Spam and Spam Filtering

Frequently Asked Questions about Spam and Spam Filtering

Where does spam come from?

Spam is junk mail that comes in your email. Some spam is legitimate emails from companies you have done business with in the past. Some are from companies that have gotten your email address off of web pages, publicly posted email lists, or even stolen/hacked from less secure computer systems.

How can I reduce the amount of spam I get?

• Avoid placing your email address on personal web-pages.
• Use two email addresses: one for general public use and one that you only use for friends or known business contacts. Your account allows you to have up to 5 email addresses!
• Do NOT reply to the email unless you are sure of the sender. Replying only confirms your address to the spammer as a good place to send spam.
• Use privacy settings on social networking sites - Social networking sites typically allow you to choose who has access to see your email address. Consider hiding your email account or changing the settings so that only a small group of people that you trust are able to see your address. Also, when you use applications on these sites, you may be granting permission for them to access your personal information.
• Check privacy policies. Before submitting your email address online, look for a privacy policy. Most reputable sites will have a link to their privacy policy from any form where you're asked to submit personal data. You should read this policy before submitting your email address or any other personal information so that you know what the owners of the site plan to do with the information.
• Use spam filtering. This is software that detects certain characteristics of spam email and blocks unwanted emails.

Can't you just block spam email?

We try but it is very complex and spammers continually look for ways around any blocking. If we do too much we could block emails you want. We use different methods to try and block spam including:

• Blacklists of known spam sending systems
• Keyword listing to identify common types of spam
• Looking for mass mailings
• Checking for fake information in email addresses

While we use several methods spammers keep trying new methods to get around blocking.

What is the difference between Normal, Normal with Quarantine enabled, and Strict?

In Normal mode emails identified as spam from public blacklists are NOT delivered and the sender gets a message blocked error. The potential recipient will not receive notice and suspect messages are not kept.

In Normal with Quarantine enabled identified emails are kept in a Spam folder available by logging into your web-mail account at https://mail.web-ster.com.  The user has to regularly check the spam list to review and delete potential spam emails.   NOTE: spam folders are not visible in email clients such as Outlook Express, Eudora, Pegasus, etc…   

Strict is similar to Normal (does not retain suspect emails) but uses much higher standards on what is considered spam. If you are receiving large amounts of spam while using normal mode this will significantly reduce spam. However, it will also have a higher chance of blocking legitimate emails.

Customize Rules allows you to individually adjust spam filtering parameters. Caution: if you are knowledgeable about current spam filtering technologies a lot of these aren't going to make much sense!

What are Blacklists?

Blackslists are lists of computers that send out spam. When we receive an email the spam filtering software checks the sending email server against several public lists of systems that are currently sending spam messages. These include:  Mipspace,  njabl-dynablock, Psbl, tqmcube-dhcp, wpbl.

If the sending system is on a “list”, then the email is blocked.  The recipient will not receive the email and the sender will receive a message blocked error.

Lists are dynamic, they change often. If a sending system is listed then stops sending spam it is removed. Some legitimate emails may be blocked temporarily but if the email provider (i.e. a company like Canby Telcom and Web-ster Internet) takes steps to stop spam from their system then they quickly get off the blacklist.

If you get repeated unwanted emails from specific people or systems you can create your own personal blacklist. Adding an email sender to the "From: Blacklist" on your Spam Management page will block messages from that sender. To block messages about certain subjects enter those subjects in the "Subject Blacklist".

My friend sent me email and it got blocked. How do I get emails from him?

Sometimes systems get blocked by blacklists because of one user's actions that affect many innocent users. If the system operator takes appropriate action then the system gets off the list. The first action is to try again. If it continues to be a problem they should contact their system administrator to see why it isn't being addressed.

If you change your Anti-Spam settings to "Normal with Quarantine enabled" (default is Normal) then messages identified as spam will be kept in a "Spam" folder available by logging into your webmail at https://mail.web-ster.com. While the message will still be identified as spam it will not be totally blocked. 

To have it always delivered to your Inbox you can use the whitelist to override the spam filter. In your Spam Management interface email addresses or systems entered into the "From: Whitelist" will always be accepted. To learn more about how to create a Whitelist visit: http://support.web-ster.com/faqs/mailwhitelist/

Is there a place to report spam?

Deceptive spam is illegal. The FTC has a web site at http://www.ftc.gov/spam/ where you can report spam. They collect information to try and track down large scale spammers.  Do not expect a personal reply but it will help draw attention to a national problem and reduce spam over the long term.

Email from companies you have done business in the past is not deceptive spam and is legal. Legitimate bulk emails advertising new products should include an opt-out option (notify the sending company to remove you from their list). Account messages telling you of system or account changes may not have an opt-out option. However, a legitimate company should NEVER ask you to reply with personal or account information by email. Do not reply to emails asking for such information!

If you get particularly persistent or harassing email from a particular sender or system (the part to the right of the @ sign) you can report abuse to the sending system.

If you need help using your spam filter options please contact us at support@web-ster.com .