SPAM!!!

[willemvdm]

Thanks to a suggestion I got from this forum, I'm now using google to keep my mail boxes clear of SPAM.

Had a look at my google spam box and seem like spam that I receive has about tripled since I started using google, not blaming google, just an observation.

What is bothering me now is that a lot of these messages that are ending up in the spam box is failed mail deliveries, things like this:

Could not deliver message to the following recipient(s):

Failed Recipient: [*** REMOVED ***]
Reason: Recipient spam or content filter rejected the message

I removed the address, but I know I did not send these messages. My worry is that someone, probably some bot is using my email addresses to send out spam. No, I don't believe any of my passwords are compromised, since I know I can use any SMTP server to send my email and use my @aalwyne.co.za address in the from field, it is easy for any bot to do the same.

Is there any way to prevent people/bots from just using any SMTP server and sending mail all over the world as if it were coming from me. Would my web host be able to do something about it, if I asked them or is there maybe a setting or something I can change in my cpannel. I suppose not. The internet is such a wonderful thing, but sometimes I think the way the whole net work is just hopelessly flawed.

 

[gregmcc]

Is there any way to prevent people/bots from just using any SMTP server and sending mail all over the world as if it were coming from me.

They're not using your SMTP Server but rather your email address. (Unless you have your own SMTP Server and its a open relay )

SMTP is very insecure - nothing you can do about it until they change the design. Anyone can send a mail and make it look like it comes from someone else.

 

[guest2013-1]

Yea, someone's spoofing your email addy and sending virus/spam emails out pretending to be you. Adding SPF records to your DNS entries for your mail servers should solve the problem

 

[willemvdm]

Thanks AcidRazor for pointing me in the right direction. I read up a little about SPF. As I understand it, it is the recipeint's responcibility to check SPF records, so a spammer can still send the spoofed spam out, but the recipeints can ignore the mail if the SPF record doesn't match and then hopefully won't report my domain as a spammer.

I found the SPF thingy in cpanel and enabled it. Going to send a few messages and do some "spoofing" of my own to test it.

Thanks again.