Okay, after the event a few weeks ago here on the forum where I was pulling my hair out over a crashed server. I am now expeirncing Server Load Problems on my new server, but have now figured it out. I have 300,000+ incoming messages to clients on my server from spammers, and exim is slowly processing them.

What Programs/Methods can I install to cut down on this spam drastically?

you can rate limit outgoing mail

Is there a way to stop this spam from getting to my server via a Program like Spam Assassin?

Make sure your server is configured to reject mail addressed to non-existent recipients during the SMTP conversation, instead of accepting the mail and then sending a bounce.

Use DNS blocking lists such as the SBL (http://spamhaus.org/sbl/), XBL (http://spamhaus.org/xbl/), and ORDB (http://ordb.org/) to prevent spammers from sending the mail altogether.

there really is no way to stop spam from getting to your system. spamassassin will look at all mail and then decide if its spam or not.. so it still has to process the mail..

the only way really to stop email from getting to your server is to block the IPs of the mailservers sending it.

I think a method will help you to temporary unload your server from spam emails. Mainly when emails are coming to your server, they got filtered by antivirus and spam assasign and other stuff, and getting queued if it is unroutable .. and causing the problem. Do one thing, creat a catchall email address for your ip and send all unrouted email to that email addess. Then make an entry in cron with a script, which will clear that email box after certain period. So.. All unrouted emails will be forwared to that email address and those will unload your mail queue.

Originally posted by bidhata
I think a method will help you to temporary unload your server from spam emails. Mainly when emails are coming to your server, they got filtered by antivirus and spam assasign and other stuff, and getting queued if it is unroutable .. and causing the problem. Do one thing, creat a catchall email address for your ip and send all unrouted email to that email addess. Then make an entry in cron with a script, which will clear that email box after certain period. So.. All unrouted emails will be forwared to that email address and those will unload your mail queue. what good is this? you might as well reject the mail at the RCPT TO: stage! (as dan_erat has mentioned)

p/s: i've seen a marked reduction in rumplestiltskin attacks when i added a bogus (primary) MX record to a domain :)

But for that , all domain will be effected. My plan is, when ever bouncing the emails, it is taking some process to bounce, but antivirus and spamassisgn checking those for sure before it bounced; and when ever it got bounced, antivirus and smaassign checking it again. If we are creating a catch all address, it will be delivered to the account and so, it will be not in the queue. And the load will be lower. U can give it a try and u will see the result.

Setup the queuelifetime to 60s, restart the email server, once the spams clear set back the usual timing. But ensure u have RBL etc