Let the Crackdown Begin!

ISPs are starting to crackdown on excessive email sent via the SMTP protocol using broadband connections. When an individual's computer is responsible for sending thousands of email messages, it almost always indicates spam. Frequently, the user's system has been taken over by malicious software, and isn't even aware of the activity.

Inexpensive DSL and cable-modem connectivity make it practical for almost anyone lacking the proper ethics to engage in a large-scale spamming campaign. Connectivity packages can be purchased from most ISPs starting around $50 per month which rival throughput that cost businesses thousands only a few years ago.

"I've long advocated ISPs block e-mail sent by errant end-user systems. Blocking the reception of spam is at least partially the end-users responsibility. However, preventing spam from being sent should involve the ISP," SpamButcher author Rich Olson opines.

"More and more spam seems to originate from end-user systems as opposed to centralized servers. We constantly tweak the anti-spam filtering system in SpamButcher to help compensate for this."

Fortunately, the SMTP protocol is tightly defined and easily regulated using some simple routing rules. Most high-end router firmware can place quotas on the maximum number of SMTP sessions opened by any given system over a period of time.

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