don't - and haven't for years.

Our company SMTP server is also on port 25 - so If I wanted to send mail through it, I'm stuffed.

 

[zamrg]

I am not sure why you chaps are complaining. As a dynamic IP user, you should not be delivering mail on port 25 to anywhere but your ISP. That is an internet standard that mweb is following...

I thought the standard was that you cannot have mail originate from a SMTP server on a dynamic address? The rerouting of port 25 does stop spammers running SMTP on localhost, but it also stops legit users from reaching their non-isp SMTP server on a default port.

 

[Tsimo]

oh lovely. -_-

 

[Rocket-Boy]

Will@Mweb - just how long do you think it is going to take for spammers to discover that you have moved to port 587?

Moving a port is not fixing the root issue (SPAM) and unless I am sorely mistaken,I know of no other ISP worldwide takng this approach.....why? because it is not going to work for very long.

All it takes is a few well placed posts to the "correct" bulletin boards to blow this whole strategy of yours out of the water.

Secondly, there is nothing in my original contract which says you can limit port usage???? Bandwidth yes - but no ports.

Anyways - just in the process of moving 10 of my existing accounts to another ISP and canceling another 25 which were in the process.

You sure do cry alot.
if you are as IT savvy as you claim to be then there are simple ways to resolve this keeping both sides happy.
And your "correct" bulletin boards threat makes me lol, spammers dont use bulletin boards to get their info. Try googling the term botnet.

 

[bruce_the_loon]

Port 587 is not the same as port 25

Will@Mweb - just how long do you think it is going to take for spammers to discover that you have moved to port 587?

Moving a port is not fixing the root issue (SPAM) and unless I am sorely mistaken,I know of no other ISP worldwide takng this approach.....why? because it is not going to work for very long.

Recipient service RFC 2476 on port 587 is normally authenticated to prevent misuse by spam senders. If they don't have the passwords, then they cannot get out.

As for the statement that no other ISPs do this, you are mistaken. AT&T, Verizon are well known for this.

As an engineer who sees countless spam rejects in my logs because they come from residential networks, I welcome the reduced junk traffic that this will bring.