blackhole list
A blackhole list is a list of hosts known to be sources of spam.
blacklist
A blacklist is a list used to block mail from specific hosts.
blocker
The IP blocker is a utility that rejects messages originating from blacklisted IP addresses prior to either MTA or policy processing.
CSM
The "Centralized Server Manager" is one of the server roles that is installed in a PureMessage deployment.
Dashboard
The Dashboard is the default page in the administrative UI; shows key statistics and status.
day zero
Day zero is the period during which a threat is so new that no threat detection signatures are available to protect against it.
denial of service (DOS) attack
A denial of service attack is an attack on a host or network that causes a loss of service to its users.
dictionary attack
A dictionary attack is a technique of trying to guess a user's password by running through a list of likely possibilities, often a list of words from a dictionary.
directory harvest attack
A directory harvest attack is a technique to build a spam mailing list by sending all possible alphanumeric combinations for the username to an email domain and building a database of all addresses that do not generate a reply.
DNS A Records
DNS A records (Address record) map hostnames to IP addresses.
DNSBL
A DNSBL is a published list of the IP addresses of known spam sources that is used as one factor in deciding to identify an email as spam.
DNS MX Records
DNS MX records (Mail exchange record) map domain names to a list of mail exchange servers for that domain.
edge server
An edge server is a server that operates on the security edge of an organization's intranet.
email header
An email header is the meta information prepended to email messages to provide content information and log the message's path from sender to recipient.
End User Web Interface (EUWI)
The End User Web Interface (EUWI) is a web-based interface for end users that allows them to manage their PureMessage user-specific options.
false negative
A false negative is a determination that an email message is not spam when in fact it is or that there are no viruses present when in fact there are.
false positive
A false positive is a determination that a virus has been found or that an email message is spam when this is not the case.
glob
A glob is a minimal regular expression syntax used in searching.
Groups Web Interface
The groups web interface is a web-based interface that allows a global administrator to delegate administrative responsibilities to "group" administrators.
groups
Groups are lists of users to which differentiated policy settings can be applied.
heuristics
Anti-spam rules that provide general indications that a message is likely to contain spam or viruses.
internal hosts
Internal hosts reside within your network, behind the gateway or proxy server.
Manager
The PureMessage Manager is a web-based graphical user interface (GUI) for the PureMessage system (as opposed to the command-line interface).
milter
A milter is an extension to sendmail (MTA) that allows administrators to add mail filters for filtering spam, viruses or applying mail policy.
MTA
An Mail Transfer Agent (MTA) is a service that transfers messages from the sender or another relay toward its destination. Often referred to as a mail relay or a mail hub.
network mask
A network mask specifies which are the subnetwork and host parts of an IP address.
packages
Packages are files that contain modularized grouped components used for software installation and upgrade.
phishing
Phishing is the acquisition of identity or passwords by false bank emails and web sites.
policy
Policy refers to the Sophos email or URL filtering rules.
Postfix
Postfix is a fast, easy-to-administer, and secure open source mail transfer agent (MTA).
PostgreSQL
PostgreSQL is a free object-relational database server (database management system), released under a flexible BSD-style license.
quarantine
The quarantine is a store of messages whose delivery has been blocked by policy rules.
roles
PureMessage roles refer to predetermined groupings of network services that can be divided between one or more systems on a network.
Scheduler
The Scheduler is the PureMessage replacement for cron, the Unix/Linux command scheduler.
Sendmail
Sendmail is an open source mail transfer agent (MTA), which routes and delivers email.
Sieve
Sieve is a language for filtering mail at the time of final delivery.
SMTP
The Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) is the standard protocol for email transmission across the internet.
SophosLabs
SophosLabs is a 24/7 network of skilled analysts who respond to evolving security threats.
spam score
The spam score is the score assigned to a message by the anti-spam engine that indicates the relative likelihood that the message is spam.
spam
Spam is unsolicited email, often sent to millions of recipients at a time.
TLS
Transport Layer Security (TLS) is a protocol that ensures privacy between communicating applications and their users on the Internet. When a server and client communicate, TLS ensures that no third party may eavesdrop or tamper with any message. TLS is the successor to the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL).
whitelist
A whitelist is a list that identifies addresses, hosts or IP addresses from which email will always be allowed without further processing.