How Do I Fix Email Problem?

September 15, 2004 5:22 PM

Out of the blue, my domain began receiving hundreds of bogus e-mails sent to bogus addresses. My webhost is classifying it as a Denial of Service attack, but has disabled my e-mail access in the meantime. What can I do to solve this problem?
posted by yellowcandy to Computers & Internet (3 answers total)

If the messages are being sent from a small number of hosts, those IP addresses can be blacklisted. If not, basically all you can do is wait until it stops.
posted by kindall at 5:42 PM on September 15, 2004

Find a new Web host. I'm assuming this problem came to your attention because all addresses arriving to your domain are automatically routed to your primary e-mail account. It is astoundingly easy for an e-mail administrator to disable the forwarding while leaving your primary account intact, so locking down your account is a wholly unacceptable solution.

If you search the Ask MetaFilter archives, there are a variety of questions relating to affordable Web hosting, and many of those companies would take appropriate measures should such a situation arise.
posted by Danelope at 6:58 PM on September 15, 2004

Switch providers.

These types of attacks are routine, and should not be allowed to interrupt your service.

If you're routing (everything)@yourdomain.com to one address and don't want to stop, I'd suggest you purchase spam protection from somebody who will deal with small accounts (pobox.com comes to mind).
posted by mosch at 9:49 PM on September 15, 2004