[Macpartners] Fwd: Spam Screening @ MIT: SpamAssassin's software version schedule for upgrade

[Ginny Williams]

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Cc: Financial Services <fss at mit.edu>, Theresa M Regan <tregan at mit.edu>,
    Information Systems <infosys at mit.edu>
From: Theresa M Regan <tregan at MIT.EDU>
Subject: Spam Screening @ MIT:  SpamAssassin's software version 
schedule for upgrade
Date: Wed, 19 Nov 2003 20:40:07 -0500
To: IT-Partners <itpartners at mit.edu>
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Date:      November 19th, 2003

To:           IT-Partners

From:      Information Systems

Subject:  Spam Screening @ MIT:  SpamAssassin's software version 
schedule for upgrade

---------------

Information Systems reminds the Community that MIT Spam Screening is 
a service readily available to all colleagues who receive their 
e-mail via the MIT Mail System.  All e-mail received by the post 
office servers (po9, po10, po11, po12, po14) is scored for the 
"likelihood" of unwanted junk mail, often referenced as spam mail. 
The handling of e-mail scored as "spam" varies depending upon one's 
e-mail client and tailored configuration.

The upcoming software upgrades are focused on the post office servers 
with no direct impact on desktop spam filter settings or servers 
setting.  MIT colleagues who receive their e-mail via the MIT Mail 
System will benefit immediately.  Now, may be an opportune time to 
remind your Departments and staff about MIT's Spam Screening service.
Further information is available at:

             <http://web.mit.edu/is/services/email/nospam/>

Information Systems will stage the upcoming upgrade to our Spam 
Screening implementation.  MIT's Spam Screening package, 
SpamAssassin, performs a series of tests on incoming e-mail message, 
scores it according to a set of criteria indicating the probability 
an e-mail message may be spam.

The upgrade will include:

      * Upgrade to SpamAssassin version 2.60

      * Addition of a learning Bayesian filter based on the algorithms 
described at <http://www.paulgraham.com/>

         and


<http://radio.weblogs.com/0101454/stories/2002/09/16/spamDetection.html>

      * Ability for IMAP users to train the Bayesian filter to 
correctly identify messages it misidentifies
        Training the Bayesian filter with mail you received which was 
not identified as Spam simply requires you to move the message to 
your Spamscreen folder.  Each night the post office will learn from 
the messages you place there, and it will help correctly identify 
these messages in the future.

      * Addition of a variety of new internet blacklists for checking 
e-mail relays used in sending messages

     * Various bug fixes and enhancements to keep up with the 
adaptations of spammers

Internal testing of this Spam Screening implementation shows an 
increase in correctly identifying of unwanted e-mail by 20%.  Each 
Post Office server will be upgraded at 1am on the following schedule:

           po12.mit.edu on Tuesday, November 25th
           po14.mit.edu  on Friday, November 28th
           po9.mit.edu    on Sunday, November 30th
           po10.mit.edu  on Tuesday, December 2nd
           po11.mit.edu  on Thursday, December 4th

MIT Services Status website, 3DOWN, <http://is3down.mit.edu/>, will 
be updated during these software upgrades.

In closing, our thanks to everyone who has assisted with introducing 
MIT Spam Screening to their Departments and colleagues.  As we 
continue to hear of the large volume of spam e-mail, daily and 
estimate that 25% of the e-mail received at MIT is spam, please 
assist us by ensuring that all colleagues are aware and participating 
in this service.  More complete information about MIT Spam Screening 
is available at:
<http://web.mit.edu/is/services/email/nospam/>

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