Gmail Inbox team Q&A

On 3rd of Dec., Gmail Inbox team made a so called "ask us anything" Q&A at Reddit. A PM, a designer and a software Engineer were there for answering any questions for 2 hours.
More details you can find here


To be honest, i don't like inbox at all.
1 week after i had installed inbox on my smartphone, i finally uninstalled it, no pain but happiness
even though at the very beginning, i was so excited to wait for the invitation.
whatever ;)

In memory of Hannah Arendt

The Google logo today is Hannah Arendt, a legendary woman. (wiki)

We used to work on translating the movie "Hannah Arendt"

Here you find the subtitle in original and Chinese, have fun!

Have you been pwned?

Gmail Alarm!

The Russian hackers published 5 million Gmail accounts with passwords on a website, Bitcoin Security, a popular Russian website devoted to cryptocurrency.
Earlier this week, as many as accounts at Mail.ru and Yandex have already been seen there.

These Gmail account holders are mostly English, Russian and Spanish. 60% of accounts were active. 

If you have any concert, check out if your email is leaked for this case

https://isleaked.com/en

As well as

https://haveibeenpwned.com/

find out if any accounts of you are safe in general :)

Trash Mailer

For a clean mailbox, it's a good way to use a temporary email address to sign up for some "spamming" programs.
I used to use a "for spam" address for online games, buyers, whatever I was suspicious of. After so many years, I had to change them several times, because such kind of mailboxes becomes very full much sooner as you can expect.
Nowadays, the life is easier and more colorful. We can find so called "trash mailer" and create an email address as you wish. Independent. uncomplicated, fast and carefree :)

I found this list of trash mailer domains

http://www.mogelmail.de/

It's nonsense for Marketers to send Emails to those addresses. No one can make money from that, so far I know.
I block all trash mailer domains I can find, what about you?

X-Recruiting

Every time i check into the header of Groupon Newsletters, i have to laugh.
It's so funny to see such a line of X-header

As long as you can figure out how to look up a header of an email, you are qualified to work with Groupon in the technical team.

I don't know how to add an X-header in Rocketman, the self-developed platform by Groupon, for Groupon to send massive number of Emails to all over the world.
However, one thing i still remember, Groupon gave up DOI world wide except in Germany immediately, after the whole deliverability team (re-)united in Chicago. They decided to run their own business and started sending Emails from there.

I am still a big fan of Groupon ;)

Alto is coming!

Alto, provided by AOL comes online. This is a new webmail client. The users can receive, read and filter mails from their multiple email accounts at AOL (of course), Gmail, Yahoo and more.

To the part of filtering. So called "stack", looks alike a Gmail-tab
- can be created, edited or removed by user themselves, to get the overview of their inbox.
- can also be connected with the content of receiving emails, like photos or another attachment.

just tested, I could even check my google calander and get into my google drive. Interesting!

And I am interested in seeing what will happen with Alto and what will the other providers do...

Inkasso spam alarm

It seems somebody sends replica spams with the name of BDIU (Bundesverband Deutscher Inkasso-Unternehmen)

This kind of spams has a subjectsline "Bundesverband Deutscher Inkasso-Unternehmen e.V.", and looks like

Sehr geehrter Kaufer...
leider konnten wir bis heute keinen Zahlungseingang auf unsere Rechnung vom 01.08.2014 feststellen. Nummer der Bestellung: 8UP/35837710. Ihr Bankkonto wurde nicht ausreichend gedeckt um die Lastschrift durchzufuhren. Sicherlich ist es Ihnen nur entgangen die Ruckbuchung von Ihrem Konto nicht zu berucksichtigen.
Bitte uberweisen Sie den ausstehenden Betrag zuzuglich der Zusatzgebuhren bis zum 20.07.2014 auf unser Bankkonto. Die Summe der Bestellung entspricht 196,00 Euro.
Dabei wird Ihnen eine Mahngebuhr von 24,00 Euro und die Kosten unserer Beauftragung von 49,99 Euro verrechnet. Falls Sie diesen Zahlungstermin nicht einhalten, werden wir Ihnen weitere Kosten des Mahnverfahrens und Verzugszinsen in Rechnung stellen mussen.
Bundesverband Deutscher Inkasso-Unternehmen e.V.
Friedrichstra?e 50-55
55451 Berlin
Tel.: 030 / 206002312
Fax: 030 / 206078109
Internet: www.inkasso.de

BDIU declared that they are sending neither bills nor reminders to consumers

Der BDIU verschickt keine Rechnungen oder Mahnungen an Verbraucher! 

and if one receives such an email, he may delete it immediately.

More information here

Spam Sucks

I found such an Email in my Gmail spam

Trust me, I never signed up...
I was just about wondering, since when Government starts spamming?
And I was shocked by my found

"Hello CheetahMail, hello former colleague in NK!"

