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Spam and Virus Filtering Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

Technical Information

General Questions


 How do I use spam and virus filtering?
  1. Visit My Account on our website and click on the Enable/Disable Spam Filtering link. [Oak ID and password required]
  2. Enjoy a spam-free Inbox!
*Remember to clean out your Spam and Virus folders on a regular basis. Otherwise, your account could wind up over quota.

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I can't find my Spam and Virus folders!

  • Make sure you have enabled filtering on your Oak account.
  • Refresh your list of mailboxes:
    • Mulberry or Webmail: Exit the program and then log back in.
  • If you are using your e-mail client in POP mode, you won't be able to see your Spam and Virus folders. Contact the Service Desk at 740-593-1222 or servicedesk@ohio.edu for help in converting to IMAP. If you do not wish to convert to IMAP but still would like to filter spam, then you should:
  • If you read your mail on an account other than Oak, you won't see your Spam and Virus folders. Make sure you log into Oak periodically to clean out your Spam and Virus folders!

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What happens to messages blocked by the filter?

When you enable filtering, you can choose to have spam and virus-infected messages moved into Spam and Virus folders automatically, or you can have the system delete such messages immediately.

We recommend using the folder option. That way, you'll have the chance to catch any legitimate messages that were marked as spam by mistake.

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Do I have to create special folders on my Oak account to hold spam and viruses?

No. The system creates a Spam folder and a Virus folder automatically when you enable filtering.

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Do I have to clean out my Spam and/or Virus folders?

Yes. If you don't delete the messages in your Spam and Virus folders on a regular basis, your account could wind up over quota.

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Who can use spam and virus filtering?

Spam and virus filtering is available to anyone with an Ohio University Oak account.

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I have filtering turned on. Do I still need anti-virus software?

Yes! Oak's virus scanner is no substitute for safe computing practices:

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I read my mail both at home and work. Do I have to enable spam filtering at each location?

No. It doesn't matter where you check your mail. Spam filtering happens before the messages ever reach your Inbox.

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Technical Information


 How Spam Filtering Works

Oak's spam filter uses a sophisticated set of criteria to assign a "spam score" to every incoming message on the Oak system. It then includes that score in one or more headers that can be used to move or delete messages considered to be spam. A typical spam score header looks like this:

    X-PMX-Spam: Gauge=XXXXXII, Probability=52%, Report="....."

When you turn filtering on, Oak automatically moves any message that receives a spam score of 5 "Xs" or higher into your Spam folder. When filtering is off, Oak still adds a spam score header to your messages; however, all messages are delivered straight to your Inbox.

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How Virus Filtering Works

Oak's virus filter checks every incoming message addressed to an Oak account for known viruses. If a virus is found, the system will attempt to clean the message. If cleaning fails, then the system will delete the infected attachment and replace it with a text attachment that explains what action was taken. The message's subject also will be modified to include "{Virus?}" at the beginning of the line. Virus infected messages also will receive a header similar to this:

When you turn filtering on, Oak automatically not only performs the steps outlined above, but also moves any message found to be infected with a known virus into your Virus folder. When filtering is off, Oak still scans for and removes known viruses; however, the cleaned messages are delivered directly to your Inbox.

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Do you store or quarantine infected attachments?

We do not quarantine messages. If an attachment cannot be cleaned, it is deleted immediately. No infected copies are saved on Oak.

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Do you notify the sender(s) of infected attachments?

More often than not, virus mailings contain forged e-mail addresses and bogus reply headers. For this reason, we do not attempt to notify the senders of infected messages. If you receive a virus infected e-mail from a friend or colleague, it is up to you to notify them that this has occurred, preferably by some method other than e-mail.

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Privacy Issues

Virus and spam filtering both require that the content of incoming messages be analyzed; however, this does not mean that your privacy is being compromised. These systems are completely automated. No human being, at OIT or anywhere else, has any contact with actual message content, and no personalized statistics are kept.

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Usage Statistics

Click here to see how many people currently are using spam and virus filtering.

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Advanced Filtering for Oak E-Mail

Creating Advanced E-Mail Filters - how to set up custom e-mail filters within your client.

 

Office of Information Technology
Ohio University
Athens, OH 45701
Service Desk:  (740) 593-1222  or  servicedesk@ohio.edu
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