How to Adjust Email Spam Filter Settings

AISweb hosting includes Apache SpamAssassin, a powerful spam filtering system that automatically scans your incoming emails. You can customise the spam filter settings through cPanel to better suit your needs.

Accessing Spam Filter Settings

1. Log in to your cPanel account (see our guide on how to login to cPanel)

2. Scroll down to the Email section

3. Click on Spam Filters (or Apache SpamAssassin)

Enabling or Disabling SpamAssassin

By default, SpamAssassin is enabled on all AISweb hosting accounts. However, you can toggle it on or off:

1. On the Spam Filters page, you'll see the current status

2. Click Enable Apache SpamAssassin or Disable Apache SpamAssassin as needed

3. Wait a few moments for the changes to take effect

Adjusting Spam Score Threshold

The spam score determines how aggressively emails are filtered. A lower score means stricter filtering:

1. Click Configure Apache SpamAssassin

2. Look for the required_score setting (default is usually 5.0)

3. Lower the score (e.g., 3.0) for stricter filtering

4. Increase the score (e.g., 7.0) for more lenient filtering

5. Click Save to apply your changes

Tip: If you're receiving too much spam, try lowering the score to 3.0 or 4.0. If legitimate emails are being marked as spam, increase it to 6.0 or 7.0.

Creating Custom Spam Filter Rules

You can create custom rules to whitelist or blacklist specific email addresses or domains:

Whitelisting Email Addresses

1. In the SpamAssassin configuration, scroll down to find the rules section

2. Add a new rule with: whitelist_from emailaddress@example.com

3. Replace emailaddress@example.com with the address you want to whitelist

4. Click Save

Blacklisting Email Addresses

1. Add a new rule with: blacklist_from emailaddress@example.com

2. Replace emailaddress@example.com with the address you want to block

3. Click Save

Managing Spam with Email Filters

For more advanced spam management, you can use cPanel's Email Filters to automatically handle suspected spam:

1. In cPanel, go to Email Filters

2. Select the email account you want to configure

3. Click Create a New Filter

4. Set up a rule such as: If "Spam Status" "contains" "Yes", Then "Deliver to folder" and select "spam" or "Junk"

5. Click Create to activate the filter

Note: Always check your spam folder regularly to ensure legitimate emails aren't being incorrectly filtered.

Testing Your Spam Filter

After adjusting your settings:

• Monitor your inbox for a few days to see if the changes improve filtering

• Check your spam/junk folder for false positives

• Adjust the spam score threshold if needed

Need Help?

If you're still experiencing issues with spam or need assistance configuring your spam filters, please contact our support team.