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What is SpamAssassin and what are its rules?
What is SpamAssassin and what are its rules?

A tool that protects your mailbox from spam and dangerous messages.

Ilona Srebnicka avatar
Written by Ilona Srebnicka
Updated over a week ago

What is SpamAssassin?

SpamAssassin is a tool used to analyze the content of emails. It helps users protect their mailboxes from an avalanche of unwanted and potentially dangerous messages. The message analysis takes place before the widget is delivered to the inboxes of end recipients.

Its goal is to combat unwanted emails, commonly known as spam.

How does SpamAssassin work and where is it located?

SpamAssassin is an automatic spam filtering program that analyzes emails and assigns points to them based on various criteria. This program is located on inbox mail servers. The more points, the more likely the message is spam.

Each provider (e.g. Gmail, Yahoo) has its own rules and algorithms for filtering messages and assigning points in spam classification. Information on the mechanisms of SpamAssassins is not disclosed.

What are the tasks of SpamAssassin?

  1. Analysis of message headers and content
    SpamAssassin analyzes the headers and contents of messages, looking for characteristic features of spam. This may include suspicious phrases, improperly formatted headers, or hidden links.

  2. Using Bayesian rules, or analyzing user behavior

    The program uses Bayesian technique, learning from a user's previous decisions. The more messages a user marks as spam or non-spam, the better SpamAssassin adjusts its filters.

  3. Checking blacklists and whitelists

    SpamAssassin uses databases containing IP addresses, domains or phrases that are commonly associated with spam or, on the contrary, are considered harmless messages. This helps to quickly identify the source of potential problems.

  4. Verification of sending domains and IP addresses.

    The program verifies that the sending domains are genuine and are not used to hide the real source of the e-mail. It also evaluates whether the IPs from which messages are sent are not being used to send spam.

  5. Detection of unwanted links

    The program analyzes the content of messages for suspicious links that may lead to phishing sites or contain malware.


Need additional help?

If you have questions about the deliverability of your emails, please contact us at hello@edrone.me

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