APPLYING SPAM FILTERS IN OUTLOOK 2000

Note:  The following instructions can not be performed in Outlook Web Access via the Internet.  It must be performed within the Outlook 2000 program. 

Microsoft OutlookŪ includes a set of built-in filters that identify junk e-mail, such as commercial bulk e-mail and e-mail suspected of having adult content, and enable you to highlight the message or move it to a folder for later review and disposal.

To Turn on the Junk E-Mail Filter

  1. Click the Organize button on the toolbar
  2. Click on Junk E-Mail in the Organize pane
  3. The second row of options are for Adult Content Email (you may follow these same steps for Junk Mail).  Click the down button and select MOVE (not color) and move contents to DELETED folder.
  4. Click on the TURN ON button.

Use the Junk E-Mail feature without missing important e-mail by following a few simple steps:

  1. Make sure that the Junk Mail feature has been turned on.
  2. On the Tools menu, click Rules Wizard, and then select Exception List.
  3. In the Rule description box, click Exception List.

Enter the e-mail addresses you do not want screened by the Outlook Junk E-mail filters. You can also add part of an e-mail address to the exception list. For example, if you add the phrase host.domain.com, no e-mail address containing host.domain.com will be filtered out. Thus, any e-mail sent to you by user@host.domain.com, regardless of its subject, would not be flagged as junk e-mail.

The criteria used by the built-in filters are documented in a file called filters.txt, which is installed by default in <drive>:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office. The version of this file that is included in Outlook is outdated. The Microsoft Junk E-Mail Filter Readme, which contains an updated version of filters.txt, correctly describes the operation of the built-in filters.

Note The default setting of the Junk E-mail feature changes the color of suspected junk e-mail messages; it does not move the messages to a separate folder. Setting your junk e-mail color to gray will make questionable messages appear faded but still visible enough to read, ensuring that important mail will not be accidentally overlooked.

Other things you can do to cut down on junk email:

Do no install programs that are free of the Internet.  Most of these programs are Spyware.  Spyware software is a software program installed on your computer -- usually without your explicit approval -- that transmits personal information across the internet to companies without your knowledge or consent. Companies use this information in a number of ways including, but not limited to, accumulating marketing data, resale to others, compiling mailing lists for unsolicited email ("Spam") and tracking the web sites that users visit. Most people would not choose to knowingly install spyware on their computers, but companies often "piggyback" the programs with other popular software such as file sharing applications. A few programs allow you to choose to install the spyware, but most simply install it and hide the fact that they do so in the extraordinarily detailed End-User License Agreement (EULA) that the vast majority of people simply click "Accept" without reading the fine print.

In addition to sending information about you and your web browsing habits to companies, spyware uses up finite network bandwidth and system resources to do so, often causes performance problems, conflicts with other software, network or OS functionality, and generally has purpose related no work, research, teaching or other university related business.

Alexa
Web Search tool (adware)

ATTune
Sponsored pop-up ads (e.g. "Buy toner") when using your printer (spyware)

AudioGalaxy
File Sharing (spyware, copyright infringement, high bandwidth use, banned in CCLs)

Aureate / Radiate
Spyware "bundled" with many free downloads, screen savers, web sites, etc.

Bargain Buddy
Advertising (spyware, bandwidth use, computer resources)

BearShare
File Sharing (spyware, copyright infringement, high bandwidth use, banned in CCLs)

Bonzai Buddy
PC "Pet" (resource drain, application conflicts, no university related purpose)

Brilliant Digital


Comet Cursor
Animated cursor (probable spyware, waste of resources, possible application conflicts)
 

CommonName
Targeted advertising (spyware, resource drain)
 

CyDoor
http://www.cexx.org/cydoor.htm (spyware, resource drain)

DLDER
http://www.cexx.org/dlder.htm (spyware trojan)

Gator, OfferCompanion, Trickler, GAIN
Very intrusive spyware that auto-fills web forms. Dangerous because it caches and "remembers" credit card numbers. http://www.cexx.org/gator.htm

GoZilla
Download accelerator (slows boot time, drains resources, multiple spyware)
http://www.oit.duke.edu/ats/support/spyware/gozilla.html

HotBar

Kazaa
File Sharing (spyware, copyright infringement, high bandwidth use, banned in CCLs)
Stealth Network Hides Inside Kazaa
http://security.uchicago.edu/peer-to-peer/no_fileshare.shtml

OnFlow
Targeted advertising bundled with many "free" applications (spyware)


Weatherbug
Continuous, real-time weather reports (high bandwidth use, potential security risk, slows boot time, can disable printing, spyware