No, it’s a dumb, amateurish config. If you’re going to block a service from other computers, there’s no reason to let them access the port in the first place. Restrict at the application after the firewall as an additional check, but the firewall is your first place to restrict access.
It’s not doing any of those checks, from what I can see. We didn’t get to where it would know any of the information to even do an MX or SPF or what’s normally accepted as a complete PTR lookup, because we hadn’t hit the HELO/EHLO exchange, much less the From: exchange. The box I was connecting from is a properly configured mail server, anyway. This server appears to 86 the connection based on the connecting IP only. That implies that it has a list of IPs that are allowed to connect to it, and I’m not on it.
Except that the name of the admin is listed two lines down: “Emily McMullin” who apparently lives in Boca Raton, which is where Cendyn is located.
I have no opinion if Cendyn was abusing the Trump name in the service of spam or if they are fronting for Trump’s people but not seeing how the email address name means a dang thing in any way whatsoever.
It’s quite a common name – there are 11 Emily McMullins on LinkedIn – this particular one is VP of interactive design & development at Cendyn, which appears to be an Internet marketing company. I doubt she’s any relation to the Utah dude.
You’re right, I spoke too soon. On second thought, I agree with your opinion on this config. Still doesn’t mean this is a super secret chatserver between Trump and Putin to exchange shirtless pics and atom bomb plans (carefully disguised to look like an amateurish email server!)
I assume you understood my explanation of why the e-mail is important? My point was that here’s a guy/gal blatantly trying to mislead us, not somebody innocently concluding Trump has something to do with these servers.
The scammer could have said, “Look people! Trump! It says Trump right here! Well actually it says Cendyn, but Cendyn = Trump! Connect the dot, people!”
Instead (s)he carefully manipulated out the Cendyn angle.
It’s almost as if this was made to be debunked. I’m starting to feel silly already.
Oh yeah, it doesn’t look nefarious, just not a very thoughtful config. I am largely of the opinion that since the server’s reported behavior changed as soon as it was asked about, it’s IP and/or domain were then assigned to a different server. So, we’re not looking at the server that was involved in the original behavior. If that config makes sense for anyone, it’s a spammer.
Which brings me to whether the Cendyn (who appear to be bulk mailers*, if not spammers) angle means much. It doesn’t mean much for or against the supposed story. The e-mail address that is in the registration doesn’t signify that the person actually manages the DNS for or owns the domain. For all we know, the registration was used for the email campaign, then handed over after it was complete. Plus, I’ve seen lots of completely useless contact info in whois lookups.
*Generally defined as a spammer who will stop if asked.
Or intended to neuter criticism a la the Dan Rather papers. Get people worked up about a potential link to Russia, then show that that link is false *et voila *- any other accusations of links to Russia can be presumed to be false no matter what the actual evidence.
[FTR the above is idle speculation, not a thing I am claiming is definitely true.]
I was thinking about this server tonight, decided to read what the Straight Dope had to say about it, and I’m glad I did.
This thread is completely fascinating from a viewpoint of six months later. Any of the original posters care to update their thoughts on this story?
I was wondering about the possibility that this server is what Kushner needed to replace when he asked the Russians to set up a covert communications channel. When he realized he and Pops were going to office at the White House, other arrangements had to be made to maintain a secure channel to Russia, now that the Trump Tower server was no longer available.
I mean, Jared wanted to set up the covert channel in December. What’s to say he wasn’t trying to replace something he was going to lose?
Pure speculation, but this story has gotten a lot more important since the WaPo revelations this past Friday.
I have little doubt that this is part of the story. One of the most interesting parts, is that there was a third party on this little communication channel, Spectrum Health. Owned by the Devos family.
I don’t think this is true. They’re major donors, to the point of having the children’s hospital named after matriarch Helen, but I don’t think they own it.
It does make you wonder. We do have families in this country who seem to aspire to oligarchy, if they’re not already there. They may feel more akin to Russian oligarchs than to the American people or system.
“Spectrum is a medical facility chain led by Dick DeVos, the husband of Betsy DeVos, who was appointed by Trump as U.S. education secretary.”
I mean, these amazing coincidences are pretty amazing, no? I mean, the alternative to this being nefarious is that there is an absolutely unexplained connection between Russia and Trump Tower that also happens to have an absolutely unexplained link to the family of the completely unqualified woman named to the cabinet.
So this is maybe what set Donald off on his accusations that Obama wire tapped him.
I thought about updating the thread when I read this, but I was too demoralized at the time. But in retrospect, Donald’s accusations really sort of got the public ball rolling on his Russian connections.
Now the amount of money donated by the DeVos family, everyone knows who pulls the strings in Grand Rapids, but for CNN to say he runs the place is incorrect.
Your own link shows that Dick DeVos is still listed on the board of Spectrum Health as an Emeritus Trustee. He’s a permanent board member, even if he’s currently not the official chairman. (And he only stepped down recently, since he was elected chair in September 2015 for a two year term).
I’ll agree that it’s a stretch to say that DeVos personally runs Spectrum but there’s no denying that DeVos is a major power at Spectrum. His connection to the Trump admin via his wife’s cabinet position (and her brother’s attempt to connect Vlad & Donald) just makes the corruption smell a little sharper.