How to avoid Backscatter in Sendmail

Taken from http://elqui.dcsc.utfsm.cl/util/email/backscatter.html

Your MX servers should reject email for unknown users at the SMTP initial transaction and NOT forward them to internal SMTP servers without a “user check”.

• Step1: In MX SERVER, add these 4 lines to your “.mc” file in the right place..
  FEATURE(access_db, hash -T<TMPF> /etc/mail/access)dnl
  FEATURE(`blacklist_recipients’)dnl
  define(`VIRTUSER_TABLE’, `hash -o /etc/mail/virtusertable’)dnl
  VIRTUSER_DOMAIN_FILE(`/etc/mail/virtuserdomain’)dnl

• Step2: In MX SERVER, put YOUR internal valid domains in /etc/mail/virtuserdomain
  #
  example.com
  my.org
  
  
• Step3: In MX SERVER, add these lines to your “access” file (/etc/mail/access):
  ——————-insert into access file—————————–
  # list of internal domains that have their own servers
  # and you do not serve them. Your server only receives email
  # from them.
  # equal to “internal domains that you receive email via MX”
  From:marketing.my.org         OK
  From:marketing.example.com    OK
  
  ######################
  # Reject Forgery – Not requiered for Backscattering
  ######################
  # FOR TEST USE: /usr/lib/sendmail -bt
  # check_mail <valid.user@example.com> –> ACCESS DENIED
  From:example.com      REJECT
  # check_mail <valid.user@my.org> –> ACCESS DENIED
  From:my.org           REJECT
  
  ######################
  ## Reject Backscatter….
  # reject unknown recipients, because SPAMMERS
  # use this to spam other domains through bounces
  # messages (user unknown).
  #
  ##############################################
  # general rejection strings
  To:example.com     error:5.1.1:”550 User unknown”
  To:my.org          error:5.1.1:”550 User unknown”
  #
  ################################################
  # List ALL valid internal EMAIL addresses
  # If not listed here, sender server will get a “550 User unknown”
  # you should use a shell script to help you build
  # this list each time you create a user.
  #
  To:john.doe@example.com    RELAY
  To:jane.joe@my.org         RELAY
  To:postmaster@example.com  RELAY
  etc…
  ——————-end inserto into access—————————–
  
• Step4: In MX SERVER, regenerate your “sendmail.cf” and re-makemap your “access” database

• Step5: In MX SERVER, TEST the configuration using an external IP address (in this example 200.89.70.8 mx.uchile.cl):$ /usr/lib/sendmail -bt -d21.4
  .D{client_addr}200.89.70.8
  .D{client_name}mx.uchile.cl

  check_rcpt <john.doe@example.com>
  # should produce a —> RELAY

  check_rcpt <user.notexist@example.com>
  # should produce a —> “550 User unknown