# Server-side Spam Control Software?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/server-side-spam-control-software/232141>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [March 2, 2004, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/server-side-spam-control-software/232141 "2004-03-02T18:15:07Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\
**Post date:** [March 2, 2004, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/server-side-spam-control-software/232141/1 "2004-03-02T18:15:07Z")

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So I’ve been asked to find us some sort of SPAM control software that can be resident on our mail server.

Can anyone point me in a good direction? Anyone had any experience with such?

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**Author:** ![mblackwell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5fc32e/32.png) [@mblackwell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mblackwell)\
**Post date:** [March 2, 2004, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/server-side-spam-control-software/232141/2 "2004-03-02T18:38:43Z")

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> [@Jonathan Chance](#):
>
> So I’ve been asked to find us some sort of SPAM control software that can be resident on our mail server.
> 
> Can anyone point me in a good direction? Anyone had any experience with such?

Our Linux email server has 6 anti-spam programs on it. All of them rely use lists of domains. I think all of them are totally free.

Spamcop  
Open Relay Database  
Distributed Server Boycott List  
SORBS  
MAPS RBL

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**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\
**Post date:** [March 2, 2004, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/server-side-spam-control-software/232141/3 "2004-03-02T22:23:40Z")

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My ISP uses SpamAssassin, which seems to work pretty well.

Blacklists (like the last 3 mblackwell lists) are well known to have bad effects – lots of false positives, and can prevent a whole lot of legitimate email from reaching you. Commonly referred to as the “using a sledgehammer on a mosquito” approach. I’d try to avoid them.

The **best** anti-SPAM software is the Bayseian-type filters. But those have to be on individual PC’s, not server-based. The whole point is that they are _personal_, and filter out email not relevant to that individual person. It’s hard to make that work at a server level, for a whole lot of different persons.

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**Author:** ![ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies)\
**Post date:** [March 3, 2004, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/server-side-spam-control-software/232141/4 "2004-03-03T04:47:19Z")

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[http://www.brightmail.com/](http://www.brightmail.com/) is the 600 pound gorilla that we use.

[http://www.spamcop.net/](http://www.spamcop.net/) isn’t only server-side, they also help play a crucial role in the spamfighting cause: pre-processing of spam reports for today’s lazy and technically ignorant internet users.

Investigating the relevant, clear, concise evidence that spamcop submits in an abuse complaint…is like a cool sip of water in the vast desert of half-baked, misdirected crap thrown at us by the clueless.