Junk email filtering - Update 4
07 Apr 2017
This week we've completed the configuration of the new junk email filtering system and it is now starting to examine all the email University staff receive
For background information, please see the previous StaffNet articles:
- Increase in offensive junk email (10 March)
- Update 1 (17 March)
- Update 2 (24 March)
- Update 3 (31 March)
We built up its initial database from samples of junk emails the University had previously received, and will continue to add to that as new junk emails are submitted. Before they even reach our filters, messages containing known viruses are refused, and those remaining emails are submitted to the filtering system for evaluation before being delivered to staff mailboxes. Currently, approximately 400,000 emails per day are being processed by our staff email service, with 7% of those identified as junk.
As no automatic system is 100% accurate, we’re also changing the way staff notify us of junk emails that haven’t been identified correctly. Any emails submitted by this method will be added into the new system, increasing its accuracy over time and improving its speed of response to new forms of junk email. This means that staff feedback is encouraged, as it will lead directly to further improvements in junk email detection.
If you have been affected by a significant increase of junk messages, you should begin to see an improvement as our system gets better at identifying emails that you don’t want in your inbox. However, this may take some time to come to full effect, and we will continue to monitor the service closely, tweaking it as necessary to improve performance.
We'll issue the next update before the end of the day on Thursday 13 April, in which we hope to advertise the new and easy method for staff to submit all forms of junk email.
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