I have a client that is using a hosted email services and is getting killed by spam and viruses. I looked into the email host company and they use a mediocre spam filter that is terrible. I was wondering if I could setup a linux box with spam assassin/clamav to prescreen the emails that are coming into there network? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Hey There,

I know SEVERAL people that do exactly this. It all depends on your client's config and your motivation. What i think most people find easiest is to use fetchmail to pull down the email and then pipe it to spamd. That way, the client can just use the fetchmail box as his pop/imap server and as an outbound smtp gateway.

Its not a quick 2-step process no matter how you swing it. Nowadays, you can probably find spamd plugins for mail clients that will allow you to send it thru the spamd/clamav while its fetching. If you can't find a plugin to accomplish this, then the first suggestion is the way to go.

Honestly, I think having your own little email gateway server is best for internal companies anyway. Prevents filling up your inbox, and helps when someones workstation gets compromised and started sending out spam.

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Michael Piekarski
Network Engineer
mpiekarski@hostmysite.com
www.hostmysite.com