StreamyNUT blocks SMTP Port 25 for non-streamyx servers

[peaz]

The STUPID idiots have done it again.

Telekom Malaysia Berhad wishes to inform its customers about TM's initiative in combating spam in its Internet Protocol (IP) network to improve our quality of service.

Recently, many anti-spam organizations have blacklisted a large number of IP addresses from TM's network. Due to this many customers have been unable to send emails from their mail server to companies who might be using database from the abovementioned anti-spam organizations.

These spamming activities by a small group have affected a large number of our customers, regardless of the nature of their Internet usage.

Therefore, TM is taking immediate action to address this issue. Effective 3 December 2007, TM will block OUTBOUND Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) traffic or port 25 for all out going e-mails from dynamic IP addresses. Only Outbound SMTP traffic from smtp.streamyx.com and smtp.tm.net.my will be allowed.

With this implementation, Streamyx customers who have their own mail server will not be able to send e-mails. As an alternative, TM is providing an open relay server for these customers who use dynamic IP addresses. Kindly refer to Setting Up SMTP Proxy for Email Client on how to configure your email client in order to utilize the relay server. Alternatively, your e-mail administrators can refer to How to setup Relay host in mail as a guide to configure your company's email servers.

Please be assured that TM is proactively taking all possible measures to ensure that these spamming activities do not reoccur in the future. We seek your kind co-operation to implement the necessary security measures to protect your computers that are connected to the Internet from any e-mail abuse, virus infection, spyware and malicious code.

For further enquiries and assistance, email us at help@tm.com.my or call TM at 100 and select 'Internet Services'.

Not even a warning email!

[Adrian Wong]

Bastards!!!

NO WARNING!!!!

[peaz]

Looks like we have to use this open relay SMTP server...

But if there's an open relay SMTP proxy server... what the FQ@$&*)(&!@$&!@$()& is the point of blocking the SMTP port 25 in the first F@*$()!@*& place!

[peaz]

The stupid point about this is A lot of email servers out there blocks any emails that is relayed from an open relay server... so setting it to this proxy server will just mean our emails will be F(@)*#ING blocked!

[Chai]

I wasn't affected?

[peaz]

try again?

[Adrian Wong]

Originally Posted by Chai

I wasn't affected?

You sure? It should already be in effect. Try sending a mail out.

[peaz]

Yeah, you may get incoming emails for POP3 ports are not blocked. But try sending any mail out without using the SMTP Proxy and you'd not get it through.

Oh wait. maybe you're on an IP core switch that's not yet updated to block port 25 and SMTP packets.... Sheesh. reconnect and most likely it'll be in effect for you.

[Adrian Wong]

Hmm.. Mine's not affected yet, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's in place by morning.

[Adrian Wong]

This smells of censorship and Big Brother activity.

Sending this e-mail out to the relevant parties.

I'm writing to inform you about potential censorship of e-mails by TMNet. Check out the attached e-mail, which I'm sure you would have received by now.

As you can see, TMNet says they are blocking outbound traffic on port 25 to prevent spammers from abusing it. At first glance, it may seem like a reasonable move by TMNet to block spam. They may even point you (at a later date) to a "similar" move by Comcast in the US to prevent spamming by blocking port 25 (http://news.zdnet.com/2100-3513_22-5230615.html).

However, the Comcast case is NOT the same thing that TMNet is doing. What TMNet does is FAR beyond what Comcast is doing and not only is it ineffective against spamming, it could in fact be used to censor, filter and track e-mails sent by anyone using the TMNet network.

What TMNet wants is for ALL theirs users with external e-mail servers to send their e-mails to a open-relay proxy server before they are sent out to their destinations. This is the troubling aspect of the whole issue. Why the need to send our e-mails through a proxy server when TMNet can do what Comcast did and just block port 25 for offending spammers? It just doesn't make sense.

Our webmaster has already written a letter of complaint to the MCMC, pointing out the futility of this action. Let's take a look at the reasons why TMNet's method will NOT prevent spamming and is really a genuine threat to our privacy.

1. Using open-relay proxy SMTP is not an option as there are a lot of email servers that would reject any emails sent from an open-relay SMTP server (such as the one suggested by StreamyX) and this would mean that our legitimate emails would be blocked.
2. What’s the point of implementing the blocking of Port 25 and yet have this open-relay SMTP proxy to be used? This would just allow spammers to flood this open relay proxy. In turn, this server would then be included into international RBLs and our legitimate emails would be blocked
3. If our emails are being proxied through this open relay server, what is the security, audit and privacy standards are in put place to assure users like us that our emails would NOT BE STORED on their server and WOULD NOT BE READ or SNIFFED at all. Our privacy is at stake here.
4. And in any case that this open relay SMTP proxy server is down, how can we send out our emails then? What are the SLAs that is in place for this proxy server? Why penalise us users when we PAY MONEY for our own SMTP server to avoid being caught by our dear ISP’s ‘reliability’ in the first place?
5. For mobile users which hops around Internet connections, from home Streamyx to public WiFi such as from Starbucks and ETC, always changing the SMTP settings aren’t exactly a consumer friendly solution.

If TMNet is genuine about blocking spammers, they can easily block port 25 for those spammers. There is virtually no need to block port 25 for all users and force them to use a proxy server (and an open relay at that) to send their e-mails out. Not only does that make it extremely easy for EVERYONE using the TMNet proxy to get blacklisted as soon as a spammer hits it, it means all our e-mails will stay in the proxy server for some time and can be stored, read, filtered, etc.

TMNet did not mention anything about privacy and security of the proxy server. Neither have they give us any assurance that the proxy server will reliably forward all e-mails to their actual mail servers without being stored, read, filtered, etc.