Content
Email Filtering
What is email filtering?
Email filtering is a process executed by a software program or dedicated hardware device that detects unsolicited and unwanted email, or spam, and prevents those messages from ending up in a user's inbox. Email filtering systems examine incoming messages, and based on certain rules and criteria, decide whether they are spam or legitimate messages.
Why do I need email filtering?
You need email filtering to keep spam and other unwanted messages out of your desktops your servers, and your network, so that they are not overloaded and operating at less than optimal performance. Email filtering helps you maintain higher productivity and lower your security risk. Email filtering helps block phishing scams which helps prevent identity theft, accidental disclosure of confidential data, and potential financial losses through fraudulent transactions. It also reduces legal liability because it intercepts email with content that may offend recipients.
How does email filtering work?
Simple email filters look for particular words in the subject line or body of the email, but, more often than not, this results in misidentifying legitimate messages as spam (false positives) and letting real spam in. More sophisticated email filtering products combine a variety of techniques to stop spam-domain name reputation, IP reputation. sender authentication, greylisting, image filtering, integrity analysis, heuristic detection, blacklists, and whitelists.
Email filtering is a wise investment for home users, small businesses, medium businesses, and global enterprises.
Email filtering research
- Datasheets, Case Studies, & White papers
- McAfee Avert® Labs Blog
- Computer security advice for consumers
