xref: /netbsd-src/external/ibm-public/postfix/dist/conf/header_checks (revision 10ad5ffa714ce1a679dcc9dd8159648df2d67b5a)
1# HEADER_CHECKS(5)                                              HEADER_CHECKS(5)
2#
3# NAME
4#        header_checks - Postfix built-in content inspection
5#
6# SYNOPSIS
7#        header_checks = pcre:/etc/postfix/header_checks
8#        mime_header_checks = pcre:/etc/postfix/mime_header_checks
9#        nested_header_checks = pcre:/etc/postfix/nested_header_checks
10#        body_checks = pcre:/etc/postfix/body_checks
11#
12#        postmap -q "string" pcre:/etc/postfix/filename
13#        postmap -q - pcre:/etc/postfix/filename <inputfile
14#
15# DESCRIPTION
16#        This  document  describes access control on the content of
17#        message headers and message body lines; it is  implemented
18#        by  the  Postfix  cleanup(8) server before mail is queued.
19#        See access(5) for access control  on  remote  SMTP  client
20#        information.
21#
22#        Each  message  header  or  message  body  line is compared
23#        against a list of patterns.  When a  match  is  found  the
24#        corresponding action is executed, and the matching process
25#        is repeated for the next message header  or  message  body
26#        line.
27#
28#        For  examples, see the EXAMPLES section at the end of this
29#        manual page.
30#
31#        Postfix header or body_checks are designed to stop a flood
32#        of  mail from worms or viruses; they do not decode attach-
33#        ments, and they do not unzip archives. See  the  documents
34#        referenced  below  in the README FILES section if you need
35#        more sophisticated content analysis.
36#
37#        Postfix supports four built-in content inspection classes:
38#
39#        header_checks
40#               These   are  applied  to  initial  message  headers
41#               (except for the headers  that  are  processed  with
42#               mime_header_checks).
43#
44#        mime_header_checks (default: $header_checks)
45#               These  are  applied to MIME related message headers
46#               only.
47#
48#               This feature is available in Postfix 2.0 and later.
49#
50#        nested_header_checks (default: $header_checks)
51#               These  are  applied  to message headers of attached
52#               email messages (except for  the  headers  that  are
53#               processed with mime_header_checks).
54#
55#               This feature is available in Postfix 2.0 and later.
56#
57#        body_checks
58#               These are applied to all other  content,  including
59#               multi-part message boundaries.
60#
61#               With Postfix versions before 2.0, all content after
62#               the initial message headers is treated as body con-
63#               tent.
64#
65#        Note: message headers are examined one logical header at a
66#        time, even when a message  header  spans  multiple  lines.
67#        Body lines are always examined one line at a time.
68#
69# COMPATIBILITY
70#        With Postfix version 2.2 and earlier specify "postmap -fq"
71#        to query a table that contains case sensitive patterns. By
72#        default,  regexp: and pcre: patterns are case insensitive.
73#
74# TABLE FORMAT
75#        This document assumes that header  and  body_checks  rules
76#        are  specified  in  the form of Postfix regular expression
77#        lookup tables. Usually the best  performance  is  obtained
78#        with pcre (Perl Compatible Regular Expression) tables, but
79#        the slower regexp (POSIX regular expressions)  support  is
80#        more  widely  available.  Use the command "postconf -m" to
81#        find out what lookup table types your Postfix system  sup-
82#        ports.
83#
84#        The general format of Postfix regular expression tables is
85#        given below.  For a  discussion  of  specific  pattern  or
86#        flags   syntax,   see  pcre_table(5)  or  regexp_table(5),
87#        respectively.
88#
89#        /pattern/flags action
90#               When /pattern/ matches the  input  string,  execute
91#               the  corresponding  action. See below for a list of
92#               possible actions.
93#
94#        !/pattern/flags action
95#               When /pattern/ does not  match  the  input  string,
96#               execute the corresponding action.
97#
98#        if /pattern/flags
99#
100#        endif  Match the input string against the patterns between
101#               if and endif, if and only if the same input  string
102#               also matches /pattern/. The if..endif can nest.
