Filtering e-mail with Outlook 2002

We are adding headers to mail messages which we think are spam:

For reliably detected spam:
X-CU-Spam: by clyde: reason it is spam
For spam detected by a new program under test:
X-CU-Test-Spam: by clyde: reason it is spam
For spam score calculated by SpamAssasin:
X-CU-Score-Spam: by clyde: spamassassin: 13 (*************)
For spam source listed by a DNSBL:
X-CU-DNSBL: by clyde: DNSBL: (some-IP-address by some-list)

You can filter messages tagged with any of the above-mentioned headers out of your regular mail stream, using the filter capability in your e-mail software. Anti-spam guinea-pigs should filter on X-CU-Test-Spam, in particular.

Here's how to set up mail filters on our special headers, in Outlook 2002.

From the Outlook 2002 menu, click "Tool".
Select Rules Wizards.
FIRST RULE (to catch X-CU-Spam):
- Select New (right side).
- Select Template "Move message based on content", click Next.
- In the top half of the resulting window:
  - Unselect "with specific words in the subject or body"
  - Select "with specific words in the message header"
- In the bottom half of the resulting window:
  - Click on "specific words"
  - In the new window, under "specify a word or phrase to search for in the message header", type in:
    X-CU-Spam: by
  - Click on "specified folder"
  - In the new window with the list of folders:
    - Click on "New..."
    - Give the new folder a name ("Spam")
    - Click on "OK"
- You are back in the two-part window; at the bottom, click "Next"
- Exceptions: enter them if any (probably not!), and click "Next"
- Make sure that "Turn on this rule" is checked (it should be), then click "Finish"
SECOND RULE (to catch X-CU-Test-Spam) (Guinea-pigs only!):
- Select New (right side).
- Select Template "Move message based on content", click Next.
- In the top half of the resulting window:
  - Unselect "with specific words in the subject or body"
  - Select "with specific words in the message header"
- In the bottom half of the resulting window:
  - Click on "specific words"
  - In the new window, under "specify a word or phrase to search for in the message header", type in:
    X-CU-Test-Spam: by
  - Click on "specified folder"
  - In the new window with the list of folders:
    - Click on "New..."
    - Give the new folder a name ("Test Spam")
    - Click on "OK"
- You are back in the two-part window; at the bottom, click "Next"
- Exceptions: enter them if any (probably not!), and click "Next"
- Make sure that "Turn on this rule" is checked (it should be), then click "Finish"
THIRD RULE (to catch X-CU-Score-Spam):
- Select New (right side).
- Select Template "Move message based on content", click Next.
- In the top half of the resulting window:
  - Unselect "with specific words in the subject or body"
  - Select "with specific words in the message header"
- In the bottom half of the resulting window:
  - Click on "specific words"
  - In the new window, under "specify a word or phrase to search for in the message header", type in:
    X-CU-Score-Spam: by
  - Click on "specified folder"
  - In the new window with the list of folders:
    - Click on "New..."
    - Give the new folder a name ("Score Spam")
    - Click on "OK"
- You are back in the two-part window; at the bottom, click "Next"
- Exceptions: enter them if any (probably not!), and click "Next"
- Make sure that "Turn on this rule" is checked (it should be), then click "Finish"
FOURTH RULE (to catch X-CU-DNSBL):
- Select New (right side).
- Select Template "Move message based on content", click Next.
- In the top half of the resulting window:
  - Unselect "with specific words in the subject or body"
  - Select "with specific words in the message header"
- In the bottom half of the resulting window:
  - Click on "specific words"
  - In the new window, under "specify a word or phrase to search for in the message header", type in:
    X-CU-DNSBL: by
  - Click on "specified folder"
  - In the new window with the list of folders:
    - Click on "New..."
    - Give the new folder a name ("DNSBL")
    - Click on "OK"
- You are back in the two-part window; at the bottom, click "Next"
- Exceptions: enter them if any (probably not!), and click "Next"
- Make sure that "Turn on this rule" is checked (it should be), then click "Finish"

Technical notes: it seems that Outlook 2002 detects the expression as a header or in header contents, and it matches as a substring. Regular expressions are available, but we don't know the syntax.

Once you have set up the above filters, please check your "Spam" mailbox folder regularly and empty it out, after checking whether any legitimate e-mail accidentally got caught.

If you are an anti-spam guinea-pig, please check your "Test Spam" mailbox folder daily, and be sure to report any legitimate mail that got caught.

Copyright, © 2007, Concordia University, (IITS).
Author: Anne Bennett
Credits: Jean-Patrick Dorais, Ken McDavitt, Sylvain Robitaille
Maintained by: webdoc@clyde.concordia.ca
Last update: 2007/05/15 -- Tan Bui