---
name: "badexpiry"
section: "8cn"
platform: "linux"
package: "cnews"
version: "cr.g7-40.4"
release: "Debian 5.0 (Lenny)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/badexpiry"
---

# badexpiry(8cn)

find newsgroups with odd use of explicit expiry dates

## NAME

badexpiry - find newsgroups with odd use of explicit expiry dates

## SYNOPSIS

**badexpiry** \[ mincount minsize \]

## DESCRIPTION

*Badexpiry* reports (on standard output) newsgroups with suspicious patterns of use of explicit expiry dates in articles. Specifically, it reports groups with more than *mincount* (default 15) articles, more than 90% of all articles, or more than *minsize* (default 500) KB of articles having explicit expiry dates more than 10 days after their arrival dates.

Such reports are not necessarily indicative of abuses—for example, *news.announce.newusers* legitimately has most or all of its articles on long expiry—but investigation may be in order.

## FILES

/var/lib/news/history\
 /var/spool/news/\*/\*/...

## SEE ALSO

[news(5)](/news/5.md), [newsdb(5)](/newsdb/5.md)

## HISTORY

Written for C News by Henry Spencer.

## BUGS

The percentage and age thresholds ought to be settable.