Spam Management at UW

SPAM has grown into a massive problem – not just at UW but nation-wide. Studies estimate that SPAM represents between 40 and 60 percent of all email. The SPAM problem is a difficult one to solve. Although SPAM filtering software is well developed, even the most sophisticated software occasionally misreads some legitimate messages, treating them like SPAM. Techniques used by spammers to evade SPAM filtering software are constantly evolving, as are the rules used to detect the SPAM. Users can expect to see some ebb and flow in the proportion of SPAM which is identified by filtering as spammers try new approaches, followed by updates to the filtering software to address those approaches.

The Division of Information Technology has reviewed various software alternatives to help reduce the flow of SPAM into the campus community. Based on available support, features and cost, an IT Anti-SPAM committee has chosen PureMessage from Sophos to help curb the SPAM that plagues university email inboxes.

Note: Beginning on March 8, 2007, all UW Exchange users should receive a daily email message from PureMessage listing quarantined spam messages. For information about options for this service, including how to opt-out and continue to have spam tagged and delivered to your Inbox, see the Spam Blocking at UW web page (www.uwyo.edu/spam/uwspam/).

2009 Spam Growth Trend (average of all email traffic):

Spam volumes averaged at 87.4% of all email messages in 2009.
Spam peaked at 95% of all messages at the end om May 2009
Since 2007, spam has increased on average by 15 percent.

Source: The State of Spam, Symantec