EST. 2026 — Notes from real server work SYSADMIN · SECURITY · AI · DIRECTADMIN Issue 01
THE SYSADMIN ALMANAC
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GeoIP

#GeoIP

5 articles
Security
Stolen Mailbox Password Sent 1,786 Spam Emails Unseen by CSF/LFD
Security

Stolen Mailbox Password Sent 1,786 Spam Emails Unseen by CSF/LFD

A real case of a stolen mailbox password used to send 50-75 spam emails a day, below a limit of 200, for 4 straight weeks without a single response from CSF/LFD/BFM because they only count failed authentication attempts, with the decisive question of whether an account was compromised or merely under attack, exim forensic commands, and a blocklist removal playbook

#mail#exim#security#csf
11 min read·7 Aug
Mail Checks Ban the Whole Office—Fixing It with Login Auto-Whitelist
Security

Mail Checks Ban the Whole Office—Fixing It with Login Auto-Whitelist

Real mail clients behave exactly like bots — office machines keep retrying old passwords until CSF bans the whole office. This article covers an auto-whitelist system that watches for successful logins + Thai GeoIP, then grants a temporary allow for 24 hours, along with 5 pitfalls I learned the hard way.

#csf#firewall#mail#exim
9 min read·10 Jul
Auto-Unblock the Office in CSF with a Geo+Account Gate
Security

Auto-Unblock the Office in CSF with a Geo+Account Gate

A real case of a client office whose IP changes daily, with a ghost device using an old password that repeatedly gets the whole office blocked by CSF. How I automated unblocking with a narrow account+geo gate that lets the real office through while keeping foreign credential attacks blocked.

#csf#firewall#brute-force#geoip
12 min read·4 Jun
Reading exim mainlog for Stuck Clients — Mail Forensics Part 1
Security

Reading exim mainlog for Stuck Clients — Mail Forensics Part 1

How I read /var/log/exim/mainlog to distinguish an office machine using the wrong password from an attacker running a brute force attack, with the commands I use when customers need answers fast.

#mail-forensics#exim#mail#smtp
12 min read·23 May
CSF Auto-Unblock for Ghost Devices Amid Botnet Brute Force
Security

CSF Auto-Unblock for Ghost Devices Amid Botnet Brute Force

A real case on a DA shared host where a ghost device in an office got the entire office blocked by CSF every morning. I explain a 4-layer auto-unblock setup that distinguishes office devices from a botnet without accidentally unblocking attackers.

#csf#firewall#brute-force#security
11 min read·20 May