posted on August 26, 2004
Spam Filtering
In an ongoing effort to reduce the amount of unwanted, unsolicited e-mail, Academic Services and Emerging Technologies (ASET), a unit of Information Technology Services (ITS), will activate spam flagging on Penn State WebMail's incoming e-mail servers on Friday, August 27. This latest effort marks an addition to the current spam filtering methods, started during fall 2003, to combat spam.
How It Works
On the server-side a "mail filter" will run on WebMail's incoming e-mail servers to scan for and identify spam. The mail will be analyzed and flagged as spam per the rules used for WebMail's servers. This feature is active by default; however users may choose to deactivate it via WebMail's built-in "Options" screen. This mail filter will insert a mail header, shown below, in order to explain the spam filtering results.
For example, this additional header information in a spam e-mail message would appear as:
- X-PSU-Spam-Flag: YES
The X-PSU-Spam-Flag rule uses an entry of either YES or NO to flag messages. If an e-mail message is flagged as YES, then it has passed enough tests to score as spam. Then, the flagged messages are automatically filtered to a user's "Junk" mailbox where it can be reviewed by the user. Though e-mail messages will not be deleted before reaching users, any mail that has been checked and filtered to the "Junk" mailbox will be permanently deleted after 15 days.
Virus Filtering
This summer, ASET/ITS also installed virus protection software on Penn State's central incoming e-mail servers (during the week of August 9 through August 11). The new e-mail virus-protection initiative is designed to complement the recommended anti-virus software and personal firewalls installed on personal, departmental and residence hall computers and servers throughout the University. Any e-mail messages sent to psu.edu are scanned for viruses, no matter their final destinations. For further details, please review the "Virus Protection Software" section of the press release for this initiative.
On the Horizon
The effort to reduce the amount of unsolicited spam and virus e-mails received by Penn State's e-mail servers is a top priority, one that is ongoing and is being aggressively pursued. All updates to these and other initiatives will be posted as available on ASET's home page and through various media avenues. For additional information as well as information about spam filtering trials, please refer to the Help/Resources information noted below.
Help/Resources
Questions, problem reports or requests for assistance may be directed to the ITS Help Desk at helpdesk@psu.edu. In the near feature, documentation on how to set up client-side filters based on the rules noted above will be available via the ITS Help Desk Web site.
