I am receiving strange notification emails about withheld or quarantined messages Print

If you have started receiving automated emails with subject lines such as “Withheld Messages”, “Quarantine Digest”, or messages that appear to come from your own domain at an unusual server address, this article explains what they are and what to do.

What are these emails?

These notifications are generated by the spam filtering system on the mail server. When an incoming email is flagged as potential spam or fails certain checks, it is held in a quarantine area rather than delivered to your inbox. The system then sends you a digest notification to let you know messages are being held.

A typical notification has a sender address that includes your domain followed by a server hostname (for example [email protected] from a server such as attwood.dnshostnetwork.com), and the email body lists messages that have been withheld, sometimes with a link to release them.

Are these genuine emails from Host Media?

Yes. Quarantine digest emails are generated by the spam filter running on the mail server that handles your account. They are not phishing messages. The unusual sender address is normal, as the notification is sent from the server itself rather than from a Host Media mailbox.

Why have I started receiving them?

You may start receiving these notifications if:

• The spam filter sensitivity on your account has been adjusted
• An increase in incoming spam to your mailbox has triggered more quarantine events
• You have recently migrated your domain to our hosting and quarantine notifications were already configured

How do I stop receiving these notifications?

cPanel hosting

1. Log in to cPanel
2. Go to Email > Spam Filters
3. Adjust the spam box or quarantine notification settings to your preference

DirectAdmin hosting

1. Log in to DirectAdmin
2. Go to Email Manager > SpamAssassin Setup
3. Adjust the quarantine or notification settings

Alternatively, raise a support ticket and we can adjust the settings for you.

A legitimate email has been quarantined incorrectly

If a genuine email from a trusted sender is being caught by the spam filter, you can whitelist that sender’s address or domain:

• cPanel: go to Email > Spam Filters > Whitelist
• DirectAdmin: go to Email Manager > SpamAssassin Setup > Whitelist

If you are consistently missing important emails from a particular sender, contact us and we can investigate whether the sending server’s IP needs to be whitelisted at the server level.