How to Whitelist a Domain or Email Address in ASSP Spam Filter

Introduction

The Anti-Spam SMTP Proxy (ASSP) is a popular email filtering solution used to protect mail servers from spam and malicious emails. In some cases, legitimate domains or email addresses may be incorrectly flagged or blocked by ASSP, causing valid emails to be rejected or filtered as spam.

This guide explains how to whitelist an entire domain or a specific email address in ASSP using either the server configuration files or the ASSP web interface.

Prerequisites

Before proceeding, ensure the following requirements are met:

• Root access to the server (for file-based configuration).
• SSH access to the server.
• ASSP Spam Filter installed and running.
• Access to the ASSP web interface or cPanel ASSP Deluxe plugin.
• Basic knowledge of Linux command-line operations.

Method 1: Whitelist Using the ASSP Configuration File

Step 1: Edit the Whitelist File

Log in to the server via SSH and open the whitedomains.txt file:

vi /usr/local/assp/files/whitedomains.txt

Step 2: Add the Domain or Email Address

Add the domain name or specific email address you want to whitelist.

Examples:

domain.com
user@domain.com
admin@example.com

Save the file and exit the editor.

Step 3: Rebuild the ASSP Spam Database

1. Log in to cPanel.
2. Open Grscripts ASSP Deluxe.
3. Click Rebuild SPAMdb.

This will update ASSP with the newly added whitelist entries.

Method 2: Whitelist Using the ASSP Web Interface

Step 1: Access the ASSP Web Interface

Log in to the ASSP web interface through cPanel.

Step 2: Open the Whitelisting Section

Navigate to:

Whitelisting Domains

Step 3: Add Whitelist Entries

In the Whitelist Domain or Address field, enter the domain name or email address you want to whitelist.

Examples:

domain.com
user@domain.com

Step 4: Apply Changes

Scroll to the bottom of the page and click:

Apply Changes

Step 5: Log Out

Log out of the ASSP web interface after saving the changes.

Step 6: Rebuild the Spam Database

Return to ASSP Deluxe in cPanel and select Rebuild SPAMdb to apply the changes.

Verification

After rebuilding the spam database:

1. Send a test email from the whitelisted domain or email address.
2. Confirm that the message is delivered successfully.
3. Review ASSP logs if necessary to verify that the sender is being matched against the whitelist.

Conclusion

Whitelisting domains and email addresses in ASSP ensures that trusted senders are not mistakenly blocked by spam filtering rules. Administrators can perform this task either by directly modifying the whitedomains.txt configuration file or through the ASSP web interface. After making any whitelist changes, rebuilding the ASSP spam database is required to ensure the new entries take effect.