From: Karl Lui Barrus <klbarrus@owlnet.rice.edu>
Date: Thu, 26 Jan 95 07:42:20 PST
To: morpheus@math.whitman.edu (Mo Baxter)
Subject: Re: Starting a remailer
In-Reply-To: <Pine.SOL.3.91.950125195543.7649A-100000@calvin>
Message-ID: <9501261541.AA10742@snowy.owlnet.rice.edu>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


Mo Baxter wrote:
>I need info on what's needed to operate a secure remailer out of an edu
>address.  I'd appreciate anything about software, installation, maintenance,
>problems, etc... 

If you are thinking of setting up a remailer on a general usage type
unix shell account, then first find out if the usage policy allows you
to run one (for example, remailer are forbidden here at Rice).
Actually, I would recommend asking first, to head off future
headaches, as I can think at least two other (former) remailers run at
.edu sites that were forced to close.

Other than that, try to find out if sendmail logs are kept, especially
if they are world readable (this will reduce the security of the
remailer, but you won't be able to anything about it anyway).

The software is easily available, installation isn't hard (you have to
install PGP as well).  Maintenance isn't much unless you expirement
around.  I would recommend blocking anonymous mail to whitehouse.gov
and other similar addresses.

I don't know about problems; I never had any, but these days it seems
more and more people are finding out about remailer, and with that
comes abusers.  John Perry had to shut down because of abuse, after
withstanding the RC4 posting crisis.  Be prepared for some hassles.

Actually, I would recommend finding a remailer-friendly site like
c2.org and setting up there.

-- 
Karl L. Barrus: klbarrus@owlnet.rice.edu         
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"One man's mnemonic is another man's cryptography" - K. Cooper