Prevent inbound spam in Lotus Domino Mail Server part1
Spam mail or junk mail is the bane of every e-mail lotus notes user’s existence. It is a constant battle to keep junk mail out of your e-mail inbox, and to keep your e-mail system a productive tool. Lotus Notes and Domino has some features to prevent you in the battle against spam mail. This tutorial is for Domino/Notes administrators who want better control over spam or junk mail. It covers using the new features of Domino to block and manage spam, as well as some existing features.
You should be familiar with the following:
- Domino systems administration
- E-mail technology and Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP)
- Domain Name System (DNS)
- Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)
What is an open lotus notes mail relay?
A mail server that accepts mail from any mail source outside the server’s local domain and relays it to any external domain is called an open relay. If your mail servers act as open relays, any spam message relayed through one of your mail servers appears to originate from your Internet domain, making it look as if your organization is linked with the source of the spam.
Open relays are often targeted by Internet mass-mailers. These spammers use open relays as intermediaries between themselves and their target recipients. They use open relays to anonymously distribute huge quantities of mail. This section shows you how to lock down your mail system to prevent opens relays. After you have locked down your mail system by preventing relaying, we will cover more advanced spam weapons such as DNS blacklist filtering and verification techniques later in this tutorial.
Leaving your mail servers open to use by anonymous third parties is generally considered irresponsible because spammers can easily exploit them. Not only does relaying spam reflect badly on your organization, but there are other more serious and costly consequences, including:
- Blacklisting: Your mail servers will get blacklisted if they are left open. Because DNS blacklist filtering is becoming a common method of blocking spam, your users will not be able to send mail to other mail systems that are protected by DNS blacklist filtering.
- Degraded Performance: Relaying mail consumes server resources and network bandwidth, reducing your system’s ability to handle legitimate mail. As mail delivery slows, users, administrators, and help desk personnel are faced with service delays or even interruptions.
Technically speaking, preventing mail relays does not help you eliminate spam, but it is an absolutely critical first step in setting up an e-mail system and being a responsible e-mail citizen. The following panels will help you to verify that Domino is configured to prevent relays of all types.
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