TECHS User Support Services


HSC SPAM Information

Last year the Health Sciences Library and Informatics Center (HSLIC), UNMH, and UNM Information Technology Services (ITS) worked together to implement GroupWise for UNM main campus, and we are again collaborating to fight spam. Our HSC GroupWise Team is working with UNM ITS in a truly collaborative effort to reduce the amount of spam that makes it into your mailbox. We think that you will appreciate the results!

Several months ago HSLIC, UNMH, and UNM ITS technicians began investigating the feasibility of switching email spam filtering services from GWAVA to the system managed by ITS (Sophos). After considering cost, risk and potential benefit, the team began to conduct real-world testing of Sophos by redirected incoming salud.unm.edu email through it. We carefully monitored these tests and the system’s architecture for several weeks. It has not had any impact on performance or stability.

Based on rigorous log file analysis and generous feedback from volunteer testers, it was clear that moving to the Sophos system would benefit everyone. The HSC Knowledge Management and Information Technology (KMIT) Operations Council and UNM IT Managers Council were briefed on these findings, and both groups support moving forward with this project

On August 1, 2007, the ITS Sophos system will be put into service for all HSC GroupWise accounts. Here is what is what HSC GroupWise account holders need to know:

Q) Will I still get a GWAVA Digest?
A) No, your last GWAVA Digest will be sent about 24 hours after GWAVA scanning is turned off on August 1st.

Q) Will I still be able to release email from GWAVA Digests that I already have?
A) GWAVA Digest release will be available for 30 days from the date of the actual digest.

Q) What do I do if suspect that the new Sophos system is blocking email sent to me?
A) First, check your Junk Mail settings and insure that you are not accidently blocking the email. Next, do a Find in GroupWise to insure that it is not somewhere else in your mailbox. If you are sure that the email is not misplaced or accidently blocked by your Junk Mail settings, then contact the Helpdesk. They will need to know the email address of the sender along with approximately when the message was sent. A member of the GroupWise support team will then contact you.

Q) What do I do if I continue to receive excessive amounts of spam?
A) Contact the Helpdesk, and a member of the GroupWise support team will then contact you.

Q) What exactly is this new system?
A) The system is called Sophos' PureMessage. It runs on three separate Linux servers that are housed at UNM ITS.

Q) I am on the user exception list for GWAVA. Is there a similar list for Sophos?
A) No, extensive testing has determined that exception lists will no longer be needed or supported.

Q) Is there a way to see how the system scored individual emails for spam?
A) Yes. Click on the Message Source tab of an external email and look for this line "X-PerlMx-Spam: Gauge=IIIIIIII, Probability=8%", this would indicate the email had a score of 8%. Email with a score of 78% or higher is blocked.

Q) Will Sophos eliminate spam?
A) No, some spam will always get through. However, we expect the amount of spam that makes it to your mailbox will be significantly reduced.

All testing to date suggests that moving to Sophos will reduce spam, and users will not need to retrieve blocked messages or manually register exceptions. Sophos is configured to be permissive, so legitimate mail should not be blocked. While this strategy means that some spam will still get through, most users should see a significant reduction.

UNM ITS has been a terrific partner, and we are hopeful that Sophos will eliminate some of the frustration caused by GWAVA's limitations. If you have questions or concerns about the project please contact the Help Desk that supports your department.

For specific questions about this project, please contact Barney Metzner, Manager, IT Systems. BMetzner@salud.unm.edu