[Info-vax] Use of logical names other than I/O redirection

[Stephen Hoffman]

On 2022-09-12 18:18:09 +0000, alanfe... at gmail.com said:

> You can use logical names for recipients!

You can also use MAIL DECnet to probe the remote system configuration. 
You can remotely detect the presence of add-on security apps that might 
be running, for instance.

You can also detect remote network security teams using MAIL DECnet as 
their preferred technique to probe the local system, and can then use 
that detection to counter their probes.

You can also detect and can early-answer arriving MAIL DECnet messages 
before the sender ^Z to finish sending a line-mode MAIL DECnet message.

MAIL DECnet is also subject to "slowloris"-style shenanigans.

> I don't know if this is a true story, but someone did a$ DEFINE MORON 
> <user-address>
> And when the person received it, it should that it was sent to MORON!

You can do that with pretty much any mail tool, or with DNS translations, etc.

> I suppose that's harmless enough for personal use. I suppose one could 
> make "public" logical names for positions like systems administrator, 
> or HR Head, who might change from time to time.

Easier to use a forwarding entry in the database for forwarding 
arriving OpenVMS MAIL to a fixed address (and SYSTEM, FIELD, etc., are 
routinely forwarded on systems I have administered), but there are 
limits. OpenVMS MAIL doesn't like multiple forwarders. Forwarding to a 
forwarding server does work, as a workaround.

MAIL really doesn't work all that well by current standards. When open 
and unsecured network connections are still permissible, MAIL does 
provides a way to send logs and notifications. Though there are other 
and more secure paths for that. I've used php and other tools to make 
secure connections, where the target SMTP is operating with modern 
settings and where security exceptions are discouraged.

OpenVMS MAIL (lack of) handling of MIME is still a mess, as well. Can 
it be gotten to work? Sure. Mostly. VSI did just fix a MIME issue.

And absent add-ons past the inexplicably-still-an-add-on IP stack, MAIL 
also doesn't work for SMTP messages when a mail server is not also 
installed locally, which is just hilarious.


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