Spam Filtering at the University of Oregon
Introduction: Starting August 18th, we replaced our spam filtering solution for all Duck ID (uoregon.edu) users. The new spam service, Proofpoint, will dramatically improve spam filtering. Each person can set how spam filtering works. The system will be enabled by default.
To change your settings, login at: http://proofpoint.uoregon.edu
| Configuration Options: | Description: |
| Default | The same as "Filter spam" below. |
| None | All messages are delivered, and no filtering occurs. |
| Tag spam in Subject header | All email is delivered regardless of its suspected spam status. The subject line of suspected spam is re-written to include "SPAM." Advanced users: x-mailer headers can be used for local filter rules as desired. For example, custom rules in Outlook or Mac OS Mail. |
| Filter spam | Spam is automatically quarantined on the Proofpoint server. Users can view and release messages or adjust settings via the Proofpoint web page. This is the default setting for all users. |
| Digest Option: | Description: |
| Disable Digest (Spam Summary Messages) |
By default, all users receive a daily summary of spam messages complete with links to control their handling (i.e. release a message from the quarantine.) If you prefer to disable this "digest" message, uncheck the boxes in the interface shown below:
|
Sample Digest Message: (and description of options below)
 | |
| Explanation of Options | |
| Release | Releases a particular message from your quarantine. The message will then appear in your normal email inbox. |
| Safelist | Releases a particular message, and any subsequent messages from the same sender. |
| Not Spam | Reports the false-positive back to Proofpoint. |
Troubleshooting and Frequently Asked Questions:
1) The digest message appears to be blank:
The digest message itself is HTML. Make sure your email program has HTML viewing capability, and is enabled.
2) How can I delete spam from my quarantine?
The Proofpoint system is designed to automatically discard spam after two weeks. One cannot manually select items in the quarantine for deletion.
3) I received a spam message and wish to report it.
Unfortunately, there is no practical way to do this. The number of spam messages
sent and received globally exceeds the number of legitimate messages. This
means that there isn't any practical way to deal with individual reports of
spam. All modern spam blocking mechanisms are mostly automated simply due to
the shear volume of spam. For example, see this CNET
article from 2007 estimating that 95 percent of all email is spam. For
most users, the Proofpoint system will deliver a dramatic improvement over
our prior spam-filtering efforts. One will likely find that the single digest
(summary message) replaces the ten or more spam messages a typical user receives
daily.
4) Can I manually request a digest (if I normally have that feature
off)? :
Yes. Login to http://proofpoint.uoregon.edu, make sure "Profile" is selected on the left. From there, select "Request Digest" from the "Lists" drop-down menu.