I can't understand why the UK Government allows his Mailings to be sent from US.
But I can totally understand, why an (ex-) colleague got so angry once he received (spam-) emails from clients at his personal email address.
I am not angry, but I know pretty much: Spam Sucks!

Excel survive

sit at my office desk, worked 3 hours for an excel file and i forgot to save it, before i closed it... Stupid stupid!

But i found a way to survive. Allow me to share it with you :)

1. open a (new) excel file and click "file"

2. try to find this file under Recently Used Documents

3. if it's not there, calm down, everything's fine.

Click the "Option" button.

4. here you can see the excel options, click "save"

5. you will find the link leads to the folder, in which your file has been saved automatically.

Although not 100% as the same as the latest status I worked out
better than spending 3 more hours on it again

Blacklisting at sohu.com

Sohu, one of the biggest ISPs in China, offers also anti-spam support.

Here you can find out all bounce codes from sohu

http://mail.sohu.com/info/policy/

and here you can look up your IPs, if they are blacklisted by sohu

http://mail.sohu.com/info/queryip/

and as well as IP look up, you can check out the blocked sender domains here

http://mail.sohu.com/info/querysender/

if you have more questions, plz contact the support center under

Email: webmaster@vip.sohu.com or Hotline: +86-(0)10-58511234

Have fun by anti-spamming!

Common Blacklist Removal Tools & Forms

This is for me and for your guys, who need it^^
enjoy!

RBL Check Utilities

http://multirbl.valli.org/lookup/
http://www.mxtoolbox.com/blacklists.aspx

Site-Specific Removal Forms

AOL: AOL postmaster information and RBL removal instructions

ATT: http://rbl.att.net/cgi-bin/rbl/block_admin.cgi

CloudMark: Cloudmark IP Reputation Reset Information

Comcast/Xfinity: http://postmaster.comcast.net/block-removal-request.html

Gmail/Google: https://support.google.com/mail/bin/request.py?&contact_type=msgdelivery

McAfee: http://www.mcafee.com/threat-intelligence/ip/default.aspx

The tool above will tell you what threat level your IP is considered. If it is considered “High,” you'll want to submit them feedback to help get it to a lower risk level using this form.

MXLogic: http://www.mxlogic.com/postmaster/ip_research_request.cfm

Although they provide a form for “research,” in most cases the form is essentially useless as MXLogic (now run by McAfee) will in the majority of cases send a canned response telling the submitter to have the MXLogic client contact them directly for support & resolution.

Juno: http://www.unitedonline.net/postmaster/blocked.html

United Online is the parent company for a number of hosts: Juno, NetZero, FTD, MemoryLane, and MySite.

EarthLink: http://support.earthlink.net/articles/email/email-blocked-by-earthlink.php

Earthlink requires you send a very specifically-crafted email to their “blocklist removal address” so pay close attention to the instructions otherwise they will reject your request.

Verizon: Verizon Removal Information

RoadRunner: http://postmaster.rr.com/general_guidelines

You can check your IP against RoadRunner's block lists here.

MSN/Hotmail/Live: https://support.msn.com/eform.aspx?productKey=edfsmsbl2&ct=eformts

The above URL is their automated removal system, if you get a response back saying “No action taken” then you need to use this link instead https://support.msn.com/default.aspx?productkey=edfsesc&mkt=en-us. Also note, we've seen issues with email clients not displaying emails from microsoft correctly, if you receive a blank message view it's source! Chances are the message really isn't blank

Yahoo: Yahoo RBL removal instructions and information

one more interesting spam

I read another interesting spam email, from

I write to seek your assistance for safe keeping of two military trunk boxes valuable that will be of great benefit to both of us; I will explain further when you respond to my direct Email:  captcaseythoreen@r7.com Capt Casey Thoreen.
US ARMY IN AFGHANISTAN.

Why is a Captain in Afghanistan using the mailbox of r7 in Brasil?
Trust me, I won't contact you.

seriously anti-spam

As I was working on the abuse desk today, I found the following E-mail from a so called

Mrs Jasmine Barber <jas@barberfamily.com>

I am Mrs Jasmine A. Barber,suffering from cancerous ailment.I was married to Mr.Raymond Barber,my husband worked with Chevron/Texaco in the United Kingdom for twenty years before he died in the year 2003.My late husband deposited the sum of 5.3 Million (Five Million Three Hundred Thousand Pounds) with a Bank in United Kingdom.

Recently,my Doctor told me that I have limited days to live due to the stroke and cancerous problems I am suffering from. I have decided to donate this fund to you and want you to use this husbands effort to fund the upkeep of widows and charities worldwide.I took this decision because I do not have any child that will inherit this money and my husband relatives are bourgeois and very wealthy persons and I do not want my husband hard earned money to be misused.

