[FQuest Announce] More SpamAssassin Options!

[Deb]

FutureQuest has added the following new suite of features to the SpamAssassin setup section within each full package CNC.

Upon visiting your CNC and clicking into the Email Manager to gain access to the SpamAssassin Filtering Options, you will find the new Optional SpamAssassin Configurations section within the Spamassassin Edit/Setup section.

Optional SpamAssassin Configurations provide you with even more control over how SpamAssassin behaves. Within this section you are given the ability to control some of the changes made to the original message by SpamAssassin. Details for each of these settings is provided below. Insert spam report in the message header rather than the message body

As most of you have seen by now, when SpamAssassin tags a message as spam, it places a report into the email. This report shows why the message was tagged, by listing the test results that added to the overall score for this message. By default this report is placed at the top of the body of the message. With this new option you can choose to have the report placed inside of the message headers instead.

This feature is especially helpful for those who report spam to places such as SpamCop and/or who may receive a larger amount of tagged emails for which they prefer to respond to without having to 'clean the email' first. Note, if you place the spam report in the message headers you will not be able to see the report unless you choose to view the message headers within your email client.

Use short report format

The default report format includes extra explanatory content as well as extra formatting that highlight parts of the report. By selecting the short report format, you will still receive a complete report; however, the report will be condensed and the extra formatting highlights will be removed.

Do not change the Content-type

By default, SpamAssassin changes the Content-type: header of suspected spam to "text/plain". This is a safety feature, to protect against malicious javascript and virusses. In some cases, this will change the format of the message itself, making it difficult to read the original message, if it contained special encoding or was formatted in HTML. If you do not want SpamAssassin to change the Content-type header, checking this new option will prevent it from doing so.

Do not tag email subject line

By default, Tagged Messages include a Subject Tag within the Subject of the email. For those who do not want SpamAssassin to add a Subject Tag to the email, checking this new option is the answer. All of the above options are already available to you for use within each Site Owner's full package CNC.

You may investigate, test, and use as desired immediately!

Enjoy!!!

The entire FutureQuest Team :QTpaint:

:QTsanta: I just know Santa likes us best!
If he didn't he wouldn't have visited us first this year!

[LightGuide]

Perfect!

[dank]

By default, SpamAssassin changes the Content-type: header of suspected spam to "text/plain". This is a safety feature, to protect against malicious javascript and virusses. In some cases, this will change the format of the message itself, making it difficult to read the original message, if it contained special encoding or was formatted in HTML.
I wouldn't mind having this done on all email, spam or otherwise... Although, with the SpamAssassin filtering in place, most of my much-disliked HTML email is being rooted out regardless.

Dan

[Randall]

You might be getting more HTML mail than you think, Dan. Any time someone uses bold or italics, or changes the font, it's being sent as HTML. It ain't just the spammers using it.

Randall

[dank]

I'm well aware of that, actually. In my experience, rarely are such messages worth reading or responding to. Fancy formatting and a lack of substance seem to go hand in hand...

Dan

[LightGuide]

My first wife was like that.

[Jeff]

Hey!

I like html for sending text for sending message which fit to screen instead of wrapping and for sending text to others that they'll copy and paste as desired (sure I could attach a text file, but it's faster to just have it right there). I also like the ability to annotate pictures inline, both for instructions (step 1, step 2, step 3) and for drawings and pictures so the caption is right with the image/drawing.

--a tip for bandwidth savings? do a website with .txt files instead of html :P

[kitchin]

Actually, I think base64 encoded mail is more of a problem:
...
Content-Type: text/plain
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
...
X-Spam-Prev-Content-Type: text/html
X-Spam-Prev-Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64

SPAM: -------------------- Start SpamAssassin results ----------------------
SPAM: This mail is probably spam. The original message has been altered
...
SPAM: -------------------- End of SpamAssassin results ---------------------

PGh0bWw+DQo8aGVhZD48dGl0bGU+PC90aXRsZT48L2hlYWQ+DQo8Ym9keSBiZ2Nvb G9yPSIj
RkZGRkYiPg0KPHRhYmxlIGJvcmRlcj0wIGFsaWduPSJjZW50ZXIiIHdpZHRoPTgwJ T4NCjx0
...


SpamAssassin changes the encoding, which makes the message unintelligible. I don't know how the new SA options affect base64. Most, if not all, base64 mail is spam anyway.

As for html mail, I find Eudora will still format it after SA has changed it to text/plain.
...
Content-Type: text/plain
...
X-Spam-Prev-Content-Type: text/html; charset="US-ASCII"

SPAM: -------------------- Start SpamAssassin results ----------------------
SPAM: This mail is probably spam. The original message has been altered
...
SPAM: -------------------- End of SpamAssassin results ---------------------

<html>
<head>
<title>Untitled Document</title>
...

My idea for a processor filter to remove html is just to change all <>& to []*, in that order. Easy in perl, except you'd have to make sure to skip the headers.

[Randall]

After years of resistance, I'm using HTML now where appropriate -- it's too useful when I'm trying to explain things to a client. And everyone I know is using an HTML-enabled MUA now; it was the compatibility question more than anything else that held me back for so long.
As for html mail, I find Eudora will still format it after SA has changed it to text/plain. Bummer. I was hoping I could safely open the tagged mail to see what SA had flagged, without worrying about web bugs and related vermin.

Or maybe it's the spammers who qualify as vermin. :bang:

Randall

; I've been using Eudora for years, and I'm still not sure I like it

[John Kennett]

I've been busy with other things recently, so I missed the original announcement a couple of weeks ago. One of my users has recently been deluged with spam, so I thought I'd take some time to finally look at getting the EFM up and running for him.

What do I find? You've gone and done all the hard work for me, and I've stamped out the problem in a few clicks.

Thanks!http://www.click-smilie.de/sammlung/grinser/grinser003.gif

John