SpamAssassin

SpamAssassin is a powerful open-source tool designed to filter out spam emails. Developed by the Apache Software Foundation, it helps users manage their inboxes by identifying and blocking unsolicited bulk emails.

How SpamAssassin Works

SpamAssassin employs various techniques to detect spam. It analyzes incoming emails using methods such as:

• Header and Text Analysis: It examines the content and metadata of emails to identify patterns typical of spam.
• Bayesian Filtering: This statistical method evaluates the likelihood that an email is spam based on previous user interactions.
• DNS Blocklists: It checks if the sender’s IP address is listed on known spam databases.
• Collaborative Filtering: This approach uses data from multiple users to improve spam detection accuracy.

When an email is processed, SpamAssassin assigns a score based on these analyses. If the score exceeds a certain threshold (commonly set at 5), the email is flagged as spam. This scoring system allows users to customize their sensitivity settings according to their needs.

Install SpamAssasin

To install SpamAssasin on Ubuntu, run

apt update
apt-get install spamassassin spamc -y

To update rules, run

sa-update

Configuration files located at

/etc/spamassassin/local.cf

To stop/start SpamAssasin

systemctl start spamassassin
systemctl stop spamassassin
systemctl restart spamassassin

White List a Sender

To whitelist a sender, edit /etc/spamassassin/local.cf, add

whitelist_from *@serverok.in
whitelist_from [email protected]

Restart spamassasin

systemctl restart spamassassin

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