Spam Protection Features in Outlook 2003 and Outlook Web Access 2003

Both Outlook 2003 and Outlook Web Access 2003 include features that can help protect your users against spam. These features include:

User-maintained block lists and safe lists

The block lists and safe lists used by both Outlook 2003 and Outlook Web Access are stored on the user's mailbox. Because both client programs use the same list, users do not need to maintain two versions.

External content blocking

Outlook 2003 and Outlook Web Access 2003 make it more difficult for senders of junk e-mail messages to use beacons to retrieve e-mail addresses. An incoming message that contains any content that could be used as a beacon, regardless of whether the message actually contains a beacon, prompts Outlook and Outlook Web Access to display a warning message. If users know that message is legitimate, they can click the warning message to download the content. If users are unsure about the message, they can delete it without triggering beacons that alert a sender of junk mail.

For more information about external content blocking in Outlook 2003 and Outlook Web Access 2003, see "Client Features" in What's New in Exchange Server 2003.

Improved junk e-mail management

With Outlook 2003, users can create rules that search e-mail messages for specific phrases and automatically move messages containing these phrases from the Inbox to a specified folder (such as the Junk E-mail or Deleted Items folders). Furthermore, users can select to permanently delete suspected junk e-mail instead of moving it to a specified folder.

Junk e-mail filter

Outlook 2003 includes a junk e-mail filter that searches for common spam attributes. (These attributes are updated in conjunction with Office updates.) For each suspicious attribute, Outlook increments a counter—the higher the count for a given piece of mail, the more likely it is to be spam. To specify the level of junk e-mail protection you want, use the Junk E-Mail Options dialog box (In Outlook 2003, from the Action menu, point to Junk E-mail, and then click Junk E-mail Options). When your users first begin using these junk e-mail features, or if they modify the options at any time, they should periodically check for messages that have been removed from the Inbox to ensure that valid messages have not been moved. Updates to the junk e-mail features in Outlook 2003 will be listed on the Microsoft Office Online Web site, under Office Update.