Question: Terminating Email Aliases to Terminate SPAM? [moved]

[abrandt]

Hello Forum:

I have been fully prepared to go with a web host which offers Plesk 8.0 on shared servers (minimal bandwidth requirements).

Yesterday I found realmetrics.com which provides statistically accurate web host reviews. While studying the info provided by realmetrics.com, I did a 90-day sort and found HostingZoom.com which has earned significantly higher scores than all the other web hosts measured.

HostingZoom provides only CPanel (no Plesk), but their Clustered Failover Web Hosting Technology, pricing and reliability has commanded my attention.

Here's my QUESTION: If I create an EMAIL ALIAS to do Internet business with a website, and it ends up being used for SPAM in violation of the asserted Privacy representation, is CPanel capable of TERMINATING the email alias so it is BOUNCED back to the SPAM sender... and I never receive it again?

If CPanel is not capable of doing this, no matter how attractive the services of HostingZoom are, I require this capability, and most go with a Plesk web host.

Thank you in advance for a prompt and detailed response.

Positively,
Alan

 

[Lyttek]

If you delete an alias, there isn't anywhere for the email to go. So long as your default/catch-all is set to :fail: you won't receive it.

 

[Spiral]

You are asking about Cpanel vs Plesk email features? ROFL

First, there is not a signle thing that Plesk can do in terms of email that
can't also be done easily (if not better) in Cpanel.

Second, the mail that Cpanel uses, Exim, is virtually indistinguishable from
the mail that Plesk uses, Qmail, when operating in "maildir" mode specifically
where you are talking about an operational and administrative perspective.

Actually if you want to get down to it though, there are a lot of things you can
do with Exim that would be difficult to duplicate in a Qmail environment without
a lot of heavy code patching modifications which that alone would make Cpanel's
mail platform far superior to Plesk's mail platform without question.

Now regarding your question about spam, email is NEVER bounced back to the
"spam sender" no matter what mail platform you use because all spam senders
always falsify their mail headers so any bounced mail would return back to some
innocent 3rd party out there instead of the actual spam sender. If that is your
concern, you are looking at spam protection completely from the wrong angle
and could probably use the guidance of someone who knows email security
inside and out to assist you (self included )

Bottom line though, yes you can delete specific email addresses in Cpanel and have
those deleted addresses "bounce back" if you want, go to a blackhole (not recommended),
or still forward to another email of your choosing. You can do whatever you wish!

 

[abrandt]

Question: Terminating Email Aliases to Terminate SPAM???

Hello Spiral:

1. Thank you for your detailed response.


Bottom line is, I need the ability to TERMINATE an EMAIL ALIAS... so that it no longer exists in the email universe to receive email or SPAM to that alias. :D

Any comments and suggestions are most appreciated.

Thank you in advance for a prompt and detailed response.

Alan

 

[abrandt]

If you delete an alias, there isn't anywhere for the email to go. So long as your default/catch-all is set to :fail: you won't receive it.

Hi Lyttek:

Thanks for your response.

CATCH-ALL would be enabled.

Therefore CPANEL must have the additional capability of TERMINATING a specific EMAIL ALIAS so that it will no longer be receivable by catch-all or any other mechanism. In otherwards, the terminated email alias will be bounced back to the SPAM underworld. :D

I need to have 100% CERTAINTY that CPanel has this capability.

I hope this clarification is helpful.

Thank in advance for a prompt response.

Alan

 

[Lyttek]

Someone else may say otherwise (I have a sneaking suspicion it IS possible), but if you enable the catch-all it's going to do just that... catch ALL email that isn't routed to an existing address.

If memory serves, I think I've even setup a forward that routed to :fail: instead of another address, so that may work for your situation as well. Once you delete the alias, create a forward to :fail: and it won't go into catch-all.

May be a simpler way...

 

[abrandt]

Question: Terminating Email Aliases to Terminate SPAM???

Hi Lyttek:

Much appreciate your response.

I wonder if it is possible to get a CPanel tech to definitively answer address this issue?

Thank in advance for a prompt response.

Alan

 

[RickG]

You are getting the correct answers -- but each time you post you include a bit more detail that slightly changes the scenario.

1) When you set up your system to use a default address of :fail: any inbound mail that arrives for a non-existant address (alias or not) is rejected at the SMTP RCPT stage. It is not "bounced back to the SPAM underworld" which you never want to do.

2) 99.9% of folks support the fact you should never use catch-all as a default address as you open the door to dictionary attacks and the resulting consequences of high server load, wasted bandwidth, etc. I cannot imagine any business model where a catch-alls are necessary these days. If you are getting push back from a client on this, keep drilling down on the objective until it is clear what it is they are trying to accomplish. I'm sure it can be done without a catch-all.

3) If you need further explanation on fail vs. blackhole / catchall, please read the explanation at http://www.configserver.com/free/fail.html

4) As you compare feature sets, keep in mind (as Spiral explained) that the handling of mail is not a cPanel issue per say - it is handled by Exim whereas on Plesk it is handled by Qmail.

 

[abrandt]

Question: Terminating Email Aliases to Terminate SPAM???

Hello RickG:

Thank you for your response... I will look into Exim and study further tomorrow.

Positively,
Alan

 

[brianoz]

It is 100% definitely absolutely undoubtedly positively certainly uncategorically unequivicationally indubitably vasectomily surely possible to do this -- I do it all the time.

If you want to block a single alias, delete the alias and replace it with an alias sending the mail to ":fail:". Attempts to email you will be dropped on the floor, email to that address will be locked at SMTP RCPT level and won't be allowed onto the server. This works well with a catchall on the domain, I use it on a daily basis. And yes, avoid catchalls if you possibly can, in general they lead to large amounts of spam.

 

[abrandt]

Thank you!

Hello brianoz!

Thank you for the great news! I really appreciate it.

Will get back once I've got it all up and running.

Thank you very much, again!

Alan