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Nov 28, 2015, 12:06 AM
45 Posts

SMTP settings?

  • Category: Mail
  • Platform: All Platforms
  • Release: 9.0.1
  • Role:
  • Tags:
  • Replies: 9

For the first time, I have to accommodate IMAP users, outside the office, so their IP addresses could be anything.

I want to allow authenticated, logged in IMAP users to be able to send (relay) email through SMTP, but I don't want spammers to, obviously.

But while I'd love in the SMTP site doc to allow only name and password use, I can't:  I need to keep SMTP open to accept email that comes in from from spam filter service, always the same IP address, unauthenticated.

How to square the circle?

 

Nov 30, 2015, 1:57 PM
33 Posts
Relay Control

in the servers configuration under "Router/SMTP -> Restrictions & Controls -> SMTP Inbound Controls" you set:
"Exceptions for authenticated users: Allow all authenticated users to relay"

But be careful and set an event generator/handler to alert you in case of unexpected number of routing events, so that you realize when the credentials have been compromised and you are converted to a spam relay.

Nov 30, 2015, 5:11 PM
45 Posts
Can't win?

Second server not an option.

In Configuration doc, I had:

"Exceptions for authenticated users: Allow all authenticated users to relay:

In SMTP site document, I had for TCP authentication:

Name and Password: Yes (to allow the authentication)

AND

Anonymous: Yes (to allow our incoming email server at our out of house spam service to deliver)

With anonymous turned off, no email being delivered to us.

With anonymous turned on, you see this in the logs

11/27/2015 06:50:45 AM  [3240:0023-2A2C] SMTPClient: SMTP Authentication is not required by local server.  Username: -blank-

And spammers are merrily relaying like crazy.

So you set this:

Deny messages from the following internet hosts to be sent to external internet domains: *

And the spammers are rendered helpless, but your IMAP and POP3 users are dead in the water, they can't send.

It's feeling like there isn't a way to win on this one.

 

Nov 30, 2015, 6:19 PM
328 Posts
Should work...

Should work the way you have it set - what do you have for  'Perform Anti-Relay enforcement for these connecting hosts:' ?

Dec 2, 2015, 9:28 PM
45 Posts
smtp settings

@Mark, "Should work the way you have it set - what do you have for  'Perform Anti-Relay enforcement for these connecting hosts:' ?"

Hey Mark, I have "All connecting hosts"

@ Barry, "Have you tried adding an smtp debug"

Yep, I got these going.

 

SMTPDebugIO=3
;DEBUG_THREADID=1
;debug_show_timeout=1
;debug_capture_timeout=1
SMTPClientDebug=1

Also added these based on what I found elsewhere.


SMTPAllowConnectionsAnonymous=1
SMTPVerifyAuthenticatedSender=1
SMTPErrorLimit=5

 

Problem as described still exists. If I allow authenticated IMAP users to send email. spammers have a field day relaying.

Dec 3, 2015, 2:43 AM
328 Posts
Just to be clear -

The spammers aren't authenticating - these are anonymous connections?

I have pretty much the same requirement - inbound cannot relay, we have a handful of internal trusted IP addresses, and I have a couple smtp connections that authenticate to relay mail outside.

I do not use either SMTPAllowConnectionsAnonymous=1 or SMTPVerifyAuthenticatedSender=1

However, i DO use:

SMTP_LEFT_DOT_NEVER_DOMAIN=1
SMTPALLHOSTSEXTERNAL=1
SMTPClientDebug=1
SMTPGreeting=%s
SMTPNoVersionInRcvdHdr=1

What do you have in the 'Exclude these connecting hosts from anti-relay checks: field?

What do you have for 'Allow messages to be sent only to the following external internet domains:' ? (should be blank)

How many SMTP Internet site docs do you have? (How many internet site docs in total?)

Try adding 'SMTPALLHOSTSEXTERNAL=1' and see if that helps.

Review this technote: http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21385199

Review this pdf:  http://public.dhe.ibm.com/software/dw/lotus/SMTPAuthSpamFinal.pdf

 

 

 

 

Dec 15, 2015, 5:27 PM
45 Posts
closed

Closing this and giving up; client migrating to Gmail now instead.


This forum is closed to new posts and responses. Individual names altered for privacy purposes. The information contained in this website is provided for informational purposes only and should not be construed as a forum for customer support requests. Any customer support requests should be directed to the official HCL customer support channels below:

HCL Software Customer Support Portal for U.S. Federal Government clients
HCL Software Customer Support Portal