Managing Missed Spam Messages

Hosted Email applies robust spam and virus filtering to keep unwanted mail out of your end users' inboxes. Spam and phishing campaigns are increasingly targeted, so some messages will still slip through. Use the steps below to tune filtering for affected users and, when needed, escalate samples to OpenSRS Support so the security team can adjust filtering policy.

Why missed spam still reaches the inbox

Spam scoring is statistical. Even a well-tuned filter occasionally lets a message through, especially when an attacker tailors a campaign to a specific group of users. Adjusting individual settings such as the spam threshold and the allow/block lists is the fastest way to restore good filtering for an affected mailbox. When tuning is not enough, sharing real examples with support lets the security team update the global filter.

Before you begin

• Confirm the user is signed in to webmail at mail.hostedemail.com (or your branded webmail URL).
• Verify the spam threshold setting is enabled on the domain's brand. If it is not, users will not see the Spam Settings option in webmail.
• Have the user's mailbox name available in case you need to escalate samples to support.

Step 1: Raise the spam threshold

The spam threshold controls how aggressively Hosted Email treats messages as spam. By default, users are on the Normal threshold. Raising the threshold places lower-scoring messages in the spam folder.

1. Sign in to webmail.
2. Open the Settings tab.
3. Choose Spam Settings.
4. Set the threshold to High.
5. Click Submit.

Ask the user to monitor their inbox for a few days. If spam is still arriving, return to Spam Settings and set the threshold to Very High.

Step 2: Block the sender or sending domain

If most missed spam comes from one address or domain, blocking the sender stops it directly without changing the global threshold.

1. In webmail Settings, open the allow and block list options.
2. Add the offending email address or domain to the block list. To block all addresses on a domain, use the format *@domain.tld.
3. Save the changes.

For detailed steps at the user, domain, and company levels, see Set Allowed and Blocked Sender Lists.

Step 3: Mark messages as spam

Marking messages as spam trains the filter using the sender, headers, and content of those messages. Marking a message as not spam teaches the filter that similar messages are safe.

1. Select the message in webmail and choose Spam.
2. Press Accept to confirm the message as spam.

Step 4: Check filters and allow-list settings

Sometimes Hosted Email correctly flags a message as spam, but another mailbox setting moves it back to the inbox. Confirm the following:

• Webmail filters: Review the user's webmail filters to ensure none are moving messages out of the spam folder.
• Allowed senders: Verify the user has not whitelisted a wildcard such as *@*.com. A wildcard that broad bypasses spam filtering entirely.

Step 5: Report missed spam to OpenSRS Support

If the steps above have not resolved the issue, the OpenSRS security team can review specific examples and tune filtering for your user group.

1. Ask the user to create a folder named missed spam in their webmail or mail client.
2. Ask the user to move missed spam messages into that folder. Collecting examples for about seven days gives the team a wider sample to work from.
3. When you have at least ten examples, email help@opensrs.com with the mailbox name and a short description.

OpenSRS Support collects the samples, reviews them with the security team, and reports back once filter changes are in place. The cycle can repeat until the issue is resolved for the affected user.

Next steps

• Review the scanner overview. Understand how spam scores and per-user training affect filtering. See Hosted Email Spam-Scanning Solution.
• Configure allow and block lists at higher levels. Stop the same spam from reaching multiple mailboxes by blocking at the domain or company level. See Set Allowed and Blocked Sender Lists.
• Investigate broader delivery problems. If users are seeing bounces or SMTP rejections as well as missed spam, work through the OpenSRS Hosted Email Spam and Rejections Guide.

Questions? Contact OpenSRS Support.