Training the SpamExperts Filter

Training the SpamExperts Filter: What to Do When Spam Gets Through

No spam filter detects every unwanted email with 100 % accuracy. If a spam message still reaches your inbox, you can train the SpamExperts filter. This helps the system recognise similar messages as spam more reliably in the future.

Training is especially useful if similar unwanted emails are repeatedly delivered or if certain spam messages are not detected reliably.

What does “training the filter” mean?

When you train the filter, you tell SpamExperts whether a specific email was assessed correctly or incorrectly. The system can use this information to classify future messages more accurately.

• Train Spam: Use this function when an unwanted email has incorrectly reached your inbox.
• Train Not Spam / Ham: Use this function when a legitimate email has incorrectly been detected as spam or moved to quarantine.

Training spam via the dashboard

If a spam email has arrived in your inbox, you can upload it via the SpamExperts Dashboard and train it as spam.

1. Save the affected spam email from your email program as an .eml or .msg file.
2. Log in to the SpamExperts Dashboard.
3. Open the Incoming section.
4. Select the Train Spam function.
5. Upload the saved email file.
6. Confirm the action so that the message is trained as spam.

Training legitimate emails from quarantine

If a wanted email has incorrectly ended up in spam quarantine, you should not only release it, but also train it as a legitimate message.

To do this, use the Release and Train option in the quarantine whenever possible. This delivers the email to your mailbox and at the same time tells SpamExperts that similar messages should not be treated as spam in the future.

When should I train SpamExperts?

• When spam emails repeatedly reach your inbox.
• When similar unwanted messages are not detected reliably.
• When a legitimate email has incorrectly ended up in quarantine.
• When important senders are regularly classified incorrectly.

Training is not the same as whitelist or blacklist

Training improves the assessment of similar messages. A whitelist or blacklist, on the other hand, applies more specifically to certain senders or domains.

If a specific trusted sender is repeatedly classified incorrectly, adding the sender to the whitelist may also be useful. If a specific unwanted sender repeatedly sends spam, a blacklist entry can help. Training remains important because it helps the filter better recognise patterns in messages.

Important notes

• Only train emails when you are sure whether they are spam or legitimate messages.
• For spam training, use the original message in .eml or .msg format whenever possible.
• Use Release and Train only for legitimate emails that were incorrectly held back.
• Use whitelist and blacklist entries selectively, not as a general rule for all senders.