Spam Filter Configuration

Apache SpamAssassin is the Open Source anti-spam platform that helps classify email and block spam (unsolicited bulk email).

Accessing Spam Filter Settings

1. Log into DirectAdmin
2. Navigate to "Spam Filter Config" under "E-mail Manager"

Configuration Options

Basic Configuration

Blocking Strategy - Where should the spam go?

• Inbox (Recommended)

  Sends all mail to inbox. Recommended because we filter more spam and have fewer grey areas. This option helps avoid common user confusion.

• Main Spambox

  Sends spam to your root DirectAdmin/Linux user's spam folder. Only use if you fully understand what this means and its implications.

• User Spambox

  Sends spam to each recipient's spam folder. Not recommended if you use email forwarders without actual email accounts (e.g., if jarland@mxroute.com is a forwarder but not listed under Email Accounts, it has no spam folder and mail will default to Main Spambox).

• Delete

  Immediately deletes detected spam with no possibility of recovery. Only use if you're absolutely confident in your other spam filter settings.

High Score Block

• No (Not Recommended)

  Delivers all spam messages regardless of score. Not recommended as it bypasses important filtering.

• Yes (Recommended)

  Blocks spam above a specified score threshold. Recommended settings:

  • Start at 25
  • Can be lowered to 15 for extra filtering
  • Scores below 15 risk false positives

Advanced Configuration

Global Threshold

• High (Recommended)

  The recommended setting. Lower settings are likely to cause false positives. The gap between High Score Block and Global Threshold serves a purpose, even if not easily explained.

Rewrite Subject

• No (Recommended)

  The recommended setting for most users.

• Yes

  A valid choice based on personal preference. Will modify the subject line of emails that hit the Global Threshold but fall below High Score Block.

Spam Delivery

• Don't use attachments (Recommended)

  The recommended setting. Other options may have inconsistent results and this feature may be removed in a future update.

Whitelist and Blacklist

Blacklisted Emails

Add email addresses that should always be marked as spam. Each entry should be on its own line. You can use a wildcard (*) before the @ symbol to match any local part (e.g., *@domain.com matches any email at domain.com). Note that wildcards cannot be used in the domain part.

Whitelisted Emails

Add email addresses that should never be marked as spam. Each entry should be on its own line. You can use a wildcard (*) before the @ symbol to match any local part (e.g., *@domain.com matches any email at domain.com). Note that wildcards cannot be used in the domain part.

Example whitelist entries:

*@steampowered.com    # Matches any email at steampowered.com
jarland@mxroute.com   # Matches only this specific address

Bayes Data

WARNING

We do not use Bayesian learning as it is not effective against modern spam patterns. This feature will be removed from the control panel in a future update.