Setup for email users

This section contains information that you may need to inform or assist your email users so that they can use FortiMail features.

This information is not the same as what is included in the help for FortiMail webmail. It is included in the Administration Guide because:

• Email users may require some setup before they can access the help for FortiMail webmail.
• Some information may be too technical for some email users.
• Email users may not be aware that their email has been scanned by a FortiMail unit, much less where to get documentation for it.
• Email users may not know which operation mode you have configured.
• Email users may be confused if they try to access a feature, but you have not enabled it (such as Bayesian scanning or their personal quarantine).
• You may need to tailor some information to your network or email users.

This section includes:

• Training Bayesian databases
• Managing tagged spam
• Accessing the personal quarantine and webmail
• Sending email from an email client (gateway and transparent mode)

Training Bayesian databases

Bayesian scanning can be used by antispam profiles to filter email for spam. In order to be accurate, the Bayesian databases that are at the core of this scan must be trained. This is especially important when the databases are empty.

Administrators can provide initial training. For details, see “Training the Bayesian databases” on page 645. If you have enabled it (see “Configuring the Bayesian training control accounts” on page 654 and “Accept training messages from users” on page 511), email users can also contribute to training the Bayesian databases.

To help to improve the accuracy of the database, email users selectively forward email to the FortiMail unit. These email are used as models of what is or is not spam. When it has seen enough examples to become more accurate at catching spam, a Bayesian database is said to be well-trained.

For example, if the local domain is example.com, and the Bayesian control email addresses are the default ones, an administrator might provide the following instructions to his or her email users.

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To train your antispam filters

1. Initially, forward a sample set of spam and non-spam messages.
   • If you have collected spam, such as in a junk mail folder, and want to train your personal antispam filters, forward them to learn-is-spam@example.com from your email account. Similar email will be recognized as spam.
   • If you have collected non-spam email, such as your inbox or archives, and want to train your personal spam filters, forward them to learn-is-not-spam@example.com from your email account. Similar email will be recognized as legitimate email.
2. On an ongoing basis, to fine-tune your antispam filters, forward any corrections — spam that was mistaken for legitimate email, or email that was mistaken for spam.
   • Forward undetected spam to is-spam@example.com from your email account.
   • Forward legitimate email that was mistaken for spam to is-not-spam@example.com from your email account.
   • If you belong to an alias and receive spam that was sent to the alias address, forward it to is-spam@example.com to train the alias’s database. Remember to enter the alias, instead of your own email address, in the From:

This helps your antispam filters to properly distinguish similar email/spam in the future.

Managing tagged spam

Instead of detaining an email in the system or personal quarantine, the administrator can configure the FortiMail unit to tag the subject line or header of an email that is detected as spam. For details, see “Configuring antispam action profiles” on page 516.

Once spam is tagged, the administrator notifies email users of the text that comprises the tag. Email users can then set up a rule-based folder in their email clients to automatically collect the spam based on tags.

For example, if spam subject lines are tagged with “SPAM”, email users can make a spam folder in their email client, then make filter rules in their email clients to redirect all email with this tag from their inbox into the spam folder.

Methods to create mailbox folders and filter rules vary by email client. For instructions, see your email client’s documentation.