103#
104#               Note:  do not prepend whitespace to patterns inside
105#               if..endif.
106#
107#        if !/pattern/flags
108#
109#        endif  Match the input string against the patterns between
110#               if  and endif, if and only if the same input string
111#               does not match /pattern/. The if..endif can nest.
112#
113#        blank lines and comments
114#               Empty lines and whitespace-only lines are  ignored,
115#               as  are  lines whose first non-whitespace character
116#               is a `#'.
117#
118#        multi-line text
119#               A pattern/action line  starts  with  non-whitespace
120#               text.  A line that starts with whitespace continues
121#               a logical line.
122#
123# TABLE SEARCH ORDER
124#        For each line of message input, the patterns  are  applied
125#        in  the order as specified in the table. When a pattern is
126#        found that  matches  the  input  line,  the  corresponding
127#        action  is  executed  and  then  the  next  input  line is
128#        inspected.
129#
130# TEXT SUBSTITUTION
131#        Substitution of substrings  from  the  matched  expression
132#        into  the action string is possible using the conventional
133#        Perl syntax ($1, $2, etc.).   The  macros  in  the  result
134#        string  may  need  to  be  written as ${n} or $(n) if they
135#        aren't followed by whitespace.
136#
137#        Note: since negated patterns (those preceded by !)  return
138#        a result when the expression does not match, substitutions
139#        are not available for negated patterns.
140#
141# ACTIONS
142#        Action names are case insensitive. They are shown in upper
143#        case for consistency with other Postfix documentation.
144#
145#        DISCARD optional text...
146#               Claim  successful delivery and silently discard the
147#               message.  Log the optional text if specified,  oth-
148#               erwise log a generic message.
149#
150#               Note:   this  action  disables  further  header  or
151#               body_checks inspection of the current  message  and
152#               affects all recipients.  To discard only one recip-
153#               ient without discarding the entire message, use the
154#               transport(5) table to direct mail to the discard(8)
155#               service.
156#
157#               This feature is available in Postfix 2.0 and later.
158#
159#        DUNNO  Pretend  that the input line did not match any pat-
160#               tern, and inspect the next input line. This  action
161#               can be used to shorten the table search.
162#
163#               For  backwards  compatibility reasons, Postfix also
164#               accepts OK but it is (and always has been)  treated
165#               as DUNNO.
166#
167#               This feature is available in Postfix 2.1 and later.
168#
169#        FILTER transport:destination
170#               Write a content filter request to the  queue  file,
171#               and  inspect  the  next input line.  After the com-
172#               plete message is received it will be  sent  through
173#               the specified external content filter.  More infor-
174#               mation about external content  filters  is  in  the
175#               Postfix FILTER_README file.
176#
177#               Note: this action overrides the content_filter set-
178#               ting, and affects all recipients of the message. In
179#               the  case  that  multiple FILTER actions fire, only
180#               the last one is executed.
181#
182#               This feature is available in Postfix 2.0 and later.
183#
184#        HOLD optional text...
185#               Arrange  for  the  message to be placed on the hold
186#               queue, and inspect the next input line.   The  mes-
187#               sage  remains  on hold until someone either deletes
188#               it or releases it for delivery.  Log  the  optional
189#               text if specified, otherwise log a generic message.
190#
191#               Mail that is placed on hold can  be  examined  with
192#               the  postcat(1)  command,  and  can be destroyed or
193#               released with the postsuper(1) command.
194#
195#               Note: use "postsuper -r" to release mail  that  was
196#               kept  on  hold for a significant fraction of $maxi-
197#               mal_queue_lifetime  or  $bounce_queue_lifetime,  or
198#               longer.  Use "postsuper -H" only for mail that will
199#               not expire within a few delivery attempts.
200#
201#               Note: this action affects  all  recipients  of  the
202#               message.
203#
204#               This feature is available in Postfix 2.0 and later.
205#
206#        IGNORE Delete the current line from the input, and inspect
207#               the next input line.
208#
209#        PREPEND text...
210#               Prepend  one  line  with  the  specified  text, and
211#               inspect the next input line.
