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Microsoft Deprecating 'Obsolete' SmartScreen Spam Filters In Outlook and Exchange (winbeta.org)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from WinBeta: Microsoft is making changes to SmartScreen, a spam content filter, available in Windows 10. These changes will affect Outlook and Exchange users. In Outlook and Exchange, SmartScreen analyzes each email message and rates the email according to SmartScreen's Spam Confidence Level (SCL). These emails are then sent to Outlook's junk folder. Here's a look at the changes to SmartScreen, according to Microsoft: 1. "On November 1, 2016, Microsoft will stop generating updates for the SmartScreen spam filters in Exchange Server 2016 and earlier (2013, 2010, 2007), Outlook 2016 for Windows and earlier (2013, 2010, 2007) and Outlook 2011 for Mac. The SmartScreen spam filter will be removed from future versions of Exchange Server and Outlook for Windows. (SmartScreen is not available in any other version of Outlook). This announcement does not affect the SmartScreen Filter online protection features built into Windows, Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer browsers. While branded similarly, those features are technically distinct. These SmartScreen Filters to help people to stay protected from malicious websites and downloads." After November 1, 2016, Microsoft will no longer release spam definition updates to SmartScreen filters in Outlook and Exchange. Your existing SmartScreen spam filters will remain in place; Microsoft will simply no longer provide updates for them.
We've been running a Postfix-based SMTP gateway that utilizes SpamAssassin and Postgrey, along with some basic header checks, for years now on the front end of Exchange. I wouldn't dream of actually opening up Exchange on to the Internet.
The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
They just ditched another cost center and gave another reason they think Exchange admins should put their staff onto rent-seeking hosted cloud Exchange.
Reduce the value of the already paid systems to get people onto the cloud treadmill.
Just like the Windows 10 nearly forced upgrades, where they can control your machine and monitor you for advertising, this looks like a way to de-content existing software so that the cloud services have more functionality, hopefully driving their customers to the ongoing revenue generation model that Microsoft so clearly wants to grow.
or at least that's what Microsoft is betting on. I suspect they're planning on neutering and gutting their OS, and Windows 10 is the start of that. They want everything in 'the cloud', where they have absolute control and can pwn your data at will, and where they can charge whatever they want because the only alternative will be other cloud providers with whom they're colluding.
'The Economy' is a giant Ponzi scheme whose most pitiable suckers are the youngest among us and the yet-unborn.