Skip site navigation (1)Skip section navigation (2)
Date:      Thu, 10 Jul 2003 12:05:43 -0400
From:      Doug Lee <dgl@dlee.org>
To:        freebsd-questions@freebsd.org
Subject:   Spam and ad/popup blockers: Recommendations please
Message-ID:  <20030710160543.GJ485@kirk.dlee.org>

next in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
I seek a good system (or systems) for filtering out mail spam, email
viruses, and web pop-up ads and such at our FreeBSD Internet gateway.
I run FreeBSD 4.8-STABLE at this site, and all users behind the
FreeBSD gateway run various versions of Windows and mailers (Outlook,
Outlook Express, and an email system or two embedded in other
applications such as GoldMine).  I will consider systems that (1)
automatically reroute spam out of user email folders, or (2) simply
flag spams for users to process themselves via simple header checks (I
know Spam Assassin works that way).  For web filtering, I assume I
need to set up a proxy; I'll have to learn the best way to do that,
but I know ipfw well enough to modify our firewall rules as needed.

So far, I am examining the following packages (admittedly, this list
is based on little more than a scan of Ports).  I welcome additions to
this list and recommendations for or against any package at all.  In
short, I want experience-based info more than package descriptions. :)

bayespam (Bayesian filtering looks nice if not too hard to maintain)
bmf (same comment as above)
drbl (sounds good IF the distributed list is considered effective)
mailscanner
messagewall
Spam Assassin
Vipul's Razor (the razor-agents port)

And for web filtering (ads, popups, etc.):

junkbuster
middleman
privoxy

I will consider packages for either of these goals (email spam
blocking and web filtering) that are not in the Ports tree.  I am,
though, looking to minimize the need for ongoing administrative work
for whatever I install, since I am the admin but have little time
allotted to it (I'm employed as a programmer but run the server
because somebody's gotta do it :) ).

Specific goals for both systems:

1.  Maximum effectiveness against unwanted stuff without blocking
wanted stuff.

2.  Minimal upkeep time required from admin.

3.  Simplicity of use by user (users can mail spam to an address I set
up so it's flagged as spam, but I don't want users to have to know a
lot of tech stuff like procmail just to filter spam).

Virus protection at the gateway is a lower priority since we protect
individual computers, but it wouldn't hurt.

Thanks much for any recommendations/comments.



-- 
Doug Lee           dgl@dlee.org        http://www.dlee.org
"Pray devoutly, but hammer stoutly."
--Sir William G. Benham



Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?20030710160543.GJ485>