Mailing List Archive

DATE_SPAMWARE_Y2K explanation please
Hi all,

I just had a message tagged with DATE_SPAMWARE_Y2K ("Date header uses
unusual Y2K formatting").

I have compared its Date: header with untagged Date: headers, and I can't
see any apparently meaningful difference!

e.g. The first one is the tagged one, the others were untagged:
Date: Wed, 11 Feb 2004 17:29:49 -0500 (EST)
Date: Thu, 12 Feb 2004 04:53:18 +0000
Date: Wed, 11 Feb 2004 16:35:29 -0800 (PST)

What exactly is DATE_SPAMWARE_Y2K referring to, and what triggers it?

Thanks,
Ted
Re: DATE_SPAMWARE_Y2K explanation please [ In reply to ]
At Thu Feb 12 05:04:55 2004, Ted Fines wrote:

> I just had a message tagged with DATE_SPAMWARE_Y2K ("Date header uses
> unusual Y2K formatting").
>
> I have compared its Date: header with untagged Date: headers, and I can't
> see any apparently meaningful difference!
>
> e.g. The first one is the tagged one, the others were untagged:
> Date: Wed, 11 Feb 2004 17:29:49 -0500 (EST)
> Date: Thu, 12 Feb 2004 04:53:18 +0000
> Date: Wed, 11 Feb 2004 16:35:29 -0800 (PST)
>
> What exactly is DATE_SPAMWARE_Y2K referring to, and what triggers it?

DATE_SPAMWARE_Y2K indicates that the Date: header is in a specific
format, the most obvious features of which are (a) the year is only
two digits; and (b) the timezone information is in the "three letter"
format (not +0000).

None of the dates shown in your mail are in that format. If they
were, they'd be:

Date: Wed, 11 Feb 04 17:29:49 EST
Date: Thu, 12 Feb 04 04:53:18 GMT
Date: Wed, 11 Feb 04 16:35:29 PST

Is it possible that your MUA is converting the Date header before it
displays it to you?

Martin
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