Email filters for Webmail at NC State (Squirrel Mail)

To automatically set up a spam folder in your Inbox and create a server-side X-Spam-Flag filter that will place any spam-flagged mail into that folder, use the setup tool found on the following page:

https://sysnews.ncsu.edu/tools-php/spam-filter-setup.php

If you want to create an X-Spam-Flag filter manually or add an X-Spam-Level filter to make your spam filtering capability more sensitive, then follow the steps below.

1. Go to https://webmail.ncsu.edu/src/login.php.
2. Log in with your Unity ID and password.
3. Select Options.
4. On the Options page, choose Message Filters.
5. Select New.
6. In the Contains text box, type: X-Spam-Flag: YES
7. From the pull-down list in the Match field, select Header.
8. From the pull-down list in the Move to field, select your spam folder.
9. Select Submit.

X-Spam-Level filter
An X-Spam-Level filter can be used to catch messages whose hits percentage is less than the 50% threshhold. You might want to create one if you feel that 50% is too high (doesn't catch enough spam). If you choose a threshhold that is not a multiple of 10 (e.g., 45%), you will need to create two of these filters instead of one. Before you construct a spam filter, be sure to set up a spam folder in the Inbox of your email client so that you can retrieve any legitimate messages caught by the filter.
WARNING: Be very careful if you create an X-Spam-Level filter. The lower the hits percentage you choose for filtering, the more likely you will mistakenly catch legitimate mail and send it to your spam folder.

To construct a spam filter based on the PureMessage X-Spam-Level header:

1. Go to https://webmail.ncsu.edu/src/login.php.
2. Log in with your Unity ID and password.
3. Select Options.
4. On the Options page, select Message Filters.
5. Select New.
6. In the Contains text box, type X-Spam-Level: followed by your chosen hits percentage represented by the letters X and/or I:
   • If your percentage is a multiple of ten, type a number of X's equal to the tens digit of the percentage.
     For example, for 60%, you would type 6 X's (upper case):
     X-Spam-Level: XXXXXX
   • If your percentage is not a multiple of ten, type a number of X's equal to the tens digit and a number of I's equal to the ones digit.
     For example, for 65%, you would type 6 X's and 5 I's (upper case):
     X-Spam-Level: XXXXXXIIIII
     NOTE: In this case, you will need to create a secondary filter (see below).
7. From the pull-down list in the Match field, select Header.
8. From the pull-down menu in the Move to field, select your spam folder.
9. Select Submit.

If your hits percentage is not a multiple of 10, you will need to create a secondary filter:

1. Select Options.
2. On the Options page, select Message Filters.
3. Select New.
4. Type X-Spam-Level: followed by a number of X's equal to one more than the tens digit of your chosen hits percentage.
   For example, for 65%, you would type 7 X's (upper case):
   X-Spam-Level: XXXXXXX
5. From the pull-down list in the Match field, select Header.
6. From the pull-down menu in the Move to field, select your spam folder.
7. Select Submit.

X-Virus-Detected filter
By using an X-Virus-Detected filter and creating a virus folder in the Inbox of your email client, you can retrieve legitimate messages that arrived with virus-laden attachments that were later removed by PureMessage. Be sure to set up your virus folder before you construct a virus filter.

To construct a virus filter based on the PureMessage X-Virus-Detected header:

1. Go to https://webmail.ncsu.edu/src/login.php.
2. Log in with your Unity ID and password.
3. Select Options.
4. On the Options page, select Message Filters.
5. Select New.
6. In the Contains text box, type: X-Virus-Detected: YES.
7. From the pull-down menu in the Match field, select Header.
8. From the pull-down menu in the Move to field, select your virus folder.
9. Select Submit.

Go to the PureMessage main page.

Content last updated September 2, 2004 by chk
Page last modified April 1, 2008 by cawalker