Coping with Email Spam

Using Webmail Direct to Filter/Delete Unwanted Messages

The filtering capabilities of Webmail Direct can be used to delete unsolicited and unwanted email messages — i.e., "junk" mail or "spam". This document describes how.

• Deleting Messages Based on Rules You Specify
• Organizing Messages in Folders to Isolate Unwanted Mail
• Reordering, Modifying, and Deleting Filters

Notes:

• Message filters can also be used to organize your messages in folders. Deleting unwanted messages is only one example of how the filtering tool might be used.
• When you define filters using Webmail Direct, they are defined at the server level. For faculty and staff who also use an email client such as Netscape Mail or Microsoft Outlook, this means you need define IMAP filters only once (rather than on each computer used to access your email). To filter messages to local folders, it will still be necessary to define filters on the local computer.

Deleting Messages Based on Rules You Specify

To delete messages based on rules you specify, do the following.

1. Choose Options from the links menu.
2. On the "Options: Automatic Reply" screen click the Message Filters link.
3. On the "Options: Message Filters" screen, specify Filter Conditions:
   • Use the drop down menu to stipulate whether ANY or ALL of the conditions must be met.

For example, to delete messages from a number of different sources and containing various subject lines, you'll probably want to choose "Match ANY of the following" (as shown in Figure 1, below). Choose "Match ALL of the following" when you want to refine the specifications — to include exceptions to the rule, for example (as shown in Figure 2, below).

• Make a selection from the first drop-down menu that initially displays "From". From this menu you can specify which component of the email message you want tested by the message filter. Similarly, make a selection from the drop-down menu that initially displays "contains". From this menu you can specify how the filter is to test the message component previously defined. In the text box to the right of the drop-down menus enter the text that defines what the filter is testing.

For example, to delete all messages coming from a sender called "Greatest Specials", the first drop-down menu would display Subject; the second drop-down menu would display contains; and in the text field Greatest Specials would be entered.

• To include additional filter conditions use one or more of the remaining sets of drop-down menus and text boxes.

For example, to also redirect messages with a subject line containing the phrase "HUGE VOLUME TODAY" to the Trash folder, the first drop-down menu would display Subject; the second drop-down menu would display contains; and in the text field HUGE VOLUME TODAY would be entered.

5. Next specify Filter Actions. For example, to delete messages that meet the conditions specified, select (click) Discard.

   WARNING: Be very careful with the Discard selection, however, as discarded messages will be irrevocably lost.

6. Finally, click the OK button.

Examples

Two examples of filter rules for deleting unwanted messages are shown in Figures 1 and 2 (below).

In Figure 1, the filter conditions and actions specify that if the sender portion of an incoming email message contains the phrase "Greatest Specials" or if the subject portion of an incoming message contains the phrase "HUGE VOLUME TODAY", the message is to be discarded.

FIGURE 1. Filtering Example in Which Any of the Conditions May Be Met

Figure 2 illustrates a message filter in which all conditions must be met before an incoming message is discarded. You may want to filter out all unrequested sales pitches but still receive messages from someone you know whose surname is Sales. In the example shown the filter conditions specify that if the sender portion of an incoming email message contains the word sales AND the sender of the message isn't (does not contain) csales@csun.edu, the message is to be discarded.

FIGURE 2. Filtering Example in Which All Conditions Must be Met

Organizing Message in Folders to Isolate Unwanted Mail

Rather than deleting mail from a number of distinct sources, you can use another filtering approach to retain messages from known legitimate sources in your inbox (and/or other folders) while filtering everything else into a separate folder. Using this method, you can easily see those messages you know you want to look at. Then, at your leisure, you can peruse the folder containing what may be junk mail — and you can delete all unwanted messages. If you find legitimate messages in the folder, you may want to refine your filters, so that subsequent messages from the same source won't be filed in the "potentially-junk folder".

Note: Before you define filters to move mail to specific folders, be sure to create the folders you want to use. See the "Using Folders to Organize Messages" section of the Webmail Direct training guide for instructions.

Examples

Following the instructions for creating a filter as outlined above, you might set criteria as follows.

• If the only mail you want to read is likely to come from a CSUN campus source, you can specify:

  Filter Conditions — If any of these conditions are met: the SENDER of the message DOES NOT CONTAIN csun.edu

  Filter Actions — MOVE TO Not CSUN

• If the only mail you want to read is likely to come from an American university, you can specify:

  Filter Conditions — If any of these conditions are met: the SENDER of the message DOES NOT CONTAIN .edu

  Filter Actions — MOVE TO Not EDU

• If you are already filtering messages into folders by topic, sender, or some other organizing principle, you might add one of the above as a final filter.

Redordering, Modifying, and Deleting Filters

Filters are automatically organized in the order they are created, and they are applied in the order shown starting with #1. To reorder the filters you've created use the arrows in the Order column. A list of filters is shown in Figure 3, below.

FIGURE 3. Sample Filter List

To modify an existing filter, click the the pencil icon next to the filter to be modified in the Edit column of the Message Filters list (see Figure 3, above). Make the desired changes on the Editing Filter screen and then click the OK button.

To delete a filter, click the X-mark next to the filter to be deleted in the Delete column of the Message Filters list (see Figure 3, above).

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August 14, 2003

Prepared by Gail Said Johnson, User Support Services

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