The University of Saskatchewan has implemented Spam Filtering Software to help reduce the large volume of unsolicited mail (Junk Mail or spam) received. Prior processes filtered up to 100,000 spam messages per day but the need for more sophisticated filtering existed.

Suspect email is held as quarantined spam for review. The U of S Spam filter process works by “scoring” each piece of email and routing the mail based its score. The more “spam-like” the higher it scores. High scoring email is quarantined until it is deleted or released by the user. Low scoring email is delivered to your inbox.

The new process still might allow some spam through but this is a trade off designed to minimize the number of messages incorrectly identified as spam and quarantined.

By using Spam Filtering Software, spam is quarantined before reaching U of S email servers.

The benefits of quarantining spam are as follows:

• Mail delivery, storage, and overall network effectiveness are improved as a result of the reduced mail server loads because quarantined email is stopped before it reaches University email accounts. The end result is more stable and productive e-mail service at the University of Saskatchewan.
• By quarantining email, you still have the opportunity to retrieve any of the messages. Quarantining spam may seem cautious, but the rationale is to help prevent the loss of legitimate messages.

The following servers/accounts will be filtered for Spam or junk email:

• Admin.usask.ca
• Campus.usask.ca
• Mail.usask.ca
• Sask.usask.ca or Skyway
• E-mail aliases

All members of the U of S community are given mail.usask.ca accounts. If your current email account is not listed above and you want your mail filtered for spam you can either use the mail.usask.ca account or create an alias to personalize your address.

In this section

• Spam Filter Process
• Spam Blocking
• Releasing a Quarantined Message

Spam Filter Process

The spam filter process works as follows:

1. All incoming e-mail sent from non-ICT servers is scanned by the filtering software.

Please Note: Mail sent from one ICT Server to another ICT Server will not be filtered.

2. The filtering software analyzes the e-mail according to rules that are updated daily and assigns each message a "score."

3. The score of the message is used as indicated below:

• If score is below 60 the message is delivered to your Inbox.
• If score is between 60 and 100 the message is put into quarantine.

4. Daily you are sent an e-mail called a "Quarantine Digest" which outlines all of your e-mail that was placed in quarantine.

5. You may choose to release quarantined messages.

Spam Blocking

ICT subscribes to MAPS (Mail Abuse Prevent System), a spam blocking/relay-block service that blocks e-mail from known spamming sites.