Portal Home > Knowledgebase > SpamFilter Gateway > What are methods used to categorize spam emails?
By using all the best methods to block spam, SpamFilter provides comprehansive spam-blocking and and anti-virus protection for your company. Below are the primary algorithms we employ to block spam. We generally target approximately 99% blockage.
Blacklisting of websites & domains: SpamFilter maintain an up to date list of the largest and most aggressive known spammers. This list is maintained by both SpamFilter and other anti-spam groups. This list is automatically updated on each SpamFilter Spam Firewall.
Keyword scanning of emails: Our scanning methods include a scoring system such that emails are scored based on a number of criteria. If the score is above a threshold, then that email is flagged as spam. The SpamFilter team constantly monitors and updates these keywords based on current activity so there is virtually no lost messages.
Checksum technology: SpamFilter monitors email traffic through the Internet and uses checksum technology to keep track of the number of times a particular message has appeared on the Internet. If a message has appeared over a certain number of times, it is categorized as known spam. Checksums of known spam messages are utilized by Spamfilter to block spam messages.
Message authenticity checking: Several algorithms are utilized to verify the authenticity of a message. Some of these are simple checks to verify that the "from address" is authentic. Some are more complex relating to SMTP protocol.
Blacklists and Whitelists: Domains, IP's, and email addresses can be blocked or whitelisted (allow through).
Rate controls: Utilized to stop denial of service attacks as well as dictionary based spam attacks. These attachments are also scanned using the built-in Anti-Virus protection.
File type attachment blocking: Known malicious file types are blocked from entering your e-mail. These attachments are also scanned using the built-in Anti-Virus protection.
Anti-Virus Protection: In addition to anti-spam protection, SpamFilter provides protection against e-mail based threat such as malicious viruses and worms, which is where 95%+ of the viruses originate. This additional measure it built-in to our service and updates on a hourly basis to ensure the latest definitions are in place.
Add to Favourites 
Print this Article
