Re: Sendmail Question (was: SMTP Server for sending to anonymous remailers?)

[John Deters <jad@dsddhc.com>]

At 12:42 PM 5/19/96 -0400, you wrote:
>At 12:09 AM 5/19/96 -0700, you wrote:
>>If you use popmail (like Eudora), then just tell it the server to use in
>>"SMTP Host".
>>        -Lance
>I have been following this with no little interest. Using Eudora Pro when I
>attempt to replace host: smtp1.abraxis.com with *SMTP Host*, I receive the
>message *Attempting to resolve host: SMTP Host*, and dat's all until I stop
>the send command.
>
>Thanks
>
>Alec

Alec,

What he meant was that you should replace the contents of the SMTP server's
field with the address of the first remailer in your chain.  For example, if
I wanted to send this through the Holy Cow remailer, I'd put this in the
SMTP server field:

        haystack@holy.cow.net

Remember, though, that several things OUT OF YOUR CONTROL have to happen for
your mail to be anonymised successfully.

First, if you are behind a "firewall" (i.e. doing this at work through your
work's net connection) your firewall may be implementing what is known as a
"proxy."  That means even though you're using the SMTP protocol, you may not
be *directly* talking to the SMTP client of the remailer.  It may "look"
like you're able to SMTP out to whoever you want to send mail, but in
reality, the firewall can intercept your request, and "pretend" to be some
other SMTP server.  It then accepts your outgoing mail, and forwards it to
the real destination.  

Abraxis sells firewalls.

Also, your firewall may be configured to not pass SMTP out at all, but
rather to require you to send any SMTP traffic directly to it.  That means
you can not change your SMTP server to anything outside of your local net.

In either case, firewalls are certainly capable (and employers within their
rights, but that's another useless thread) to log and/or read your mail.
Anonymity lost, at least to your employer.

Finally, the anonymous remailer may (or may not) have some kind of logging
turned on.  I don't know why they would (what's the value if they do) but if
some law enforcement agency orders them to discreetly monitor traffic, you
lose again.

Unless you PGP encrypt your mail to the remailers before it leaves your
machine for the big bad net, someone else can read it.  And, no matter what,
persons unknown can tell that your machine sent some message to the
remailer.  (This is known as "traffic analysis".)  Therefore, I'd *highly*
recommend not e-mailing anything illegal over the net, remailer or no.

-j, annoying, yes.  Illegal or harassing, no.
--
J. Deters
>From Senator C. Burns' Pro-CODE bill, which I support and you can find at:
http://www.senate.gov/member/mt/burns/general/billtext.htm
"  (2) Miniaturization, disturbed computing, and reduced transmission
 costs make communication via electronic networks a reality."
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