We estimate that over 95% of all email traffic is spam. Spam is not only a distraction; it can serve as a vector for viruses, malware, and phishing attacks. The proliferation of spam has led to millions of dollars in lost productivity and additional infrastructure costs for businesses and service providers. Businesses that maintain in-house email servers are fighting a losing battle against spam because spammer tactics are constantly evolving. To defeat spam, the defensive technology and techniques must stay one step ahead of the rapidly changing threat.
Multi-layered Email Spam Filter
Our email spam filtering system is a continuously updated, multi-layered process that eliminates 98% of all spam with near zero false positives.
Layer 1: The Gateway Scan
As soon as an email arrives, the sending IP address is compared to an aggregated spam blacklist compiled from multiple spammer tracking systems. Our gateway servers also analyze the email message in the context of other arriving mail. If a large number of emails are coming simultaneously from a single IP or are addressed to random addresses that do not exist in our system, it could signify a spam attack and the email will be blocked. If the sending address is from a domain in our system but the mailbox does not exist, the email will be blocked. This last case is called "spoofing" and it is the reason you may have received spam from your own email address or domain.
Layer 2: Cloudmark® Scan
All email is scanned by Cloudmark's industry leading spam detection software. Cloudmark uses Advanced Message Fingerprinting™ to detect spam, phishing, and viruses. Instead of relying on a spam blacklist, Advanced Message Fingerprinting examines algorithm patterns that expose spam across all languages and character formats. These patterns are updated every 60 seconds based on worldwide feedback loops and the latest spammer tactics.
Layer 3: The Message Sniffer Scan
Email is then scanned with Message Sniffer from ARM Research Labs. Message Sniffer relies on pattern recognition and machine learning technology to detect spam and malware. It searches the entire message for spam, virus, and malware features including unusual headers, structural artifacts, message source behaviors, obfuscation techniques, email and URL targets, binary and image signatures, unusual code fragments, and even coding styles.
Spam filtering is included at no additional cost with all Cloud Mail and Microsoft Exchange accounts.
