@database "TASC.guide"
@author "Andy Macklin"
@remark "$VER: ram:TASC Guide 1.0 (26. June 1997)"
@index INDEX

@node MAIN "Welcome"

These are going to be brief notes on the installation & use of
Thor Auto Spam Complainer.thor (TASC). If you need more help then please contact @{"me" link Who} by email.
If you don't have email access then you don't need TASC :)

@{"Requirements " link Needs}

@{"Installation " link Install}

@{"Configuration " link Config}

@{"Usage" link Use}

@{"Author " link Who}

@{"AltSpam" link Altspam}

@endnode

@node INDEX "Index"


INDEX

@{"What does it do? " link What}
@{"What do I need to use it? " link Needs}
@{"How do I install it? " link Install}
@{"How do I configure it? " link Config}
@{"How do I use it? " link Use}
@{"Who wrote it?  " link Who}
@{"AltSpam" link Altspam}

@endnode
@node INSTALL "Installation"

Copy the files to your thor/rexx directory.
    TASC.thor
    Spamaddr
    SpamMailHeader
    SpamNewsHeader
    Altspam.thor
Copy TASC.Cfg to envarc:
Assign one of the function keys in Thor to the TASC script and another to
the Altspam script.

@endnode
@node WHO "Who Wrote it..."

These scripts owe their existance to Spam-O-Matic.thor:
Concept & Original Script by: Kirk Strauser <kstrauser@gxl.com>
Re-written by: Adrian Knight <ajk@dial.pipex.com>
          and: Kirk Strauser

Using this script as inspiration I basically rewrote everything :)


@endnode
@node USE "Usage"

@{b}@{u}Easy@{uu}@{ub} - assign TASC to a function key. Get spam. Call TASC. Select addresses
to complain to. Send complaint. All done.

@{b}@{u}Hard@{uu}@{ub} - The parsing of mail/news headers is not an exact science when
dealing with spam. It's not unknown for all of the @{i}text@{ui}
descriptions of the originating computer to be faked. The IP address (the
set of 4 numbers with dots between them) @{i}can@{ui} be more reliable.

TASC will parse out as many potential email addresses related to the origin of
the spam as it can. It will ignore duplicated addresses & automatically
complains to the postmaster of the machines that you select (Unless you
have set it up to use a different address for that specific domain).

Which addresses you choose is up to you - the From:, Reply-To: & Return:
addresses are the weakest links. Message-ID: NNTP-Posting-Host: &
both addresses offered for MailServer are probably the most reliable.

@{b}@{u}Important @{uu}@{ub}
TASC will automatically offer the mail addresses of the postmaster of the
parent of the spammers mailing domain (e.g. using my address you would be
offered 'u-net.com' as well as 'toadhall.u-net.com'). This option is not
to be used lightly - ideally not until you have failed to get a
satisfactory answer from the address further down the hierachy.

@endnode

@node Needs "Needs"

An Amiga with Arexx & Thor running.
Join & Type commands somewhere in your path.
The current article should be spam or UCE.
Some common sense about which addresses to complain to.

@endnode
@node CONFIG "Configuration"

@{u}@{b}ENV:thor/TASC.Cfg@{ub}@{uu}

I'll get around to writing a congiguration script one day, honest. In the
interim, you'll have to get out your text editor.

@{u}delmsg:@{uu} (Y/N)
Set this to 'Y' if you want the spam deleted as soon as you have finished
with it. @{i}For reasons I don't understand the deleted flag is not set in
Thor's window, although the message is deleted as planned.@{ui}
@{u}urg:@{uu} (Y/N)
Set to 'Y' to send your email complaints with the urgent flag set.
@{u}mailhd:@{uu} Email spam
The subject for your complaints about email abuse
@{u}newshd:@{uu} Usenet spam/mail fraud
The subject for yor complaints about Usenet abuse
@{u}globPM:@{uu} (Y/N)
Do you want to always send your complaints to the postmaster?
@{u}Postmaster:@{uu} toadhall.u-net.com
If you set this to you email domain then you will send your complaints as
'Postmaster@<domain>'. Obviously, don't try this if you don't have your own
domain, you'll only upset the real postmasters
@{u}database:@{uu} rexx/spam.db
Where do you want to keep the database of redirected & undeliverable email
addresses?

Then 2 variables for Altspam to use:
@{u}Bounce:@{uu} u-net.net
The email domain used by your postmaster to return
undelivered email to you. (it may just be a U-net feature that this & the other
address are different).
@{u}Mine@{uu} toadhall.u-net.com
Your domain name!


@{b}@{u}The Headers: @{uu}@{ub}
There are two files in this package (spammailheader & spamnewsheader) that
are automatically put at the top of your complaint. These contain the
actual complaint text that will be read by the postmaster/official agency
that you send the complaint to.

Feel free to edit them if you prefer a different literary approach.

@{b}@{u}SpamAddr: @{uu}@{ub}
This file contains the additional email addresses for the official
agencies etc. that you might want to forward your complaint to. Let me
know if you find any additional email addresses to add to this file.

To add new addresses you will need to use a text editor.
Please note the format of the file:
First a '+' then the name of the agency then a ':' & then the email
address.
Note that there should be @{b}no@{ub} spaces after the ':'.

@{b}@{u}Spam.db: @{uu}@{ub}
This contains the redirection information that allows TASC.thor to help you
continually sending complaints to postmasters who don't care, or to
machines that can't deliver the complaint. Again, you can add things by
hand. The format for the entries in the database is:

{bad address}->{Good address}

(Note the lack of spaces. This entry will
change the address that you are offered, from the bad to the good one.
Redirected addresses are marked as such, to avoid confusion.)

or

{bad address}->Undeliverable

(This entry prevents you from trying to send to this machine/domain again).


@endnode
@node WHAT "What does it do?"

Usenet Spam & Unsolicited Junk Email are a real pain. Left unchecked they
will eventually make the internet almost unusable (they cost next to
nothing, so unlike paper junk mail there is no incentive for the spammers
to aim for their target population).

The only way to stop these spammers is to complain about them & have their
accounts closed down. This is where TASC comes in.

TASC reads the header data that is sent with the spam message & extracts
any potential internet address that a complaint could be sent to. It then
presents these addresses (after removing any obvious duplicates &
substituting addresses where it knows that a complaint is pointless) for you
to decide which ones you want to send a complaint to (along with a copy of
the spam).

TASC also reads in a file of official agencies email addresses & offers them
in addition to the addresses from the headers.

TASC will optionally autodelete the spam from your database, after writing
the complaint, so that you never need to see it again.

@endnode

@node ALTSPAM "AltSpam"

@{b}@{u}What is AltSpam? @{uu}@{ub}
Even with the help of TASC.thor there are going to be complaints that
bounce back to you, especially if you complain using IP addresses.
AltSpam has two main goals:

@{b}1. @{ub} It parses the bounce message (as long as it's reasonably
standard) & lets you flag the original address as one that should be
redirected to an address suggested by the bounce message or as completely
Undeliverable.

@{b}2. @{ub} It gives you the option to remail the complaint, this time to
an address more likely to succeed.

@endnode