Question

email keeps being returned

Asked by: jabba316

hi,

we are getting this error from different users each morning

This message was created automatically by mail delivery software.

A message that you sent could not be delivered to one or more of its
recipients. This is a permanent error. The following address(es) failed:

these emails are not being sent from the user so any ideas as to whats going on?


using exchange server and symantec mail security, everything has been running fine until last week, we have been getting more and more spam thru so i updated to the latest version. we are subscribed to the antispam and now we are getting more and more and now the return mail problem.

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Answers

 

by: Mr-MadcowzPosted on 2008-11-26 at 03:24:00ID: 23041073

Firstly I would enable message tracking so that you can see what is going on in a bit more detail:

Enabling the Exchange Message Tracking Center
http://www.msexchange.org/tutorials/The_Exchange_Message_Tracking_Center_or_How_to_Save_Your_A_in_a_Pinch.html

Then either use the Message tracking center under Tools in ESM or view the actual raw logs in \\Exchangeservername\Exchangeservername.log\

Search on the recipient address

It all sounds as though the emails are spoofing one of your users. This happens all the time and I wouldn't worry about it. It goes in waves, some months are worse than others.

Run through these actions to double check your server is configured correctly:


You could set it to not accept messages for non existant users:

http://www.amset.info/exchange/filter-unknown.asp

and run through these:

a) Check the mail smtp queues in Exchange System Manager to see if there is unusual activity.

b) Do a DNS test at http://member.dnsstuff.com/pages/dnsreport.php

c) See if you are blacklisted at http://www.robtex.com/

d)  In case you need to secure your server:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb123843.aspx
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/prodtech/exchangeserver/excrelay.mspx

 

by: RobinHumanPosted on 2008-11-26 at 03:32:42ID: 23041111

Quite possibly these are NDR's from spammers mails; they will not be sent by your mail system necessarily, but they are using a live mail address registered to you, and that is why you are getting the NDRs - if the recipient's mail system uses reverse lookup, their mail server will try and lookup your mail server, and when the IP doesn't resolve to your mail server, an NDR is returned to the address that it was supposedly sent from ie. your user
Another reason to hate spammers..
hope this helps you

 

by: jabba316Posted on 2008-11-28 at 04:16:42ID: 23055043

thanks for the reply guys, sorry ive not got back to you. the message tracking is enabled and if i search for messages sent out it shows me that internal users are sending the mail to themselfs. what other information should i be looking for?

thanks

 

by: Mr-MadcowzPosted on 2008-11-28 at 04:44:24ID: 23055150

Can you post a section of your Exchange log that pertains to one of these emails

The logs can be found at:

\\exchangeservername\exchangeservername.log

 

by: jabba316Posted on 2008-11-28 at 05:02:51ID: 23055212


2008-11-28      11:25:36 GMT      -      -      -      SERVER      -      karl.armstrong@g-u.co.uk      1027      A53B1B84BAAD33459576E24E05925B37242AB6@SERVER      0      0      224      1      2008-11-28 11:25:36 GMT      0      -      c=us;a= ;p=First Organizati;l=SERVER-081128112536Z-10      Not read: Buffet Island Quotation      EX:/O=FIRST ORGANIZATION/OU=FIRST ADMINISTRATIVE GROUP/CN=RECIPIENTS/CN=MHUDSON      -

2008-11-28      11:25:36 GMT      -      -      -      SERVER      -      karl.armstrong@g-u.co.uk      1019      A53B1B84BAAD33459576E24E05925B37242AB6@SERVER      0      0      224      1      2008-11-28 11:25:36 GMT      0      -      -      Not read: Buffet Island Quotation      -      -

2008-11-28      11:25:36 GMT      -      -      -      SERVER      -      karl.armstrong@g-u.co.uk      1025      A53B1B84BAAD33459576E24E05925B37242AB6@SERVER      0      0      224      1      2008-11-28 11:25:36 GMT      0      -      -      Not read: Buffet Island Quotation      -      -

