FAQ – Enhanced Junk Email Filtering System

Pair Networks has greatly enhanced its junk email filtering system. These features are available for all Pair Networks customers at no extra charge.

These features include such technologies such as greylisting and email virus
scanning.

You can modify your junk email filter settings for greylisting, SpamAssassin, email virus scanning, and other junk email filter features using the Account Control Center (ACC). Follow the steps below to modify junk email filter settings:

1. Log into the ACC (https://my.pair.com).
2. Click E-mail Management.
3. Click Junk E-Mail Filter Settings (under the heading General E-Mail Settings).
4. Modify or enable junk email filter settings.
5. Click Commit Changes.

Other advanced junk email filtering option settings are accessible via the "Junk EMail Options for Advanced Users" page.

All customers are able to take advantage of these junk email filter features at no extra charge.

Pair Networks junk email filter system is made up of a combination of open-source software and custom-built technologies that, in testing, has shown to dramatically decrease the amount of junk email people receive (up to a 90% reduction if all features are enabled).

Here are some of the features of our newly improved junk email filter system:

• Separate server configuration -- email is filtered before it even reaches your account server!
• SpamAssassin -- a powerful junk email filter
• Greylisting -- a new approach to decreasing the amount of junk emails
• E-Mail Virus Scanning -- utilizing a sophisticated email virus scanner, Clam AntiVirus
• Spamhaus DNSBL -- a real-time "blacklist" to block email addresses that send junk emails and reject junk email messages from these addresses

The only new feature turned "ON" by default for all mailboxes or recipes that you have junk email filtering enabled is greylisting. Email virus scanning (Clam AntiVirus) and Spamhaus DNSBL blocking must be turned on manually via the junk email filter settings and junk email filter advanced options pages of the EMail Management section in the Account Control Center (ACC).

No. You must enable junk email filtering for your mailboxes and recipes. Only then will you be able to take advantage of the many junk email filtering features Pair Networks has to offer.

Enabling junk email filtering for a mailbox or recipe means that the SpamAssassin application will be enabled at its default level. Enabling or disabling other junk email filter features can be completed via the Account Control Center.

Greylisting is the name of a method that is used to reduce the delivery of junk email but allow legitimate email messages to be delivered.

Greylisting looks at the IP address of the sender and the recipient address. If the system does not recognize this information, then it will temporarily reject the email. All legitimate email systems will attempt to resend the email at a later time, and the email will go through.

Most applications that send junk email just send junk email messages once and do not attempt to resend them. These junk email applications use the "fire-and-forget" method, which means that if the junk emailer was unsuccessful at sending junk email to a particular email address, the application will not try to resend that email message.

Greylisting does not delete legitimate email messages. All legitimate emails will go through using greylisting. The only potential effect greylisting may have for Pair Networks customers is a slight delay in the delivery of legitimate email messages.

However, these delays can be avoided by adding email addresses to your "Accepted Addresses" list. Any email address in your "Accepted Addresses" list will not be subjected to greylisting. In addition, if you do experience a delay with a certain email address, you usually will not experience that delay again over the next 30-day period.

DNSBL stands for Domain Name System-based Blackhole List. A DNSBL lists IP addresses, usually those that have been observed by the list operator to send junk emails, that are used by applications to decrease the delivery of junk emails.

These lists are developed by third-party entities and are not supported or maintained by Pair Networks. However, we give you the option of using particular DNSBLs, which may reduce the amount of junk emails you receive.

Pair Networks allows you to enable SpamAssassin's DNSBLs that SpamAssassin uses for junk email scoring. SpamAssassin uses a scoring system to determine what email is junk email and which email messages are legitimate.

Our junk email filtering system also allows you to use the DNSBL called Spamhaus SBL-XBL (see spamhaus.org for more information) to reject junk email messages and to block those addresses that send junk email. If you wish to use DNSBLs, you will have to turn it on manually on the Junk E-mail Filter Advanced Settings page in the Account Control Center.

These features do not cost you anything. Junk email filtering is a free service to help protect our customers from unwanted junk email and viruses.

You do not have to take advantage of any of these new features. You can simply visit the Global Junk E-Mail Filter Settings page and the Junk E-Mail Filtering Options for Advanced Users page in the Account Control Center and turn "ON" or "OFF" these junk email filter features.

In regards to our junk email filtering features, only greylisting is turned "ON" by default. The other features, such as email virus scanning, must be turned on manually.

However, when you first enable junk email filtering for a mailbox, recipe, your Main Account Mailbox, or Global E-Mail Delivery Settings, then SpamAssassin is automatically enabled at its default setting.

Yes. We strongly recommend that you use other anti-virus software to protect you from viruses, spyware, and other potentially harmful applications. Pair Networks uses the open-source software, Clam AntiVirus, to scan emails for viruses. You can obtain viruses in many different ways and need to use other anti-virus software to protect yourself from viruses.

Pair Networks is not responsible for the harm computer viruses may do to our customers' systems. We are also not responsible for the effectiveness of any third-party anti-virus software.

Any email address you currently have in your "Accepted Addresses" list, also called a "whitelist," exempts email from certain email addresses from being junk filtered. These "whitelisted" email addresses will automatically bypass greylisting, SpamAssassin, and all other junk filtering features. However, even email sent from whitelisted email addresses will be scanned for viruses.

Pair Networks' junk email filter system will automatically reject any email messages sent from email addresses on your "Addresses to Mark as 'Junk'" list, which is also known as a "blacklist."

If you have an email address on both lists, our system will treat that email address as if it was not on either list, thereby ensuring email sent from those addresses will be processed through our junk email filtering system.

If you have any questions regarding these junk email filter features, you can contact our support specialists at support@pair.com.