Anti-Spam
Barracuda Spam Firewall
In an effort to reduce the amount of unsolicited e-mail, viruses, and spyware, TTUHSC IT has introduced a spam firewall service from Barracuda Networks. Utilizing both hardware and software configurations, the service offers multiple layers of defense including anti-spam, anti-virus, anti-denial-of-service and other defenses to protect the TTUHSC email system from attack.
By default, the service is designed to offer a high level of protection with little or no action from the TTUHSC email user. However, a number of options are available that allow you to optimize the service it provides.
The primary level of protection is maintained by Barracuda Networks in the form of a reputation-based blacklist. This is a list of IP addresses known for continuous spam traffic and is updated on a regular basis by Barracuda Networks.
Although the spam firewall service will prevent a majority of spam, based on the standard default configuration, an additional level of protection can be enabled to allow the service to become more aggressive in combating spam. Enabling the Quarantine and setting more aggressive scoring levels will help tag potential spam or divert it to the Quarantine.
To access your Barracuda Spam Firewall Quarantine and Preferences, enter your eRaider username and password at https://spammgr.ttuhsc.edu. Click on the Preference tab and the Quarantine Settings heading. Under Quarantine Enable/Disable, choose Yes to Enable Quarantine then click Save Changes. Next, click on the Spam Settings heading. Under Spam Scoring, choose No to not Use System Defaults. Set the score values as follows, Tag: 4, Quarantine: 6, Block: 9, click Save Changes, then Log Off.
You can set how often you are notified whenever email is quarantined in your Barracuda Spam Firewall Preferences. Quarantined messages older than 30 days are automatically deleted. It is recommended that you check your Quarantine once a week to prevent wanted email from being lost.
To access your Quarantine, click the Quarantine Inbox tab. Select email that IS NOT spam then click Classify As Not Spam. If you wish to whitelist the sender, click Whitelist. Otherwise, just click Deliver. Select email that IS spam, click Classify As Spam then Delete.
The next level of protection involves a user specific blacklist and whitelist.
- The blacklist contains email addresses and domains from which mail is never accepted. Any attempt to deliver a message from a blacklisted source will result in an auto-reply to the offender's ISP or server noting that the message has been blocked.
- The whitelist contains email addresses and domains from which mail is always accepted.
- Blacklisting or whitelisting a domain will result in blocking or allowing all mail from that domain, not just specific email addresses.
- If an email address or domain is both blacklisted and whitelisted, mail from that source will still be delivered. Whitelisting always takes precedence over blacklisting.
A combination of these three levels involves spam scoring and tagging. The spam firewall includes a system that grades mail on its potential of being spam, using numerous known classifications, analysis techniques and databases. The higher the score assigned to a message, the more likely it is spam. Depending on the grade level settings, a message can be tagged with [Suspected Spam] in the subject line of the message, quarantined or blocked completely.
To improve its ability to classify spam, the spam firewall includes a learning engine that is trained by flagging emails as Spam and Not Spam. A Microsoft Outlook plug-in has been created to make flagging email easier and more convenient. Most using Outlook will find an additional toolbar with two new icons, a green envelope with a check mark, and a red envelope with an X. The green icon is the 'Not Spam' function, and the red icon is the 'Spam' function. Not Spam updates your personal spam filter with the information that this type of email is not spam. Optionally, it can automatically add the sender to your whitelist. Spam updates your personal spam filter with the information that this type of email is spam and deletes the email.
To effectively train the engine it is recommended that you classify at least 200 messages as Spam and 200 messages as Not Spam. The whitelist generated by the plug-in and the classifications made by the user (Spam / Not Spam) only affect the user's individual database and not a global database. The Outlook plug-in automatically creates and maintains a personalized whitelist based on certain user actions.
Once installed, the plug-in automatically adds to the whitelist:
- The recipient address within each message sent by the user. This only occurs for non-TTUHSC.EDU email messages.
- The sender's email address for messages that the user classifies as Not Spam (optional).
- Any email address the user adds to their Contact List in Outlook.
All mail originating from the TTUHSC domain is automatically exempt from the spam firewall service. It is not necessary to whitelist or flag as Not Spam any mail originating from within the TTUHSC domain (@ttuhsc.edu).
In addition to the toolbar, a Spam Firewall tab is added to the Outlook options menu. Here, a few actions can be changed and statistics are displayed as well.
The IT Help Desk will gladly assist users in managing their blacklist, whitelist, scoring levels, quarantine list and other spam firewall preferences. Click Here to submit a work order requesting the change you wish to make or call the TTUHSC IT Help Desk at (806) 743-2875. Users may also Click Here to manage their lists and preferences directly online. Enter your eRaider username and password to login. An FAQ page is also available to address common questions and concerns regarding the spam firewall service.