What do you do when the content filter doesn't work?

Well the first thing I did was to contact support. I've used other content filters and I'm not a newbie.

Step one select Subject
Step two add words to be filtered
Step three select do not deliver
Step four save

How hard is that? But, I'm still getting emails with the word I am filtering in the subject.

When I contacted support to tell them this and to let them know that filtering isn't working for me I get a reply that states that I should try here because they 'can't provide formal support.....'

Why in {insert explitive here} did I keep my account this year if I can't get support for the product and its features?

 

When you add the keyword to be filtered, do you choose

AND - All criteria must be met
OR - One or more criteria must be met
and did you enable wildcards in search strings

What is the rule you setup?
( Rule )
mark as read, do not deliver, move message, prefix subject, add header, copy message, reroute message

I have just tested this with combinations of rule, filtering the subject and use 'prefix subject' to mark any incoming message with any filtered word in the subject should have prefix 'FILTERED' and it works just fine.

you might want try this

Content filtering >> new >> check subject >> check OR, tick 'enable wildcards in search string' then put in the word you want to be filtered, one word per line (from the drop down choose 'contains' >> Choose the rule you want for the filtered message, if you dont want to receive this at all tick 'Do not deliver' >> save

 

I have a rule that should filter for the subject
I selected 'or'
I entered 'orchard' both with lowercase o and upper case O one word on each line.
Then I selected not to deliver
They still come through.

I also created a rule for domain names
I selected 'or'
I selected wild cards
I entered *.info one one line and *.cc on the other line
I selected to not deliver and I'm still getting .info domain spam

Either I just don't get it and don't understand or there's something else wrong.

 

Another one just came through were I filtered 'cigar*' and 'Cigar*' using or and do not deliver.

The problem is that it sometimes works and other times it doesn't.

Is it possible to have 'too many' rules which then causes issues with rules not being parsed?

 

make sure you tick 'enable wildcards in search string' option

try this

domain filtering >> new >> from specific domains >> OR ; enable wildcard search string >> the domain wildcard is without period (.) *info or *cc >> choose the rule to be applied >> save

Enable wildcard search string, this should filtered c and C out.

 

Conceivably, I suppose, but I've never heard of that happening.

If the filters sometimes work and sometimes do not, there is a difference in those messages that get through. You just have to compare the hits with the misses and see if you notice any differences.

We don't directly support a lot of SmarterMail functions because it's not our product or our area of expertise, so you'd be better served by getting the info you need directly form them or in their forum.

We don't support things like spam filtering because, as you've seen, there are literally thousands of variable combinations for each rule, and it isn't the kind of thing we can really trouble shoot for you.

 

OK I've made those adjustments and I'll let you know if it changes anything.

 

Right but if the domain name ends in '.cc or .info' then they should be blocked. And if the header clearly shows the word Orchard or Cigar or cigar in the header's 'subject' value then it should block those too, right?

 

Well I can't really say, because there are many other variables that could be coming in to play. That's why we have to decline to troubleshoot spam settings.

It's a very granular and flexible filtering system that SmarterMail has, and as you see almost everywhere in technology, "granular" and "flexible" equal complicated.