Internet-Draft                                          Elvis The Stiff
Category: Informational                                   GRACELAND.COM
Expires April 1, 1997                                     November 1996

                           Elvis Spoofing

                    <draft-elvis-email-spoof-00.txt>


Status of this Memo

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Abstract

   This document describes Elvis Spoofing - the abuse of the
   <elvis@graceland.com> email account (especially by Usenet users
   and system admninistrators), and introduces the death penalty as a
   deterent.

. Funny, ha, ha - NOT

   It appears to be "cool", "funny", "cute" (and many other equally
   pathetically similar phrases) to send email to someone with the
   Sender or From address set to <elvis@graceland.com>. Each person who
   does this is, of course, acting entirely in a totally original
   manner and doing "something that nobody has ever thought of before",
   and are thinking "boy, won't this cause a laugh".

   This misplaced belief causes the recipient to respond with an
   equally witty reply to the <elvis@graceland.com> email address. This
   situation, while usually harmless, is still annoying because of the
   volume of email sent to the "elvis@graceland.com" account.


Elvis The Stiff                                                [Page 1]

Internet Draft             Elvis Spoofing                 November 1996


   Usenet users are the most problematic group. They have test
   newsgroups to do this in. "Gee, I can post test mail and if I do it
   from <elvis@graceland.com>, no one will know it's me!". This would
   be fine in itself, but each test newsgroup sends an email message
   saying the posting has been successful. So what you say? Email is
   harmless.

   The majority of *.test postings that the <elvis@graceland.com>
   account receives contain copyright materials sold by major software
   companies. In addition, posting large (megabytes) messages to *.test
   newsgroups creates hundreds and hundreds of 32k "posting
   verification" messages to be sent to the From address.

   Not only is posting copyrighted material without the permission of
   the copyright owner illegal, the quantity of email generated places
   a severe strain on the intermediate internet infrastructure, as well
   as the GRACELAND.COM mail server(s).

. What to do about this

   1. DO NOT FORGE THE <ELVIS@GRACELAND.COM> EMAIL ADDRESS
   2. DO NOT POST COPYRIGHTED MATERIALS ANYWHERE ON THE INTERNET
      WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE COPYRIGHT OWNER

. Deterrent

   As a deterrent to this dilemma, anyone caught forging the
   <elvis@graceland.com> email address will be given a virtual death
   penalty. They may find their access to the GRACELAND.COM domain
   permanently terminated. They may also find fines and even jail time
   being imposed by a court of law.

. Appeals

   There is no appeals process.


. Security Considerations

   There are no known security considerations beyond those of the
   perpetrators host being found.


. Author's Address

      Elvis The Stiff
      email: elvis@graceland.com

                  [This document expires April 1, 1997]

Elvis The Stiff                                                [Page 2]