212#
213#               Notes:
214#
215#               o      The prepended text is output on  a  separate
216#                      line,  immediately  before  the  input  that
217#                      triggered the PREPEND action.
218#
219#               o      The prepended text is not considered part of
220#                      the  input  stream:  it  is  not  subject to
221#                      header/body checks or address rewriting, and
222#                      it does not affect the way that Postfix adds
223#                      missing message headers.
224#
225#               o      When prepending text before a message header
226#                      line,  the  prepended text must begin with a
227#                      valid message header label.
228#
229#               o      This action cannot be used to prepend multi-
230#                      line text.
231#
232#               This feature is available in Postfix 2.1 and later.
233#
234#        REDIRECT user@domain
235#               Write a message redirection request  to  the  queue
236#               file,  and  inspect  the next input line. After the
237#               message is queued, it will be sent to the specified
238#               address instead of the intended recipient(s).
239#
240#               Note:  this action overrides the FILTER action, and
241#               affects all recipients of the message. If  multiple
242#               REDIRECT  actions  fire,  only the last one is exe-
243#               cuted.
244#
245#               This feature is available in Postfix 2.1 and later.
246#
247#        REPLACE text...
248#               Replace  the  current line with the specified text,
249#               and inspect the next input line.
250#
251#               This feature is available in Postfix 2.2 and later.
252#               The  description below applies to Postfix 2.2.2 and
253#               later.
254#
255#               Notes:
256#
257#               o      When replacing a message  header  line,  the
258#                      replacement  text  must  begin  with a valid
259#                      header label.
260#
261#               o      The replaced text remains part of the  input
262#                      stream.  Unlike  the result from the PREPEND
263#                      action, a replaced  message  header  may  be
264#                      subject  to address rewriting and may affect
265#                      the way that Postfix  adds  missing  message
266#                      headers.
267#
268#        REJECT optional text...
269#               Reject  the  entire  message.  Reply  with optional
270#               text... when the optional text is specified, other-
271#               wise reply with a generic error message.
272#
273#               Note:   this  action  disables  further  header  or
274#               body_checks inspection of the current  message  and
275#               affects all recipients.
276#
277#               Postfix version 2.3 and later support enhanced sta-
278#               tus codes.  When no code is specified at the begin-
279#               ning of optional text..., Postfix inserts a default
280#               enhanced status code of "5.7.1".
281#
282#        WARN optional text...
283#               Log a warning with the optional text... (or  log  a
284#               generic  message), and inspect the next input line.
285#               This action is useful for debugging and for testing
286#               a pattern before applying more drastic actions.
287#
288# BUGS
289#        Empty lines never match, because some map types mis-behave
290#        when given a zero-length search string.   This  limitation
291#        may  be  removed for regular expression tables in a future
292#        release.
293#
294#        Many people overlook the main limitations  of  header  and
295#        body_checks rules.
296#
297#        o      These  rules  operate on one logical message header
298#               or one body line at a time. A decision made for one
299#               line is not carried over to the next line.
300#
301#        o      If  text  in the message body is encoded (RFC 2045)
302#               then the rules need to be specified for the encoded
303#               form.
304#
305#        o      Likewise,  when  message  headers  are encoded (RFC
306#               2047) then the rules need to be specified  for  the
307#               encoded form.
308#
309#        Message  headers added by the cleanup(8) daemon itself are
310#        excluded from inspection. Examples of such message headers
311#        are From:, To:, Message-ID:, Date:.
312#
313#        Message  headers  deleted by the cleanup(8) daemon will be
314#        examined before they are deleted. Examples are: Bcc:, Con-
315#        tent-Length:, Return-Path:.
316#
317# CONFIGURATION PARAMETERS
318#        body_checks
319#               Lookup tables with content filter rules for message
320#               body lines.  These filters see one physical line at
321#               a  time,  in  chunks  of at most $line_length_limit
322#               bytes.
323#
324#        body_checks_size_limit
325#               The amount of  content  per  message  body  segment
326#               (attachment) that is subjected to $body_checks fil-
327#               tering.
