Configuring antispam settings : Configuring the block lists and safe lists : Configuring the personal block lists and safe lists
Configuring the personal block lists and safe lists
AntiSpam > Block/Safe List > Personal lets you add or modify email users’ personal block or safe lists in order to block or allow email by sender. It also lets you back up and restore the per-user block lists and safe lists.
 
In addition to FortiMail administrators configuring per-user block lists and safe lists, email users can configure their own per-user block list and safe list by going to the Preferences tab in FortiMail webmail. For more information, see the online help for FortiMail webmail.
 
 
Use block and safe lists with caution. They are simple and efficient tools for fighting spam and enhancing performance, but can also cause false positives and false negatives if not used carefully. For example, a safe list entry of *.edu would allow all email from the .edu top level domain to bypass the FortiMail unit's other antispam scans.
To access this part of the web UI, your administrator account’s access profile must have Read or Read-Write permission to the Block/Safe List category. For details, see “About administrator account permissions and domains”.
To view and add to personal block lists or safe lists
1. Go to AntiSpam > Block/Safe List > Personal.
2. Select the name of the protected domain for the user in Domain. For more information on protected domains, see “Configuring protected domains”
3. Enter a user name and click the Search User icon.
Two additional options appear: .
GUI item
Description
Add outgoing email addresses to Safe list
Click On to automatically add the recipient email addresses of outgoing email messages to this email user’s per-user safe list. For more information on directionality, see “Incoming versus outgoing email messages”.
Block/Safe lists
Click Block to display, modify, back up, or restore the block list for this email user.
Click Safe to display, modify, back up, or restore the safe list for this email user.
4. To edit a list, do one of the following:
• To block email by sender, click Block.
• To allow email by sender, click Safe.
The dialogs that appear are identical except for the single line of description.
5. In the field to the left of the Add button, type the email address, domain name, or IP address of the sender. For information on valid formats, see “About block list and safe list address formats”.
6. Click Add.
The entry appears in the text area below the Add button.
7. Click the window close button (X) to close the dialog.
 
If you add the user’s email address to the same user’s personal safe list, the FortiMail unit will ignore this entry. This is a precautious measure taken to guard against spammers from sending spam in disguise of that user’s email address as the sender address.
To delete an entry from a per-user block list or safe list
1. Go to AntiSpam > Block/Safe List > Personal.
2. From Domain, select the name of the protected domain to which the email user belongs.
3. In User name, type the user name of the email user whose per-user block list or safe list you want to modify.
4. Click the Search User icon.
If the email user exists, options appear allowing you to configure the user’s per-user block list and safe list.
If the email user does not exist, a dialog appears, asking you if you want to create one and proceed. Click OK.
5. Click either Block or Safe.
6. In the text area below the Add button, select the entry that you want to remove.
7. Click Remove Selected.
To back up a per-user block list or safe list
1. Go to AntiSpam > Block/Safe List > Personal.
2. From Domain, select the name of the protected domain to which the email user belongs.
3. In User name, type the user name of the email user whose per-user block list or safe list you want to back up.
4. Click the Search User icon.
If the email user exists, options appear allowing you to back up the user’s per-user block list and safe list.
5. Click either Block or Safe.
6. Click Backup.
7. If your web browser prompts you for a location, select the folder where you want to save the file.
 
You can alternatively back up all system-wide, per-domain, and per-user block lists and safe lists together. For details, see “Backup and restore”.
To restore a per-user block list or safe list
 
Back up the block list and safe list before beginning this procedure. Restoring the block list and safe list overwrites any existing block list or safe list.
1. Go to AntiSpam > Block/Safe List > Personal.
2. From Domain, select the name of the protected domain to which the email user belongs.
3. In User name, type the user name of the email user whose per-user block list or safe list you want to restore.
4. Click the Search User icon.
If the email user exists, options appear allowing you to restore the user’s per-user block list and safe list.
5. Click either Block or Safe.
6. Click Browse, locate and select the file that you want to restore, then click OK.
7. Click Restore.