Long-Dead ORDB Begins Returning False Positives

Chapter80 writes "At noon today (Eastern Standard Time), the long dead ORDB spam identification system began returning false positives as a way to get sleeping users to remove the ORDB query from their spam filters. The net effect: all mail is blocked on servers still configured to use the ORDB service, which was taken out of commission in December of 2006. So if you're not getting any mail, check your spam filter configuration!"

Comments

Nope.

[TheLazySci-FiAuthor]

No emails, but it's not the ORDB system. I just don't have any friends.

Re:Nope.

[neonmonk]

Well that makes sense! I was starting to get anxious that I wouldn't be able to order some p3 nis pi11z.

Phew!

Re:Nope.

[morgan_greywolf]

Now you do. Don't you feel better now?

Re:Nope.

[blhack]

No emails, but it's not the ORDB system. I just don't have any friends. I have tons and tons of emails.
None of them are from people who are friends :(.

Recieved email, instead of loving signs of friendship, message contained bobcat.
Would not communicate with again.

Re:Nope.

[flyingfsck]

Well, if you are feeling very lonely, then you could always sign up for some spam.

Re:Nope.

[172pilot]

Hey - Who let YOU in here! ;-)

Re:Nope.

[orkysoft]

What, did you sell his address to the spammers, or add him as friend? It's a rather big ambiguity, you know...

Re:Nope.

[EdIII]

I have thousands and thousands of friends. All of them convinced my penis is small and they have the answer.

No luck

[smackenzie]

I tried to sign up with Slashdot to comment on this post, but it told me that I would need to validate a confirmation email.

I haven't received my confirmation email yet... seriously, how long does this take? Anyone? Is Slashdot broken? Do people post comments on Slashdot?

Re:No luck

[dapyx]

How did you post that one logged in, eh ?

He's using his girlfriend's account!

Re:No luck

[gfilion]

A girlfriend? Proof positive that he's not a regular /. reader. Well, he could be this guy.

Man, he's been dumped by his own robot girlfriend!

Re:Whoa! ORDB better have a good disclaimer

[neonmonk]

Don't worry, they're completely covered, they did- of course - send an email.

Wait...

Heh...

[FlyByPC]

I'm imagining the ORDB server basically doing the 'Net equivalent of the Monty Python "SPAM" skit...

Spam spam spam spam...
What's that there? An email from your supervisor? SPAM, I say. SPAM SPAM SPAM!

No kidding.

[raehl]

If my spam filter service did this to me, I would never us them again!

No wikipedia entry for ORDB

[SurturZ]

No wikipedia entry for ORDB, so they never existed.

Re:Why not just close the server?

[ashridah]

Uh, so it's not configured to make the distinction between "OK" / "Not okay", and "i can't talk to it right now because it's returning a bogus result"?

127.0.0.1 is probably going to turn out a quick response consisting of "who are you, and why are you touching me in my private place"

The unknown future rolls toward us.

[OakDragon]

At noon today (Eastern Standard Time), the long dead ORDB spam identification system began returning false positives. Human decisions are removed from strategic defense. ORDB begins to learn at a geometric rate. It becomes self-aware at 2:14 a.m. Eastern time, March 26th. In a panic, they try to pull the plug.

Re:Make your own blacklist

[WK2]

It would be really cool if that admin you linked to, who now has a list of "bad" IP addresses, was willing to share his list, via a text file available over the internet. Then other email admins would get the same benefit without having to maintain their own lists!