Hwo to control spam on my reseller account.....

I don't want my account shut down from a client sending spam

[lizzie]

I sell hosting space as a reseller. How am I supposed to police the clients who buy space from me to the extent that I know when sites that host with me have sent out spam from another network? The terms of service of my reseller account state that my account with them will be immediately terminated if one of my clients advertises a site on my server with spam sent out from another network. I can't possibly know about this or take action against it if someone is advertising a site on my reseller account with spam sent out someplace else. How can I police any spammers on my reseller account?

[pendanticist]

I think you'd get the most accurate answer the most quickly here: news.admin.net-abuse.email

The newsgroup is populated by e-mail, server and website admins from all over the World and they can give you lots of pointers on protecting your hosting service from being abused by UCE/SPAMers.

They can also give you pointers on how to keep an eye on those you host. ;)

[lizzie]

How do I get there? I put that address in my browser and it didn't work. Thanks.

[pendanticist]

My bad. Group: news . admin . net-abuse . email [groups.google.com].

:(

The Advanced Group Search [groups.google.com] may be of some help too.

:)

[lizzie]

I tried to post something at that newsgroup and it never appeared. I don't like that format since I want to have more of a free flowing discussion with the ability to post questions and get answers. I think it is within the realm of being a webmaster to have a working knowledge of dealing with spam issues and so I want to start a spam discussion as it relates to webmastering here on this board. So my question remains: In my reseller hosting service how can I keep my clients from sending out spam? Right now I have their email accounts turned off completely.

[pendanticist]

I really don't know what to tell you Lizzie. :(

In light of ( http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=17300016 ) this article in InformationWeek, I'd say the deck is stacked against you from the beginning.

"A recent test by InformationWeek columnist Fred Langa shows that up to 40% of valid E-mails never reach the recipient. Here's what it all means to you."

Seven pages worth of reading there.

[pendanticist]

>Seven pages worth of reading there.

To Whit:

"Plus, at the end of that article, I also sum up the best-available techniques to help you ensure successful deliveries, and minimize the chances that your emails will be lost."

[lizzie]

Thank you for that article. I do know that a lot of important emails sent to me don't make it. I thought it was just me!

[balam]

> Right now I have their email accounts turned off completely.

As a reseller, do you think it is ethical to deny all your clients' email services (which I assume they pay for as part of their total package,) based on the fact that there may be a bad apple (spammer) or two in the lot?

(It occurs to me now, that perhaps you don't offer any email services with your hosting packages...)

Couldn't this policy be (ridiculously) extended to websites? Since a single client could put up, say, a hate site, no clients are allowed to put up a website...

Have you spoken with your host about this? Perhaps they could close port 25, denying your clients the ability to send mail (through your server,) yet they could still receive mail.

While I'm certainly not familiar with all reseller solutions, I imagine all decent packages will allow you to monitor the bandwidth usage of your clients. Hopefully, which ever one you use, will also break it down by protocol. Then you could monitor SMTP usage...

If ethics don't bother you, as the reseller you do have the ability to rifle through your clients' hosting space, including all their mail, without their knowledge (and with no way for them to know.) Not something I recommend or condone, but...

[lizzie]

OK I see I will have to explain my personal business right here for all the world to see. I have a reseller service only for certain clients of mine. I manage their websites. They are not usually involved at all in what goes on with their sites. I do 90% of it. I control the sites and content, everything. They do not need or want email from these sites or the hosting service. I do not want to again go through what I just went through with having someone use the hosting accounts for spamming. No one is ever obligated to host a site with me. It's a free marketplace.