Empty AUTH=<> in SMTP from Mutt message causing refused mail

[Doug Lee]

Hard to define this one fully in a subject line...

I have two FreeBSD 4.x systems running sendmail.  I'm trying to send
mail to a site that recently started using the WebShield virus
protection system for incoming mail.  If I send from Mutt, the mails
are refused by the WebShielded site; if I send from Pine or from a
Windows mail client (still through the same SMTP servers in both
cases), the mail goes through.

The difference is that Mutt-generated messages' SMTP stream contains a
line like

MAIL From:<dlee at bart.bartsite.com> AUTH=<>

whereas mail generated from Pine or a Windows mailer looks like

MAIL From:<dlee at bart.bartsite.com>

In other words, the "AUTH=<>" only appears in Mutt-generated mail.

I have no earthly idea how this is possible.  If anyone does, please
let me know.  I am trying to figure out (1) how to get Mutt mail
through to these people again (it worked fine until they installed
WebShield), and (2) whether they need to be notified that they may be
rejecting a lot of mail.  So far, it looks like very few people's mail
will be rejected.  I just happen to be one of them...

Please Cc me on responses so I don't miss something in a huge list
mail box.

Thanks much.


-- 
Doug Lee           dgl at dlee.org        http://www.dlee.org
Bartimaeus Group   doug at bartsite.com   http://www.bartsite.com
"The most exhausting thing in life is being insincere."
        - Anne Morrow Lindbergh {American Author}