2008-11-28      11:25:36 GMT      -      -      -      SERVER      -      karl.armstrong@g-u.co.uk      1024      A53B1B84BAAD33459576E24E05925B37242AB6@SERVER      0      0      224      1      2008-11-28 11:25:36 GMT      0      -      -      Not read: Buffet Island Quotation      -      -

2008-11-28      11:25:36 GMT      -      -      -      SERVER      -      karl.armstrong@g-u.co.uk      1020      A53B1B84BAAD33459576E24E05925B37242AB6@SERVER      0      0      224      1      2008-11-28 11:25:36 GMT      0      -      -      Not read: Buffet Island Quotation      
MY EMAIL      -

2008-11-28      11:25:36 GMT      -      -      relay.plus.net      SERVER      -      karl.armstrong@g-u.co.uk      1031      A53B1B84BAAD33459576E24E05925B37242AB6@SERVER      0      0      224      1      2008-11-28 11:25:36 GMT      0      -      -      Not read: Buffet Island Quotation      
MY EMAIL      -


this looked like it was sent from my mail box but i know i didnt send it

ive changed my servername to server and removed my email, not sure if thats going to be a problem to you, if it is ill post the full report. let me know

thanks

 

by: jabba316Posted on 2008-11-28 at 06:37:09ID: 23055711

Microsoft Mail Internet Headers Version 2.0
Received: from fhw-sunmxcore21.plus.net ([212.159.10.186]) by mail.company.co.uk with Microsoft SMTPSVC(5.0.2195.6713);
       Fri, 28 Nov 2008 14:25:58 +0000
Received: from [190.41.4.174] (helo=aktualisierer.de)
        by fhw-sunmxcore21.plus.net with smtp (PlusNet MXCore v2.00) id 1L64I7-0005I3-Jq
        for users email; Fri, 28 Nov 2008 14:25:56 +0000
To: <users email>
From: <users email>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Importance: High
Content-Type: text/html
Message-ID: <E1L64I7-0005I3-Jq@fhw-sunmxcore21.plus.net>
Subject: RE: You Order
Return-Path: users email
X-OriginalArrivalTime: 28 Nov 2008 14:25:59.0389 (UTC) FILETIME=[3BD150D0:01C95165]
Date: 28 Nov 2008 14:25:59 +0000

this came thru and this is from the options on the mail, took out the users email

 

by: jabba316Posted on 2008-12-01 at 03:06:28ID: 23067447

<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>

<META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.2963" name=GENERATOR></HEAD>
<BODY>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Tahoma
size=2>-----Original Message-----<BR><B>From:</B> USERS NAME
<BR><B>Sent:</B> 01 December 2008 04:04<BR><B>To:</B> USERS
NAME<BR><B>Subject:</B> become Big Love Boss<BR><B>Importance:</B>
High<BR><BR></FONT></DIV><TR><TD class=EC_container bgcolor="#F2F2F2">
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%">
  <TBODY>
  <TR>
    <TD>
      <DIV align=center><A href="http://www.vitenih.cn/" target=_blank><IMG
      alt="Having trouble viewing this email? Click &#13;&#10;here to view as a webpage."
      src="http://www.vitenih.cn/adv1.jpg" border=0 NOSEND="1"></A> </DIV></TD></TR>
  <TR>
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      Microsoft respects your privacy. If you do not wish to receive this MSN
      Featured Offers e-mail, please click the "Unsubscribe" link below. This
      will not unsubscribe you from e-mail communications from third-party
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      constitute an offer by MSN. MSN shall not be responsible or liable for the
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      | <A href="http://www.vitenih.cn/" target=_blank>More Newsletters</A> | <A
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this is another from the weekend, this is from the view source.

any ideas??

please help

 

by: jabba316Posted on 2008-12-11 at 03:18:05ID: 23147239

turned out to be symantec mail security, the license for the spam was installed but not registered properly, had to get a new license file to install then emails stopped

20120131-EE-VQP-002

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