Configure Anti-Spam settings

Overview

This article explains how to configure Allow/Block list filters for your email address. This adds an extra layer of security on top of the default Anti-Spam settings enabled on all accounts.

There are two services currently set up to filter spam.

MailChannels 

MailChannels is DreamHost's Cloud-based mail filter. It accepts and evaluates mail, adds a specific header for spam messages, and then relays messages to MX servers. This is configured by default.

Procmail

This is the delivery agent for the mailbox, which places mail in the Spam folder and rejects blocked senders when it detects MailChannels headers. This is also responsible for the user-defined filters defined in the panel. 

Enabling spam filtering

To enable spam filtering:

1. Navigate to the Spam Filters page.
2. Click the Enable Filter button next to your domain.
3. Edit settings on the Spam Filtering Options page:
   • Entire domain: Click the Edit settings for example.com button at the top of the page to configure settings for ALL email addresses on a domain.
   • Single addresses: Click the Edit button to the right of an email address to configure settings ONLY for one address.
4. Configure Allow/Block lists (as described below).

Configuring Allow/Block Lists

Once on the Spam Filtering Options page, you can proceed with Allowing or Blocking domains or email addresses.

1. In the Emails from the address field, enter one of the following:
   • @example.com: This selects all emails from an entire website.
   • email@example.com: Add a specific email address if you only need to filter one address on a domain.
2. From the Action dropdown, select an option:
   • Always allow: Emails are delivered to the inbox regardless of the email's spam score.

     DreamHost recommends that you do not whitelist your own email address or domain, as it may allow spammers to spoof your address much more easily.

   • Always block: Emails are not delivered to your inbox regardless of the email's spam score and the sender receives a bounce message.
3. Click Add Address to save your settings.

How forwarding addresses are filtered

There are certain things to remember when using filtering with forwarding email addresses.

DreamHost email

A@example.com is a forward-only address that sends emails to B@example.net, which is a fully hosted mail account at DreamHost. 

A@example.com uses filtering	B@example.net uses filtering	Is filtering done on incoming mail?	What filter is used?
Yes	Yes	Yes	A@example.com
Yes	No	Yes	A@example.com
No	Yes	No	N/A
No	No	No	N/A

External email

If the domain is using filters, and the address is being forwarded to a NON-DreamHost email address (like @gmail), then the filter settings for the external address is used.

Disabling Spam filters

View this article for instructions on how to disable filtering on a domain.

FAQs

How many emails can I Allow/Block? 

The limit is 100 combined Allow and Block list entries.

Can I import a list of emails?

No. All addresses must be entered manually. There is no bulk import option.

Why did the filter not block an email?

It's possible for a spammer to use an email client to display one sender address when the message was actually sent from another address. You would then need to check the message headers, locate the fake address, and adjust your Allow/Block lists accordingly.

What could cause email to NOT be delivered?

Emails that fail to pass the sender's DMARC, DKIM, or SPF policies are not delivered to the Inbox, even if your sender is on the Allow list. The sender must ensure that sent emails comply with their domain's policies, or the Allow list will be ignored.

Are there any alternatives to Allow/Block lists?

Yes. If you do not wish to configure Allow/Block lists, you can these options instead.

• Create custom filters — This feature allows you to create custom filter rules for each address. See this article for more information.

  You cannot set up these custom message filters for an entire domain. They must be created for each individual address you want them applied to.

• Third-party filtering providers — You can set up a third-party mail filtering service for your domain and have it deliver the mail to DreamHost's mail servers after it is filtered. This can be set up by creating Custom MX records.

See also

• Anti-spam overview
• How to report false positive spam email
• Custom filters — How to enable message filters on an email address