Awaiting your urgent reply via my email.address: jasminebarber@qq.com With God all things are possible.

Your Sister in Christ,

Mrs Jasmine A. Barber

jasminebarber@qq.com

Since when QQ supports the mail address with names?
Thought I missed any changes, but after I checked the SMTP session, I am relaxed :)

SMTP session

[Contacting mx3.qq.com [184.105.206.82]...]
[Connected]
220 newmx31.qq.com MX QQ Mail Server
EHLO mx1.validemail.com
250 newmx31.qq.com
MAIL FROM:<>
550 Error: content rejected.http://mail.qq.com/zh_CN/help/content/rejectedmail.html.
MAIL FROM:<>
550 Error: content rejected.http://mail.qq.com/zh_CN/help/content/rejectedmail.html.
[Unfavorable reply code, cannot continue]
RSET
250 Ok
QUIT
221 Bye.
[Connection closed]
[Contacting mx2.qq.com [103.7.29.244]...]
[Connected]
220 newmx97.qq.com MX QQ Mail Server
EHLO mx1.validemail.com
250-newmx97.qq.com
250-SIZE 73400320
250 OK
MAIL FROM:<>
250 Ok
RCPT TO:<jasminebarber@qq.com>
250 Ok
RSET
250 Ok
QUIT
[Connection closed]

Anyway, pay attention on the mails you got!

blacklisting and the spam filter

I have been asked about the blacklisting and the spam filter recently.

Actually I am working on the topic of spam filters momentary at background.

I am pretty interested and trying to figure out which spam filters are used by whom for most important local ISPs.

SpamAssassin is a spam filter, widely used by middle and small ISPs, who haven’t developed their own filters, like the biggest local provider “webmail.co.za” in South Africa.

So, in my opinion, it’s not less important.

This filter stamps every mail with a score, normally a score less than 50 is qualified as non-spam.

The ISP can change a bit on the matrices to get a better control of the strictness for anti-spamming.

Barracuda is a blacklist as well as a filter.

As a blacklist, Barracuda is not as huge or important as Spamhaus, but we should not over see it.

In some countries, like India, Italy, the local providers look up this list to filter incoming emails.

So it is a so called filter deciding to receive or bounce.

As a spam filter (spam filter decides into inbox or spam folder. With the precondition, the mail is received by ISP), I haven’t seen often. So I suppose, it’s not so important.

Coremail

I heard about Coremail for a very long time. Coremail is the first platform in China made by Chinese for Chinese to solve the E-mail Marketing supports and services problems.

I don't know much about this ESP, but I am pretty sure, that this platform has been used most widest in China, by not only in business, for the big companies with big brands, but also govenment, schools and such important organisation. Typical :)

By any chance, I booked the newsletter of air china, who is sending emails over Coremail
The comfimationsemail looks ugly... only text, no any graphs at all

尊敬的会员：
您的知音卡号为XXXXXXXXXXX，开通邮箱作为国航知音网站的登录账户请点击以下地址 http://ffp.airchina.com.cn/user.action?method=addBindEmail&member=c2FpY29fbGVlQDE2My5jb20=&inmid=MS1IWUgzMFE= 进行确认。如果您在电子邮件中无法点击此地址，请将此地址复制到浏览器的地址栏中并回车确认。此邮件无需回复，如需与国航俱乐部联系，请发送邮件到ffp@mail.airchina.com.cn或拔打服务热线4006 100666。

The link was unavailable to be clicked from the mailbox.

If I check the header of this mail,

I actually expected to see the IPv6, no sign

Yohuu Google says Happy Birthday to me

12306 confirmation emails

12306 is the official homepage of "Sinorail Customer Service Center".

If you'd like to book a railway ticket for your next trip, you might just sign up and use their online ticket buying system.

The funny thing is, that lots of people have difficulties to get the confirmation email in their inbox after the registration.

It seems only the QQ Mailbox can solve this issue. see

Let's check the header to see what happens. I signed up with my netease mailaddress at 163.com.

12306 is straight using double opt-in, but they are not using any authentications, even don't set up a SPF record. What a shame!

the famous ROKSO list

The Register of Known Spam Operations (ROKSO) database collates information and evidence on known professional spam operations that have been terminated by a minimum of 3 Internet Service Providers for spam offenses. 


Spamhaus does not accept delisting requests for ROKSO records. In order to be delisted from ROKSO there must be a 6 month period with no spam traceable to the ROKSO entity. After that 6 months the list can petition for a review of the record. If the spam has stopped their record is retired. 

On the today's list, I saw the name of my collegue

Congratulations, Andreas! You did it :D