How to adjust Spam Filter Settings in cPanel
For our Shared and Reseller hosting we include the Spam Experts mail filter. For other hosting, you can follow the instructions for Spam Assassin.
Spam Experts
Step 1 - Log into cPanel and click on Professional Spam Filter under Email.
Step 2 - Choose the domain or subdomain you want to access the spam settings for and click Login:
Step 3 - Click on the Filter settings icon under Incoming - Protection Settings.
An explanation of the available settings is below:
Quarantine enabled - This option will enable or disable the quarantine system. If you disable the quarantine system, emails detected as spam will not be kept in the quarantine system but will be delivered to your email server. This only affects "Possible Spam" and does not disable the entire spam filter.
Quarantine threshold - This option adjusts the minimum score that a message must receive in order to be classified as spam. The score ranges from 0.0 (certainly not spam) to 1.0 (certainly spam). The default threshold is 0.5.
Beneficial to train threshold: - This option adjusts the score that a message must receive in order to be classified as unsure, which will flag the email but still allow it to pass through the filter. The score ranges from 0.0 (certainly not spam) to 1.0 (certainly spam).
Sender checks - Choose whether or not to check SPF / DKIM / DMARC records when checking for spam (click here for an explanation on what DKIM / SPF / DMARC do).
Skip maximum line length check - This option will enable or disable the Maximum line length check. There are strict regulations on allowed line length in emails, which are automatically enforced by the email software. Some applications or badly developed scripts do not adhere to the official specifications thereby exceeding the maximum allowed line-length. We recommend to leave this unticked.
Beneficial to train notation - This option allows you to insert text within the Subject of all emails marked as Unsure. You could then create a rule in your email application to search for the provided text for incoming emails and move them to a specific folder for review.
Quarantine response - This options allows you to choose whether Spam Experts will tell the sending server whether the message was Accepted or Rejected when it is quarantined.
Click on the Save button to save the changes you made.
Spam Assassin
Step 1 - Log into cPanel and click on Spam Filters under Email.
Step 2 - Ensure the 'Process New Emails and Mark them as Spam' option is enabled, along with the 'Move New Spam to a Separate Folder' option. If necessary you can also automatically delete emails flagged as spam, but this isn't recommended.
Step 3 - Adjust the 'Spam Threshold Score' as necessary. This option adjusts the minimum score that a message must receive in order to be classified as spam. The score ranges from 0 (certainly not spam) to 10 (certainly spam). The default threshold is 5. You can also modify the Auto-Delete Threshold in the same way.
If you are receiving too many spam emails, try setting the score to 4, or alternatively if too many legitimate emails are being flagged as spam, try setting the score to 6.
