Mailman blocks messages based on reply-to address
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Hi everyone,
I am forwarding emails to a mailing list after I have included the original sender's email as the reply-to address. It works fine as long as the reply-to address is not on the actual email list. But when it is, mailman recognises it as being moderated and blocks the email. Is that a feature or a bug? :)
The reason we are not running it as a regular moderated list is that I have to edit emails slightly before sending them out and that people not on the list would sometimes ask us to forward them to the list.
Any thoughts?
Thanks,
Rene
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Rene Hamburger wrote:
I am forwarding emails to a mailing list after I have included the original sender's email as the reply-to address. It works fine as long as the reply-to address is not on the actual email list. But when it is, mailman recognises it as being moderated and blocks the email. Is that a feature or a bug? :)
This is a feature. By default, the address(es) in the From: header, the envelope from, the Reply-To: header and the Sender: header are examined in that order and if any of them are a list member, the post is considered to be from the first member found for moderation purposes.
The question is, the From: should be your address, so is that address a list member? If not, why not? If so, and you are not moderated, the Reply-To: address should not be considered unless you have overridden the definition of SENDER_HEADERS in mm_cfg.py.
If you put this
SENDER_HEADERS = ('from', None, 'sender')
in mm_cfg.py, i.e. drop reply-to from the default
SENDER_HEADERS = ('from', None, 'reply-to', 'sender')
then Mailman won't consider the Reply-To: when determining a moderated member post.
But, As I say, I don't understand why your own From: is not controlling unless you aren't a list member and are in accept_these_nonmembers instead. If that is the case, why? It provides no security or spoof resistance over your being a member, and if you're really concerned about spoofing, everyone should be moderated and you should post with an Approved: password header.
And even with no other changes, posting with an Approved: password header will prevent the post being held regardless of the Reply-To:.
-- Mark Sapiro <mark@msapiro.net> The highway is for gamblers, San Francisco Bay Area, California better use your sense - B. Dylan
participants (2)
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Mark Sapiro
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Rene Hamburger