Spam filters help protect your inbox from unwanted and malicious emails. This guide explains how to manage your spam filtering settings for optimal protection.
How Spam Filtering Works
Our hosting platform uses SpamAssassin, an industry-standard spam filter that analyzes incoming emails and assigns a spam score based on various factors:
- Email headers and routing information
- Content analysis (suspicious phrases, patterns)
- Authentication results (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)
- Blacklist checks
- HTML and link analysis
Emails exceeding a configurable score threshold are flagged as spam.
Enabling SpamAssassin
1. Log in to your control panel.
2. Navigate to "Email" then "Spam Filters" or "SpamAssassin."
3. Toggle SpamAssassin to "Enabled."
4. Set the spam threshold score (default is typically 5.0):
- Lower score (e.g., 3.0) = more aggressive, catches more spam but may have false positives
- Higher score (e.g., 7.0) = less aggressive, fewer false positives but may miss some spam
- Recommended: 5.0 for most users
Managing the Whitelist
Whitelisted addresses always bypass the spam filter:
1. Go to "Spam Filters" in your control panel.
2. Click "Whitelist" or "Allowed Senders."
3. Add email addresses or domains you trust.
- Single address: sender@example.com
- Entire domain: *@example.com
4. Save your changes.
Managing the Blacklist
Blacklisted addresses are always marked as spam:
1. Go to "Spam Filters" in your control panel.
2. Click "Blacklist" or "Blocked Senders."
3. Add email addresses or domains you want to block.
4. Save your changes.
What Happens to Spam
You can configure how detected spam is handled:
- Move to Spam Folder: Spam is delivered to a "Junk" or "Spam" folder (recommended).
- Delete: Spam is discarded immediately (not recommended as it may catch legitimate emails).
- Tag Subject: Spam is delivered normally but with "[SPAM]" added to the subject line.
Dealing with False Positives
If legitimate emails are being marked as spam:
1. Check your spam/junk folder regularly.
2. Add the sender to your whitelist.
3. Consider raising the spam threshold score slightly.
4. Mark the email as "Not Spam" in your email client.
Dealing with Spam That Gets Through
If spam is reaching your inbox:
1. Lower the spam threshold score slightly.
2. Add the sender's address or domain to your blacklist.
3. Report the spam through your email client.
4. Ensure SpamAssassin is enabled and active.