Resolved Spamassassin - No DNS Functions

[DataPacket]

I'm encountering challenges while configuring SpamAssassin on Windows Server 2019. SpamAssassin is integrated by Plesk with MailEnable. The primary issue is with DNS-related functions, notably RBL (Real-time Blackhole List) lookups, which are not performing as expected. This malfunction is leading to suboptimal spam filtering effectiveness.

The current results from SpamAssassin are limited, as indicated by the X-Spam-Status header from a sample email:

X-Spam-Status: Yes, score=9.6 required=8.0 tests=APP_DEVELOPMENT_NORDNS,
BITCOIN_DEADLINE,BITCOIN_YOUR_INFO,HTML_FONT_LOW_CONTRAST,HTML_MESSAGE,
NORDNS_LOW_CONTRAST,UPGRADE_MAILBOX autolearn=no autolearn_force=no
version=3.4.5

In this output, it's evident that only basic tests are being applied, and DNS-based checks seem to be missing or not functioning.

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When I performed a test using Perl and the SpamAssassin binary provided by Plesk, the results appeared normal, indicating a broader range of tests being applied effectively. Here's an example of the X-Spam-Status header from this setup:

X-Spam-Status: Yes, score=23.3 required=8.0 tests=END_FUTURE_EMAILS,
FROM_DOMAIN_NOVOWEL,GOOG_STO_IMG_HTML,HTML_MESSAGE,MIME_HTML_ONLY,
MIME_QP_LONG_LINE,PLING_QUERY,RCVD_IN_0SPAM,RCVD_IN_0SPAM_NBL,
RCVD_IN_BAD_VIRUSFREE,RCVD_IN_BARRACUDA,RCVD_IN_BIP_VIRUSFREE,
RCVD_IN_BL_SPAMCOP_NET,RCVD_IN_HOSTKARMA_BL,RCVD_IN_MSPIKE_BL,
RCVD_IN_MSPIKE_L5,RCVD_IN_SBL_CSS,RCVD_IN_SORBS_SAFE,RCVD_IN_TRUNCATE,
RCVD_IN_ZAPBL,SPF_HELO_PASS,T_KAM_HTML_FONT_INVALID autolearn=no
autolearn_force=no version=3.4.5

This disparity suggests an issue specific to the Plesk SpamAssassin setup on Windows Server. Any insights or solutions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[DataPacket]

I'm running Plesk Obsidian Version 18.0.57 Update #2, I think I posted in the wrong section. Please move if possible.

 

[DataPacket]

I've successfully resolved the issue, which stemmed from a notable configuration oversight in Plesk's SpamAssassin under Windows Server. It might be beneficial to address this in future Plesk updates for the convenience of other users.

The key change involved the 'psa-spam-filter' file located in Plesk\Additional\SpamAssassin\bin. Initially, the setting for 'local tests' was enabled ('local-tests-only' => 1). Altering this setting from 1 to 0 ('local-tests-only' => 0) - a modification present in several lines of the file - remedied the problem, and SpamAssassin is now functioning as expected.

It's important to note that, by default install, only local tests are activated in this configuration, which severely limits SpamAssassin.

Note: this post should probably be in the Plesk Obsidian for Windows section, not Linux.