Knowledgebase

Overview

This interface allows you to configure the spam filter settings (powered by Apache SpamAssassin™) for your account. Spam filters identify and sort or delete unsolicited email, commonly known as spam. You can also use this interface to configure your whitelist and blacklist settings.

For more information, read Apache SpamAssassin’s overview documentation.

Process New Emails and Mark them as Spam

Set this toggle to enabled to identify potential spam. Apache SpamAssassin examines every message for spam characteristics and assigns them a calculated spam score. This calculated spam score helps determine the likelihood that a message contains spam. The Spam Box and Auto-Delete features require that you enable Apache SpamAssassin first.

Spam Threshold score

If the system calculates a spam score for a message that meets or exceeds the Spam Threshold Score setting, the system marks the message as spam. A lower spam threshold score, such as a one, is aggressive and labels many messages as spam, including messages that may not be spam. However, a higher value, such as a ten, is passive and only labels messages that are obviously spam.

To set the spam threshold value, perform the following steps:

1. Click Spam Threshold Score. The system directs you to the Adjust Spam Threshold Score interface.

2. Select the desired value from the menu.

   Note:

   Select Custom from the menu to enter a custom value.

    

3. Click Update Scoring Options to save your changes.

Move New Spam to a Separate Folder (Spam Box)

Set this toggle to enabled to configure the Exim service to create a spam folder the next time that you receive spam mail. Spam Box sends any message with a calculated spam score that exceeds the spam threshold score to this folder. This feature preserves email that Apache SpamAssassin may mistakenly classify as spam mail.

Empty the Spam Box folder

To empty the spam folder or remove selected messages, click Configure Spam Box Settings. The system directs you to the Spam Box interface with the following settings:

• Enable the Spam Box is enabled. toggle in this interface to activate the Spam Box feature if you did not do so in the Spam Filters interface.

• Click Empty the Spam Box folder for “username” to delete all messages in the spam folder for the system user email account, where username represents the system user email account’s name.

• Click Empty all Spam Box folders to delete all messages in the Spam Box for every email address on this account, including the system user email account.

  Important:

  This setting deletes the spam folder contents for all email addresses on the account.

   

• Click Manage Disk Usage to select which messages you want to remove. The system directs you to the Email Disk Usage interface (cPanel » Home » Email » Email Disk Usage).

POP3 client users

If you check your email through a POP3 client, access and empty your spam folder with the youraddress@example.com/spam username and your email account password. If you do not delete messages in this folder frequently, spam may accumulate and cause you to reach your email account quota.

The Spam Box feature is unavailable

For the Spam Box feature to appear, your hosting provider must enable the Enable Apache SpamAssassin™ Spam Box delivery for messages marked as spam setting in WHM’s Tweak Settings interface (WHM » Home » Server Configuration » Tweak Settings).

Automatically Delete New Spam (Auto-Delete)

Set this toggle to enabled to automatically delete messages that meet or exceed the Auto-Delete Threshold Score value.

Configure Auto-Delete Settings

Click Configure Auto-Delete Settings to configure the Auto-Delete Threshold Score value. The system directs you to the Auto-Delete interface with the following settings:

• Enable the Spam Auto-Delete is enabled. toggle in this interface to activate the Auto-Delete feature if you did not do so in the Spam Filter interface.

• Select the desired Auto-Delete Threshold Score value. Click Update Auto-Delete Score to save your changes.

  Note:

  The Auto-Delete Threshold Score value does not affect the Spam Threshold Score value.

   

Additional Configurations (For Advanced Users)

This section allows you to customize the whitelist, blacklist, and individual test scores.

Click Show Additional Configurations to display the additional configuration settings.

Whitelist (Emails Always Allowed)

This section displays the account’s current number of whitelisted items. Whitelists allow you to receive email from an email address that Apache SpamAssassin falsely marks as spam.

Click Edit Spam Whitelist Settings to configure the Spam Filters whitelist settings. The system directs you to the Whitelist interface.

To add an email address to the whitelist, perform the following steps:

1. Click Add A New “whitelist_from” Item to add an email address.
2. Enter the email address in the whitelist_from text box.
   • Click the cancel icon () to remove a whitelist_from entry.
3. Click Update Whitelist (whitelist_from) to save your changes.

Blacklist (Emails Never Allowed)

This section displays the account’s current number of blacklisted items. Blacklists allow you to mark emails that Apache SpamAssassin falsely marks as non-spam as spam mail.

Click Edit Spam Blacklist Settings to configure the Spam Filters blacklist settings. The system directs you to the Blacklist interface.

To add an email address to the blacklist, perform the following steps:

1. Click Add A New “blacklist_from” Item to add an email address.
2. Enter the email address in the blacklist_from text box.
   • Click the cancel icon () to remove a blacklist_from entry.
3. Click Update Blacklist (blacklist_from) to save your changes.

Calculated Spam Score Settings

Click Configure Calculated Spam Score to configure the individual test scores. The system directs you to the Calculated Spam Score Settings interface.

Apache SpamAssassin uses hundreds of tests, and you can assign scores to individual tests to configure Apache SpamAssassin for your server. Use this interface to modify the individual test scores that Apache SpamAssassin uses to mark a message as spam. You can increase the score of a test that incorrectly allows spam messages to pass through. Conversely, you can disable or reduce the score of a test that falsely marks messages as spam. For example, disable tests that mark bankruptcy emails as spam for a user who is a bankruptcy lawyer.

To update an individual test score, perform the following steps:

1. Click Add A New “scores” Item to enter a new customized test score.
2. Select a test from the scores menu.
3. Enter a new value in the text box that contains up to three decimal places.
   Note:

   Set the score value to 0 to disable a test.

4. Click Update Scoring Options to save your changes.

grep -R score /var/lib/spamassassin/* | less