Bitdefender Total Security: how to configure the antispam tool?

All users face the growing problem of spam. These unsolicited messages are sent massively in the form of emails, SMS messages, or even publications on social networks and forums. In addition to messages with promotional purposes, some spam is used to foment scams or cyberattacks. In addition to its antivirus, Bitdefender remains at the cutting edge of technology, and its Bitdefender Antispam module helps eliminate spam before it even reaches your email.

Bitdefender Premium Security Plus’s antispam engine provides strong protection against all types of spam. Please note that this service is only available for local email clients (Outlook, Thunderbird, etc.) compatible with receiving messages via the POP3 protocol. Antispam is based on the publisher’s cloud technology as well as various filters to prevent spam from reaching the inbox. Emails identified as unwanted are automatically transferred to the automatically created “Spam” folder. The service also includes various tools to improve detection quality over time. An increasingly essential protection that is not found on free antiviruses.

Configure Antispam filters

To determine whether an email is spam and whether or not it can reach your inbox, Bitdefender Antispam uses different filters. First, emails are checked using the “Friends List” and “Spamers List” filters. If the sender of the message is among the “Friends list”, it is automatically transferred to the inbox. Conversely, if the sender is part of the “Spamers List”, it is identified as spam and moved to the eponymous folder.

Another filter called “Character set” analyzes whether the email is written with Asian or Cyrillic characters. If the message contains this type of characters, the service can automatically transfer them to the “Spam” folder. Likewise, Antispam blocks by default all messages with a sexual subject. Practical, Bitdefender has developed an Antispam toolbar for the Outlook (2007 and later) and Thunderbird (versions 14 and later) email clients to provide direct access to its features.

Optimize spam detection

The Bitdefender Antispam toolbar for email clients provides the ability to manage antispam protection without using antivirus software. This includes tools to improve the quality of spam detection. The “Is spam” button allows you, for example, to report when an illegitimate email has not been identified as spam. Conversely, simply click the “Not Spam” button when a legitimate message has been wrongly identified as spam. In this case, it is automatically transferred to the inbox.

It is also possible to optimize the service by enriching the lists of friends and spammers by adding the addresses of email senders. To do this, simply click on the “Add friend” or “Add spammer” button. In case of detection errors, it is possible to send samples of legitimate emails and spam emails to the Bitdefender cloud to help improve Antispam detection filters.