328#
329#        header_checks
330#
331#        mime_header_checks (default: $header_checks)
332#
333#        nested_header_checks (default: $header_checks)
334#               Lookup tables with content filter rules for message
335#               header  lines:  respectively,  these are applied to
336#               the initial message  headers  (not  including  MIME
337#               headers),  to the MIME headers anywhere in the mes-
338#               sage, and to the initial headers of  attached  mes-
339#               sages.
340#
341#               Note:  these filters see one logical message header
342#               at a time, even when a message header spans  multi-
343#               ple  lines.  Message  headers  that are longer than
344#               $header_size_limit characters are truncated.
345#
346#        disable_mime_input_processing
347#               While receiving mail, give no special treatment  to
348#               MIME  related  message  headers; all text after the
349#               initial message headers is considered to be part of
350#               the  message body. This means that header_checks is
351#               applied to all the  initial  message  headers,  and
352#               that body_checks is applied to the remainder of the
353#               message.
354#
355#               Note: when used in this  manner,  body_checks  will
356#               process  a  multi-line message header one line at a
357#               time.
358#
359# EXAMPLES
360#        Header pattern to block attachments  with  bad  file  name
361#        extensions.   For  convenience, the PCRE /x flag is speci-
362#        fied, so that there is no need  to  collapse  the  pattern
363#        into   a   single  line  of  text.   The  purpose  of  the
364#        [[:xdigit:]] sub-expressions is to recognize Windows CLSID
365#        strings.
366#
367#        /etc/postfix/main.cf:
368#            header_checks = pcre:/etc/postfix/header_checks.pcre
369#
370#        /etc/postfix/header_checks.pcre:
371#            /^Content-(Disposition|Type).*name\s*=\s*"?(.*(\.|=2E)(
372#              ade|adp|asp|bas|bat|chm|cmd|com|cpl|crt|dll|exe|
373#              hlp|ht[at]|
374#              inf|ins|isp|jse?|lnk|md[betw]|ms[cipt]|nws|
375#              \{[[:xdigit:]]{8}(?:-[[:xdigit:]]{4}){3}-[[:xdigit:]]{12}\}|
376#              ops|pcd|pif|prf|reg|sc[frt]|sh[bsm]|swf|
377#              vb[esx]?|vxd|ws[cfh]))(\?=)?"?\s*(;|$)/x
378#                REJECT Attachment name "$2" may not end with ".$4"
379#
380#        Body pattern to stop a specific HTML browser vulnerability
381#        exploit.
382#
383#        /etc/postfix/main.cf:
384#            body_checks = regexp:/etc/postfix/body_checks
385#
386#        /etc/postfix/body_checks:
387#            /^<iframe src=(3D)?cid:.* height=(3D)?0 width=(3D)?0>$/
388#                REJECT IFRAME vulnerability exploit
389#
390# SEE ALSO
391#        cleanup(8), canonicalize and enqueue Postfix message
392#        pcre_table(5), format of PCRE lookup tables
393#        regexp_table(5), format of POSIX regular expression tables
394#        postconf(1), Postfix configuration utility
395#        postmap(1), Postfix lookup table management
396#        postsuper(1), Postfix janitor
397#        postcat(1), show Postfix queue file contents
398#        RFC 2045, base64 and quoted-printable encoding rules
399#        RFC 2047, message header encoding for non-ASCII text
400#
401# README FILES
402#        Use "postconf readme_directory" or  "postconf  html_direc-
403#        tory" to locate this information.
404#        DATABASE_README, Postfix lookup table overview
405#        CONTENT_INSPECTION_README, Postfix content inspection overview
406#        BUILTIN_FILTER_README, Postfix built-in content inspection
407#        BACKSCATTER_README, blocking returned forged mail
408#
409# LICENSE
410#        The  Secure  Mailer  license must be distributed with this
411#        software.
412#
413# AUTHOR(S)
414#        Wietse Venema
415#        IBM T.J. Watson Research
416#        P.O. Box 704
417#        Yorktown Heights, NY 10598, USA
418#
419#                                                               HEADER_CHECKS(5)
420