Because our main email address is published on our website and
elsewhere, the massive volume of Spam email sent to us has forced us to
implement stringent mechanisms to block unwanted email on that address.
One of the primary methodologies used is to require very strict adherance to
Internet standards and protocols when receiving email from another mail
server. While this does effectively block a significant amount of Spam,
it can also block legitimate email coming from a mail server which is not
configured properly.
In order to facilitate communication with legitimate clients and
prospects, we also use a private email address which is not published and is
not subjected to the masses of unwanted Spam. Therefore, our private
email address does not require such close adherance to standards, and in most
cases you will be able to send email to our private address.
The following text explains one of the more common bounce messages,
BOGUS HELO:
The SMTP HELO command is used by the outgoing mail server to greet
the destination servers that they are connecting to. It is usually the
first command issued when mail is being sent. It means "Hello, I am
..." Many viruses and bulk emailers send false or nonstandard HELO
messages. We are starting to filter these messages and block traffic from email
servers that utilize non-standard HELO settings.
Here are the types of error messages related to helo issues that
you may experience:
1. bogus helo
This means that the sending email server connected to our mail
server and said "HELO [their IP]". RFC 1132 says that the HELO
("hello") message should contain "a valid principal host domain name for the
client host". This means a name like "smtp.exampledomain.com" or
"mail.exampledomain.com". An IP address is not a valid listing for the
name of the server.
In order to resolve this situation, the sending server's
administrators will need to configure the server properly, which will cause it
to identify itself by name rather than IP address. The administrators of this
server may also want to check it for viruses, as many viruses use the HELO
command with an IP rather than the name.
2. bogus helo (IP address listed here)
This means that the sending server connected to our mail server and
said "HELO [receiving email server's IP]". What this means is
that the sending server tried to say "Hello, I'm you!" This action is
generally caused by a virus.
In order to resolve this situation, the sending server's
administrators will need to check it for viruses.
3. bogus helo matches rcpt
This means that the sending system connected to our mail server and
said "HELO [receiving email server's domain name]". This is
another version of "Hello, I'm you!" but using the server's domain name rather
than the server's IP address. This is normally caused by a virus or a
bulk emailer.
If this process is not done intentionally, it is generally created
by a virus. The server's administrators will need to check the machine for
problems.
