PRESS RELEASE July 1998
3k Associates, Inc. Springfield Virginia USA

3k Associates adds strong new anti-spam features to entire line of mail servers

3k Associates announces new anti-spam features

3k Associates, the innovator in Internet and communications connectivity solutions for HP 3000 servers, has added several new features to it's POP and SMTP mail servers for HP3000 computers.

One of the most serious threats faced by mail administrators with Internet- connected mail systems these days is a spam "relay attack". This is where spammers find a mail server which will deliver mail to other systems for them. They connect to it, usually from a "throwaway" dialup account, submit their message and the list of thousands of intended recipients, using a forged or fake return address. The victim's mail server is then left to deliver all the "spam", often tying up all system resources for days at a time. After which, the server must handle the thousands of undeliverable messages, the flood of angry complaints from "spammed" recipients, and all to often outright attacks on the servers by resourceful spam-hating recipients. Victims also often find themselves "blacklisted" (put on lists of "rogue" systems from which many organizations will accept NO e-mail at all), and may spend months or even years trying to recover their reputation and connectivity.

Because of the design of Internet mail, and the wide use of POP and IMAP clients, many servers MUST be configured to relay messages for legitimate users. In fact, most Internet mail servers today are configured (out of the box) to "relay" mail messages for anyone that requests it; making them prime targets for spammers (who often use automated scanning tools to find mail servers that will relay mail). Dozens of systems every day are victimized by unscrupulous spammers. There is even an entire industry focused on providing mail clients that can violate "open" servers - they ship complete with tips on how to "get away with it" and lists of "open" mail servers to be targeted.

As leaders in the fight against "spam" and unsolicited commercial e-mail (UCE) 3k Associates, Inc. is happy to announce that our Pop Server and SMTP mail engine (incorporated in all our Internet mail products) now incorporate a revolutionary "relay detection and prevention" facility. NetMail/3000, Pop Server/3000, DeskLink, and Freeware NetMail are all currently shipping with the ultimate spam-relay prevention facility we call "read before send". This facility, enabled by default, records the IP address of any POP mail client when they successfully check their mailbox. Then, for a given period of time following that, the mail server will allow messages to be relayed from that source - allowing POP clients full mail delivery access via our "smart" server. Fixed/known IP addresses can also be permanently allowed. Meanwhile, any attempt to relay a message from any other source immediately alerts administrators (via the system console and urgent mail notices), allowing immediate action to track down the attempted perpetrator.

In the past 60 days, these measures have detected over two dozen relay attempts through 3k's own corporate mail servers - resulting in immediate identification of the sender in every case, and not a single copy of "spam" mail relayed through the servers.

Chris Bartram, manager of R&D at 3k Associates adds "these latest measures, added to the already extensive list of built-in filters and other anti-spam facilities in all of our messaging products, make our mail solutions some of the most robust in the industry and ensure the protection of an organization's Internet communications."

3k Associates also provides a free "mail filter update service" to all customers - both commercial and freeware. Filters of known spam domains and mail servers are available free on our ftp server, and all 3k mail products include an automated batch process which will retrieve the new filter files on demand. These filters are updated daily so customers wanting maximum protection from the flood of unsolicited mail messages these days can easily keep their filters up to date.

3k Associates provides expert MPE integration solutions for the Internet and organizational communications, including NetMail/3000, DeskLink, its Solutions Building WWW site and Internet consulting and configuration services. For more information call +44 1480 492400 worldwide or send e-mail to sales@3kassociates.com. 3k Associates also operates a World Wide Web information page that can be accessed at http://www.3kassociates.com.

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