[arachne] SMTP Authentication

Arachne at FreeLists---The Arachne Fan Club!

This message is of interest only to users concerned about email 
security who use fake identities when posting to public forums.
-----------

As my ISP requires smtp authentication I configured it in Arachne so 
that it looks, let's say, like this:

http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/5898/10302006035947aq4.png

Now, as it turns out, when an email is sent, my ISP, for some 
strange reason, adds "X-Authenticated" line in the message headers 
(fifth line up from the bottom in the headers sample shown at the 
bottom of this message). The problem with this is that no matter 
which fake identity I use in "From" field (John Smith@xxxxxxxxx, 
etc.) the "X-Authenticated" line reveals my real primary pop3 
address. This is nothing more than open invitation to spammers. The 
line looks like this:

X-Authenticated: 5630677 - (primus.ca) [207.112.103.37]

where 5630677 is the control code of my primary pop3 account (of 
course it's fake in this example).

If your ISP is doing something so outrageously stupid as well, then 
simply try to turn off smtp authentication. It works in my case, I 
can still send emails without any problems and "X-Authenticated" 
line never shows any more. If this doesn't work then try to check 
your pop3 inbox (get mail) just before sending an email.

Lester

-------- Email Headers Sample Begins --------

Return-path: <junk101@xxxxxxxxx>
Envelope-to: buddy99@xxxxxxxxxxx
Delivery-date: Sat, 28 Oct 2006 09:30:59 -0400
Received: from exprod8mx52.postini.com ([64.18.3.152] helo=psmtp.com)
        by mail-02.primus.ca with smtp (Exim 4.50)
        id 1GdoH5-0006sw-4t
        for buddy99@xxxxxxxxxxx; Sat, 28 Oct 2006 09:30:59 -0400
Received: from source ([216.254.141.170]) by exprod8mx52.postini.com
([64.18.7.10]) with SMTP;
        Sat, 28 Oct 2006 08:30:58 CDT
Received: from [207.112.103.37] (helo=primus.ca)
        by smtp-02.primus.ca with esmtpa (Exim 4.50)
        id 1GdoH3-0003oX-8r
        for buddy99@xxxxxxxxxxx; Sat, 28 Oct 2006 09:30:57 -0400
From: "John Smith" <junk101@xxxxxxxxx>
Organization:
Date: Sat, 28 Oct 2006 09:30:45 -0500
X-Mailer: Arachne V1.90J1-387
To: buddy99@xxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Test 09:30
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit
X-Authenticated: 5630677 - (primus.ca) [207.112.103.37]
X-pstn-levels:     (S: 1.43048/99.81704 R:95.9108 P:95.9108 M:97.0282
 C:98.6951 )
X-pstn-settings: 3 (1.0000:1.0000) s gt3 gt2 gt1 r p m c
X-pstn-addresses: from <junk101@xxxxxxxxx> forward (user good) [41/2]
X-PMFLAGS: 34078848 0 1 PEBTNO54.CNM

-------- Email Headers Sample Ends --------

                  Arachne at FreeLists                  
-- Arachne, The Premier GPL Web Browser/Suite for DOS --

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