Filtering e-mail with procmail on a Unix host (regular version)

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, using procmail on a Unix host. This assumes that you read your mail in "Unix mailbox format", as is used by Pine, Elm, Mail, etc.

First, make sure that procmail is enabled on your account; your sysadmin or help desk should be able to provide you with instructions on how to do this.

Now edit your file ".procmailrc" using your favourite text editor.

If you are an Alcor user with an old procmail installation, edit your file ".procmail/Main" instead. If you are a menushell user, you can start up an easy text editor by typing "!" to escape to a command, then:

pico -w ~/.procmail/Main

Move forward in the file to an appropriate place to add spam filing recipes. (If you are an Alcor user with an old procmail installation, move to the end of the section called "more fancy processing".) Insert these three lines to refile tagged messages:

:0:
* ^X-CU-Spam:
$HOME/mail/name-of-your-spam-folder


If you are an anti-spam guinea-pig, add another three lines to refile
messages tagged by the software under test:

:0:
* ^X-CU-Test-Spam:
$HOME/mail/name-of-your-TEST-spam-folder


Insert these three lines to refile messages tagged with X-CU-Score-Spam:

:0:
* ^X-CU-Score-Spam:
$HOME/mail/name-of-your-SCORE-spam-folder


Insert these three lines to refile messages tagged with X-CU-DNSBL:

:0:
* ^X-CU-DNSBL:
$HOME/mail/name-of-your-DNSBL-folder




Technical notes: This will catch the presence of the indicated
headers.



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: Sylvain Robitaille
  
 Maintained by: 
         webdoc@clyde.concordia.ca
  
 Last update: 2007/05/16 -- Tan Bui