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Posted to dev@spamassassin.apache.org by bu...@bugzilla.spamassassin.org on 2009/02/14 20:02:44 UTC

[Bug 6065] New: SUBJ_RE_NUM triggers false positives - should be removed

https://issues.apache.org/SpamAssassin/show_bug.cgi?id=6065

           Summary: SUBJ_RE_NUM triggers false positives - should be removed
           Product: Spamassassin
           Version: 3.2.5
          Platform: Other
        OS/Version: All
            Status: NEW
          Severity: major
          Priority: P5
         Component: Rules
        AssignedTo: dev@spamassassin.apache.org
        ReportedBy: max@ritlabs.com


SUBJ_RE_NUM raises false positives and should be removed. This rule checks the
number after “Re” in subject, and if there is a number, e.g. “Re[5]:
Antivirus” and no “X-Mailer: The Bat!” header, this rule is triggered. 

In The Bat!, both “Re numbering” and “X-Mailer” options are
configurable in the program interface, and the user is able to independently
switch them on and off, which creates false positives.

I receive a lot of messages from The Bat! users and this rule bothers me
significantly. Problem is that a number of Internet service providers claim
that The Bat! is a spamming tool and, on that basis, block messages containing
"The Bat!" in an X-mailer header. That's why the legitimate users of The Bat!
have configured to not include the X-mailer into the messages, which, in its
turn, triggers the SUBJ_RE_NUM.

Another reason to drop the SUBJ_RE_NUM is that somebody may use an e-mail
client (say, "A-Mail") that does not change subject on reply, and when the user
of A-Mail will reply to a message from The Bat! with "Re[3]:", SpamAssassin
will raise a false positive.


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[Bug 6065] SUBJ_RE_NUM triggers false positives - should be removed

Posted by bu...@bugzilla.spamassassin.org.
https://issues.apache.org/SpamAssassin/show_bug.cgi?id=6065


Justin Mason <jm...@jmason.org> changed:

           What    |Removed                     |Added
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
             Status|NEW                         |ASSIGNED




--- Comment #3 from Justin Mason <jm...@jmason.org>  2009-03-02 10:09:46 PST ---
removed in 3.3.0:

: 364...; svn commit -m "bug 6065: remove SUBJ_RE_NUM due to FP reports and low
hit-rate" rulesrc/sandbox/felicity/70_other.cf
Sending        rulesrc/sandbox/felicity/70_other.cf
Transmitting file data .
Committed revision 749396 ( https://svn.apache.org/viewcvs.cgi?view=rev&rev=749396 ).

still need to do the same for 3.2.x rule updates...


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[Bug 6065] SUBJ_RE_NUM triggers false positives - should be removed

Posted by bu...@bugzilla.spamassassin.org.
https://issues.apache.org/SpamAssassin/show_bug.cgi?id=6065





--- Comment #2 from Karsten Bräckelmann <gu...@rudersport.de>  2009-02-14 11:53:27 PST ---
(In reply to comment #0)
> Another reason to drop the SUBJ_RE_NUM is that somebody may use an e-mail
> client (say, "A-Mail") that does not change subject on reply, and when the user
> of A-Mail will reply to a message from The Bat! with "Re[3]:", SpamAssassin
> will raise a false positive.

This only is a problem, if that MUA recognizes that as a Reply marker. Does any
MUA (other than The Bat!) do this?

Evolution certainly doesn't, tested this. FWIW, such behavior would be most
likely to result in quite some strange subjects, if the subject already starts
with Re and goes on with the remainder of a real word. ;)


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[Bug 6065] SUBJ_RE_NUM triggers false positives - should be removed

Posted by bu...@bugzilla.spamassassin.org.
https://issues.apache.org/SpamAssassin/show_bug.cgi?id=6065


Karsten Bräckelmann <gu...@rudersport.de> changed:

           What    |Removed                     |Added
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
           Severity|major                       |normal
   Target Milestone|Undefined                   |3.2.6




--- Comment #1 from Karsten Bräckelmann <gu...@rudersport.de>  2009-02-14 11:47:40 PST ---
For the records, some copy-n-paste from the previous dev list discussion.

We get a FP for The Bat! when the user disables the X-Mailer option, but keeps
the Re numbering. Ruleqa shows negligible results on spam, no FPs though.

MSECS      SPAM%     HAM%     S/O    RANK   SCORE  NAME WHO/AGE
0.00000   0.0001   0.0000   1.000    0.46    2.80  SUBJ_RE_NUM


Matt Kettler posted to the list
> I'd be +1 on dropping it. It seems a silly criteria, and it's clearly
> not effective at present.

And Justin Mason briefly added
> +1

Here's my +1. :)  Target Milestone 3.2.6, Severity normal.


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[Bug 6065] SUBJ_RE_NUM triggers false positives - should be removed

Posted by bu...@bugzilla.spamassassin.org.
https://issues.apache.org/SpamAssassin/show_bug.cgi?id=6065


Justin Mason <jm...@jmason.org> changed:

           What    |Removed                     |Added
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
             Status|ASSIGNED                    |RESOLVED
         Resolution|                            |FIXED




--- Comment #4 from Justin Mason <jm...@jmason.org>  2009-03-29 12:35:39 PST ---
(In reply to comment #3)
> removed in 3.3.0:
> 
> : 364...; svn commit -m "bug 6065: remove SUBJ_RE_NUM due to FP reports and low
> hit-rate" rulesrc/sandbox/felicity/70_other.cf
> Sending        rulesrc/sandbox/felicity/70_other.cf
> Transmitting file data .
> Committed revision 749396 ( https://svn.apache.org/viewcvs.cgi?view=rev&rev=749396 )
> 
> still need to do the same for 3.2.x rule updates...

: 352...; svn commit -m "bug 6065: remove SUBJ_RE_NUM due to FP reports and low
: 353... >>; hit-rate"
Sending        rules/50_scores.cf
Sending        rules/active.list
Transmitting file data ..
Committed revision 759759 ( https://svn.apache.org/viewcvs.cgi?view=rev&rev=759759 ).


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