University of Wisconsin Knowledgebase
WiscMail messages are rated on the likelihood that each message is spam. Users who opt-in to this service are able to select a score for messages that they would like to have delivered to their "Junk Mail" folder in their IMAP/Web Mail account. The WiscMail administrators have set a 15 day expiration timer for messages that are in each user's Junk Mail folder so that spam will automatically be deleted.
Since one person's "spam" is another person's "ham", there is a likely possibility that the anti-spam scanner will falsely identify some types of e-mail messages. A false-positive is a legitimate message that was identified as spam. A false-negative is a spam message that was identified as a legitimate message. DoIT will minimize the likelihood that messages get falsely labeled as false-positives or false-negatives. Nevertheless, DoIT provides ways to over-ride the spam scanner's judgment if it is incorrect for certain messages.
WiscMail provides a server-side filtering service for use with accounts enabled for IMAP or Web Mail access. Users can choose to filter their spam into their Junk Mail folder. Users can create a "Block List" of email addresses that should always be filtered into your Junk Mail folder. Users can also create a "Accept List" and a list of subscribed Mailing Lists so that messages from (or to) these addresses will never be filtered by the Junk Mail Filter or the Block List. Finally, custom filtering options are provided so that users can sort their mail in a custom fashion.
How to set up your filters
Server-side filters
Client-side filters
All messages are scanned for viruses. Virus messages are discarded and not delivered if they and known to be of the self-propagating type. All other viruses rated with the highest spam score and then delivered. For more information about the anti-virus policy, view WiscMail/WiscMail Plus - Email Virus Protection
Configuring Filters for Use with IMAP or the Web Client
If you POP your email, you must use the WiscMail | WiscMail Plus web client to check your 'Junk Mail' folder.
If your email client is configured to use IMAP, view the contents of your 'Junk Mail' folder. If you do not see your 'Junk Mail' folder, you may need to subscribe to your Junk Mail folder.
Expire Preferences for Junk Mail Folder
Yes. Any messages sent from the web client or a desktop client using smtpauth.wiscmail.wisc.edu are trusted as not spam.
Do not put the 'wisc.edu' in your Accept List filter because a lot of spam is forged with those addresses.
The only way to not get spam is to make sure that spammers do not know your e-mail address or make them think that your account is not being read. There are many ways that you can try to limit the amount of spam you receive.
No. Only new incoming messages. It will not filter existing messages or external-pop messages.
Submitting Misclassified Messages
There is no limit.
There is a link to the configuration page in the option screen of Web Mail.
Look at the headers of the messages. You will see an additional header: X-Spam-Score. This header will contain only asterisks; the number of asterisks is associated with the Junk Mail filter level users configure.
Mail obtained through the external POP feature is not scanned and will not be filtered.
The 'Junk Mail' folder is also accessible via the "Junk Mail" tab at the top of the message window assuming that the folder exists.
If you use IMAP to access your email account, you should have no problems using the 'Junk Mail' service.
Most IMAP email clients will not automatically see the newly created 'Junk Mail' folder. If you can see your 'Junk Mail' folder in Web Mail, then go to the following page, document 2377, to configure your client.
Most IMAP email clients will not automatically tell you if there are new messages in your 'Junk Mail' folder. We highly recommend that you periodically check the contents of your 'Junk Mail' folder.
Advanced users can choose to use client side filters instead of the server side filters. IMPORTANT: if you do decide to use client-side filters, make sure that your server side filters are configured not to collide with these.
If you use POP to access your email account, it is not recommended that you use any of the provided filtering options unless you periodically check your 'Junk Mail' folder via WiscMail | WiscMail Plus web client.
If you wish to use the filter options provided then it is suggested that you reconfigure your client to use IMAP.
Advanced users can choose to use client side filters instead of the server side filters. IMPORTANT: if you do decide to use client-side filters, make sure that your server side filters are configured not to collide with these.
If you forward your mail, server-side filtering will NOT occur. One exception to this rule is explained in our forward policy.
Advanced users can choose to use client side filters instead of the server side filters.
Yes. Many email clients have spam filtering capabilities built into the software. Please be aware that any spam filtering options that you see in these email clients are not the same as the server-side spam filtering service provided by WiscMail. You should also be aware that the use of the client-side spam filtering options may interfere with the effectiveness of the server-side WiscMail anti-spam service. Please note that most current clients turn on the client-side spam filtering options by default.
For the Accept List and Block List, you can add any continuous, case sensitive, part of the From: header of a message. The From: header always contains an email address. Sometimes it contains a user's name as well as the address. The less specific you make the entry, the more likely it will match on unintended messages.
If you select "is" as your type of matching condition, then make sure that you type the exact, case sensitive, format of the header. If you only want to have the filter match on a portion of a header (such as an email address or a name) then use "contains" instead.
Make sure that you do not have any trailing spaces in the entry.
Yes. Messages that are infected by viruses that are known to be abusive in nature are deleted without notice to the sender or recipient. All other virus infected messages are disinfected and labeled as spam.
The WiscMail/WiscMail Plus servers will rename executable file attachments in all incoming and outgoing messages for security reasons. For more information, view WiscMail - Executable Attachment Renaming
No. The following scenarios are trusted and not scanned for spam:
AntiVirus Software Incompatible with SMTP Authentication
Eudora (mac) - Customize Header Display
Eudora (win) - Customize Header Display
| Keywords: | wiscmail plus web client spam filter virus faq | Doc ID: | 2054 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owner: | Ara M. | Group: | WiscMail |
| Created: | 2003-06-10 | Updated: | 2007-12-03 |
| Sites: | Help Desk, WiscMail | ||