Poor implimentation of email attachment bouncing

[7hz]

Ok, so sometime in the last few months, Cpanel has put a server wide supposed 'anti virus' measure in that bounces certain emails with attachments.

I have an issue with the bouncing of viral emails. The senders address is mostly spoofed, and by bouncing these emails back we are:

a) telling innocent people the wrong thing
b) spreading my email address to unrelated and unknown 3rd parties, ready to be picked up from an infected machine.

Also, it is lessening email utility a massive amount, as well as blocking avenues of communication without letting me know each event.

As I understand it then, Cpanel has a fearure that enables server wide bouncing of emails with the following extentions:

.shs
.vbs
.lnk
.vbe
chm
.eml
.com
.bat
.hta
.hlp
.wsf
.wsh
.shb

I suppose my main problem with this feature is that it isn't controled on each individual pop email. The ability to turn it on/off individualy should be simple.

I feel that bouncing emails indescriminatly to probaly the wrong addresses is not the right thing to do (incresed internet trafic, spreding 'private' email addresses, telling the wrong people the wrong thing).

I am very unhappy at Cpanel for puting in this 'feature'. GIVE ME MY EMAIL BACK!

[LA_fro]

Have you put in a bug report on this? I am seeing this some too and I am having users complain to me about viruses from the server going into their accounts.

[chirpy]

There's a couple of issues here:

1. This feature has been in place for quite a long time (at the very least the last 6 months). If you want to switch it off you can do so in WHM > Exim Configuration Editor > System filter file (leave blank to disable): /etc/antivirus.exim

Or to be sure:

cat /dev/null > /etc/antivirus.exim

2. The bounces don't get returned to the From address in the email headers - they get returned over the SMTP connection to the server as a standard SMTP bounce to the actual sender, making your rant somewhat moot

[7hz]

I am an end user, so I don't have control to turn off this feature on my account.

I didn't realise about the bounce using SMTP.

I still think this feature is anoying and I do not appreciate full control getting taken away from me with regard to me and my customers email accounts.

[chirpy]

Then you should speak to your hosting provider about it, as it is they who have this enabled on their cPanel configuration.

[7hz]

I have done. repeatidly. The 'feature' keeps getting turned back on for some reason.

I thought airing my concernes here would be usefull.

Thanks