Spam Fighting Now Using Greylisting Print

  • 4

Fighting spam is an ongoing chore. While we can't control how much spam is sent to you, we can do everything possible to limit how much spam is actually delivered to you. Here are the main steps we take if you are using our system to host your email.


-Subscribe to mulitple spam blocklists which list servers known for sending spam. This allows us to reject access to our servers from those sources completely.

-Deploy and regularly update SpamAssassin that uses sophisticated Baysian rules to detect spam.

-Use MailScanner to further help detect spam and to label high scoring and low scoring spam. MailScanner then allows you to decide which levels of detected spam you wish to have deleted before it reaches your inbox. To learn more about MailScanner please see this FAQ.

-Manually block domains and servers that occasionally slip past these other services.


Another effort we've been testing recently is an added layer to help fight spam called Greylisting. One way spammers are using to get through these screening processes is by registering new domains so they aren't already being blocked, then carefully crafting the mail to pass through most scanning rules. In order to combat this practice we have implemented a feature called Greylisting. This automatically defers mail being sent from a new or unknow domain or mail server. The Greylisting service sends a message back to the originating system and requests the messag be resent. Legitimate mail servers will honor the request, the mail is resent and the email is then delivered. the delay can be a few minutes up to several days. Though most systems resend immediately so the delay is usuall very brief. Additionally, trusted and know mail servers are never Greylisted.

None of these system are perfect. Some small amount of spam can still get through, and it's possible some legitimate email may be delayed or lost. It's impossible to create a system that is uniformaly perfect for everyone. That's why we give you control in your hosting accounts account's Control Panel under the Email section.

MailScanner can be configured and even turned off for each domain, and Greylisting can also be turned on or off for each domain. If you prefer to have us do this for you please let us know and we'd be happy to make the adjustments.


Was this answer helpful?

« Back