Every couple of months a public library computer becomes compromised by malware and begins using the OPLIN mail server to send large amounts of spam. Usually this has no lasting effect beyond mail flow being disrupted for a few hours while we wait for deferments to clear, but those few hours are an inconvenience for everyone.
In an effort to tighten security, we are going to modify the configuration of the OPLIN mail server so that SMTP authentication is required beginning next Wednesday, June 6. (Authentication is already supported, just not required.) If you get your email through the OPLIN mail server and have set up your desktop mail client (Thunderbird, Windows Live Mail, etc.) within the last year, the client probably opted to use authentication automatically, and you should not notice any change. Also, if you use the OPLIN webmail interface at http://mail.oplin.org, this change does not apply to you. This change only affects people who get their email through the OPLIN server and have been using their desktop mail client for more than a year.
OPLIN.org
