E-mail Defense System Quick Reference

EDS and Junk E-mail

• I'm still getting junk e-mail. Is something wrong?
• What do I do if I have a junk e-mail message that wasn't caught by EDS?
• How do I know if the EDS is scanning my e-mail?
• Why is some junk e-mail getting through my filters and into my inbox?
• Why are some legitimate e-mail messages sent to me being blocked as junk?
• Are messages sent directly to my mailbox (as opposed to my alias) scanned for junk e-mail?
• Are departmental e-mail accounts scanned for incoming junk e-mail?
• I don't want junk e-mail filtering. Can I opt-out of EDS?

EDS Quarantine Digest

• Why didn't I receive an EDS Quarantine Digest?
• Can I opt-out of the EDS Quarantine Digest?
• Will changing my mailbox affect my quarantine messages?
• Can I sort the contents of my Quarantine Digest chronologically?
• Why can't I approve senders from my EDS Quarantine Digest?
• I'm using Eudora on a Mac and the Daily Quarantine e-mail message isn't displaying correctly.

Other frequently asked EDS questions

• Is the EDS Web interface supposed to be this slow?
• How do I log into the EDS Web interface with Internet Explorer on my Mac?
• I'm a Northwestern alumnus whose e-mail is redirected to an external server. Am I affected by the EDS?
• How can I ensure that e-mail sent from my Northwestern account while off campus will be delivered to the intended recipient?
• What about my @gsb or @bsd e-mail account?
• Can I use wildcards in e-mail addresses on my Blocked or Approved Senders lists?

EDS and Junk E-mail

I'm still getting junk e-mail. Is something wrong?

No system can catch 100% of junk e-mail or viruses, mainly because there is no agreed-upon definition for junk e-mail and because advertising solicitors are constantly working on ways to avoid filters. To make certain that you are still opted-in to the E-mail Defense System, check your NetID online directory information. If "yes" is shown next to the filter_junk_e-mail directory field, your e-mail is being filtered.

What do I do if I have a junk e-mail message that wasn't caught by EDS?

If you have junk e-mail that the EDS did not detect, use filtering options in your e-mail client to block those messages from your inbox. More detailed information about e-mail filtering is available from the Control Junk E-mail page.

How do I know if the EDS is scanning my e-mail?

Whether or not your e-mail is scanned by the EDS depends both on where the message originates and the form of your e-mail address. For details, see the "Who benefits?" section of the main EDS Web page.

Why is some junk e-mail getting through my filters and into my inbox?

The e-mail filters used in the EDS and your local e-mail client (e.g. Outlook, Outlook Express, Entourage, Apple Mail) are sophisticated, but not 100% accurate. It's possible that some junk e-mail will not be detected, based on either the content or structure of the message. These are called "false negatives."

To ensure that messages from a particular sender are always blocked, add that sender to your Blocked Senders list in both EDS and your local e-mail client.

Why are some legitimate e-mail messages sent to me being blocked as junk?

The e-mail filters used in the EDS and your local e-mail client (e.g. Outlook, Outlook Express, Entourage, Apple Mail) are sophisticated but are not 100% accurate. It is possible that some legitimate e-mail messages will be flagged as junk and blocked, based on either the content or structure of the message. These are called "false positives."

To ensure that messages from a particular sender are never blocked, add that sender to your list of Approved (or Trusted) Senders in the EDS and in your local e-mail client.

Are messages sent directly to my mailbox (as opposed to my alias) scanned for junk e-mail?

Currently, only messages sent to your e-mail alias (e.g., yourname@northwestern.edu) are scanned for junk e-mail. Messages sent directly to your mailbox (e.g., yournetid@mailserver.it.northwestern.edu where mailserver is hecky, casbah, lulu, or merle) are not currently scanned for junk e-mail.

Are departmental e-mail accounts scanned for incoming junk e-mail?

EDS scans departmental e-mail accounts on the central mail servers (casbah, hecky, lulu, and merle) for junk e-mail. All e-mail accounts, including departmental accounts, are also scanned for viruses.

I don't want junk e-mail filtering. Can I opt-out of EDS?

To opt-out of the E-mail Defense System's junk e-mail filtering service, edit your NetID online directory information. Select the "View/Edit Your Information" button and scroll down to the filter_junk_e-mail directory field. Select "Modify" to edit your directory information for this field. Follow the instructions on the screen to opt-out of junk e-mail filtering.

EDS Quarantine Digest

Why didn't I receive an EDS Quarantine Digest?

EDS Quarantine Digests are not sent to users who have not received junk e-mail during the previous day. If you normally receive little to no junk e-mail on a daily basis, you may only sporadically receive an EDS Quarantine Digest.

Can I opt-out of the EDS Quarantine Digest?

Yes. Users who do not plan to check these digests daily can turn this feature off/on. To do so, use the Options menu on the EDS site and uncheck (or check) the box reading "E-mail me the EDS Quarantine Digest, a daily notification of junk e-mail blocked by EDS."

Will changing my mailbox affect my quarantine messages?

Yes. If you change your mailbox, you will no longer have access to the quarantined messages associated with your former mailbox.

Can I sort the contents of my Quarantine Digest chronologically?

Currently, a Sort function is not available as part of the vendor's software design.

Why can't I approve senders from my EDS Quarantine Digest?

The vendor's software design does not currently allow users to approve senders while they are viewing the Digest.

To approve senders, open the EDS interface from the Digest. Select the "Approved Senders" button to add an e-mail address to your approved senders list. If you would like to approve the sender of a blocked e-mail message, select the check box next to the message. Then, select the "Deliver and Approve Sender" button.

I'm using Eudora on a Mac and the Daily Quarantine e-mail message isn't displaying correctly.

Eudora's Macintosh HTML rendering engine does not properly display the nested tables generated by the EDS. Mac Eudora users can still deliver quarantined messages by clicking the message ID number hotlink.

Other frequently asked EDS questions

Is the EDS Web interface supposed to be this slow?

NUIT is aware of this problem and it appears to be common among peer institutions. We are continually working to optimize system performance.

How do I log into the EDS Web interface with Internet Explorer on my Mac?

The E-mail Defense System cannot be accessed with Internet Explorer on a Macintosh. To access the EDS Web interface, use Firefox or Safari.

I'm a Northwestern alumnus whose e-mail is redirected to an external server. Am I affected by the EDS?

Yes. Any message sent to alias@northwestern.edu will be scanned by EDS prior to redirection to an external server, such as Yahoo or Hotmail. Find more information at How the E-mail Defense System Works.

How can I ensure that e-mail sent from my Northwestern account while off campus will be delivered to the intended recipient?

Authenticating to Northwestern's Virtual Private Network (VPN) is the best and most secure way of connecting to the NU Network and sending e-mail from your Northwestern account when you are off campus.

What about my @gsb or @bsd e-mail account?

The E-mail Defense System filters messages coming through the central University e-mail system. If your department or division has set up an e-mail system independent of the central e-mail system, messages sent to it will not go through EDS. You can use your @northwestern.edu address if you'd like your mail filtered.

Can I use wildcards in e-mail addresses on my Blocked or Approved Senders lists?

Yes. You can use the asterisk (*) as a wildcard to block partial or entire domains. For instance, adding **@hotmail.com to your list of Approved Senders will allow any messages originating from hotmail.com to reach your inbox. Adding the same e-mail address to your list of Blocked Senders will block any messages originating from hotmail.com from reaching your inbox.