Subject: Re: Spammers using IETF meeting attendance lists

From: "Jim Sermersheim" <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 09 Sep 2003 11:06:54 -0600

Or the spammer just went here
http://www.ietf.org/proceedings/03mar/atts7.html

>>> [email-masked] 9/9/03 10:48:24 AM >>>

It means that at least one person that processed the registrations
was using a windows system that is now infected. That stupid
blaster virus then sent email with a forged From line as if it was
sent from you, then the spammers picked up that never released email
address and added it to their spam list.

Makes me wonder if the virus was build by someone wanting to find
a lot of valid email addresses that were not otherwise available.

Graham Klyne wrote:
> I've just received a spam addressed to an email address that I used 
> (only) for registering a past IETF meeting.  I don't know what is the

> current policy for releasing such email addresses.
> 
> Just offering a datum, not making any concrete suggestions.
> 
> #g
> 
> 
> ------------
> Graham Klyne
> [email-masked]
> 

-- 

  Doug Royer                     |   http://INET-Consulting.com
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---

From: Doug Royer <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 09 Sep 2003 11:18:36 -0600

Yes. However being the subject if a conspiracy theory
on another IETF WG I thought it would be fun to make
this guess. :-)

--

---

From: [email-masked]
Date: Tue, 09 Sep 2003 14:00:57 -0400

> a lot of valid email addresses that were not otherwise available.

I pondered that myself, except for the problem that you need some way to
*catch* the addresses when they get sent out - although I've seen some coming
in from obvious "spammer" addresses and therefore my address is probably
being sent to spammers.  Since we already know that the spammers don't
particularly care that 98% of their stuff gets blocked, it probably doesn't
bother them that 98% of the time the "good address" is going to somebody other
than the spammer.  That 2% is enough to enhance their lists....

---

From: Einar Stefferud <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 9 Sep 2003 11:51:44 -0700

Look;-)...

We know that there are systems that scan all open files anywhere in the 
Internet, looking for email addresses.

My address is in every 1,000,000 spamable addresses CD, so I either mess around with changing my address often, or deal with the spam and get on with life.

Address harvesting is too easy for spammers, and too hard to prevent.
It is a bigger load on you and especially on your correspondents if you change addresses every month trying to escape.

Note that the entire IETF mailing list is archived on an open web site, so 
trying to participate here, and hide at the same time is sheer folly.

One time use of addresses is much too painful for me, so I just deal with 
the spam, of which I am sure I get my share;-)...

Cheers...\Stef

PS:  Now if I could make all those VCF attachments in IETF list mail 
     go away without manual effort!-)...\S

At 14:00 -0400 9/9/03, [email-masked] wrote:
>Content-Type: application/pgp-signature