how do I block spam?

Using postfix, need help in blocking UCE

[yoruguaTeuton]

Hi,
I'm new to this business of being webmaster. ANd I'm not only in charge of the design of the web site having programmed the whole thing...php, mysql, javascript, css, but I'm also in charge of the server running SuSE Linux 7.3, Apache and Postfix as e-mail server.

Due to an error from my boss and from a colleague (both posted with their business e-mail address in some obscure users group) they are being annoyed with lots of junk mail. I just can't figure out how to get postfix correctly configured so that it stops if not the whole at least 90% of the junk mail and jet not bounce custommers who happen to have e-mail accounts in some net which is being banned thru DUL, RSS and so on.

Can someone help?
yorugua

[littleman]

Have you checked out Spam Assassin [spamassassin.org]? I've read good things about it.

[mat]

Yes, we had our own procmail recipe in place, but the daily task of adding cr*p spam domains and increasingly seedy terms to the filters got to be more time consuming with each passing week - plus I felt pretty grubby doing it - wouldn't want anyone looking over my shoulder whilst editing that file!

Anyway, our host recently started offering Spam Assassin as an option, so I just dropped a few lines into procmail.rc to send mail off there first - before 'returning' to our own filters - and bingo, junk getting through is down to single figures per day. I'm very impressed - no idea about server load, but it (Spam Assassin) sure works.

Mat

[yoruguaTeuton]

Thanks for the tip, but my boss is quite peculiar...he wants me to find a "low to no cost" solution.

I've written a helo restriction connected to the abuse.org and some other blacklist database in the postfix main.conf...and we got prompt a couple of phonecalls from people asking why they are being blacklisted. But we got almost no spam ;-)

Now I got to figure out how to keep - if by any means possible - those blacklists and yet allow known and trusted senders to come through.

yorugua