Features Introduced in Previous Releases

CS MAILsweeper for SMTP 4.3 Service Pack 2

(CS MAILsweeper for SMTP 4.3.12 including Technology Update Version 1.4.10)


This document provides a cumulative record of features and enhancements introduced in previous releases of CS MAILsweeper for SMTP. For details of features and enhancements introduced in the current release, see the New Features in this Release document.

This document is current at the time of publication; subsequent updates will be available on our website, http://www.mimesweeper.com/.


Contents

In this Release Document

This document contains the following topics:

Other Release Documents

Details of other aspects of this release of CS MAILsweeper for SMTP are provided in the following release documents:

Each release document is linked, so you can access any of the documents from the one you are currently using.


Contact Information We are constantly reviewing our products. You can obtain product service packs, information about our other products, and details for contacting us on our website http://www.mimesweeper.com/.

Changes between Versions 4.2_1 and 4.2_5

Table 1 summarizes the new features and enhancements that were introduced in MAILsweeper for SMTP Version 4.2_5. For full details on these features and enhancements, see the ReadMe.htm file supplied on the MAILsweeper for SMTP Version 4.2_5 distribution media, the online help system in the Version 4.2_5 product software, and the MAILsweeper for SMTP Reference Revision 2.0 and Reference Update Pages Revision 2.1.

Table 1: New features at Version 4.2_5
Feature Description
Attachment Stripper scenario A new Attachment Stripper scenario was provided that enabled MAILsweeper for SMTP to remove attachments from an email message based on the type and size of the attachment. This scenario removes entire attachments not just the components of an attachment. The Attachment Stripper scenario can be optionally configured with a text annotation that advises that the attachment has been removed.
Content Scanner scenario A new Content Scanner scenario was provided for MAILsweeper to be connected to a third-party scanning software, such as an antivirus tool, based on the Component Object Model (COM) interface to scan data in the body of an email message. This scenario can be configured to clean infected email messages.
Data type recognition The data type recognition available to scenarios was improved. Additional format types can now be recognized by the Attachment Stripper, Content Scanner, Data Type Manager, Executable, and Virus Manager scenarios.

The following format types can now be recognized:

Format Description
Document format types:
GenericCDA All Compound Document Architecture files
Ichitaro Ichitaro document file

CDA format handling

MAILsweeper for SMTP recognizes the following Compound Document Architecture (CDA) types:

  • CDA:  Other Compound Document Architecture file (A file identified as CDA format but whose specific Microsoft document type can not be determined.)
  • GenericCDA:  All Compound Document Architecture files
  • Ichitaro:  Ichitaro document file
  • MS Excel:  Microsoft Excel file
  • MS Outlook:  Microsoft Outlook message
  • MS PowerPoint:  Microsoft PowerPoint file
  • MS Project:  Microsoft Project file
  • MS Word:  Microsoft Word file

You can use these format types to identify CDA files in the specified formats. This enables you to create policies based on CDA format files, such as blocking PowerPoint presentations from being sent outside the company, searching for particular words or phrases within a Word document, or detecting viruses within an Outlook message.
LDAP Address lists The LDAP address list functionality was improved to ensure both anonymous and authenticated access work on a variety of LDAP servers, such as Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft Active Directory, and Netscape Directory Server. This functionality enabled you to connect to an LDAP server so MAILsweeper for SMTP could dynamically build LDAP address lists from the periodic queries of an LDAP directory. MAILsweeper for SMTP connects to an LDAP server using either Anonymous access or Authenticated access.

The access method used depends upon the requirements of the LDAP server you are connecting to.
Policy evaluation order The way in which MAILsweeper for SMTP evaluated policies was changed from a scoring system to a decision tree system. This improved the way MAILsweeper handled addresses obtained from LDAP address lists.

Under the old scoring system, MAILsweeper started at the top of the hierarchy and worked its way down to the bottom, checking every folder until it determined the most specific match. Under the new decision tree system, MAILsweeper checks each of the higher-level folders in the scenario folder hierarchy to determine the closest match. It then checks each of the lower-level folders only beneath the matched folder. It then checks any subfolders only beneath that lower-level folder for a more specific match. It continues in this way until no subfolder beneath the last matched folder has a more specific match for the route in the message.

Understanding the order in which MAILsweeper checks scenario folders in the hierarchy is particularly important where you want to create an exception to a wider rule.
Policy Options tab This option was introduced to enable MAILsweeper to process mail twice if necessary. With this option you can create a special scenario folder to process internal mail between individuals in different departments, locations, or between separate domains hosted on the same MAILsweeper for SMTP system. This option has no effect on scenario folder hierarchies that have a separate folder with a more explicit route at the same level as the default Incoming and Outgoing folders.
Quarantine and Park actions properties An option that specifies whether to park or quarantine a message in its original form or as modified by MAILsweeper for SMTP was added to the Park and Quarantine actions.
Receiver Service tab Two new options were added to prevent MAILsweeper from accepting email messages intended to be relayed through your domain without authorization:
  • Resolve relay attempts using @ character in recipient addresses.

    Determines if the Receiver service identifies a relay target domain within a recipient address that contains a quoted user name including the @ character and a domain name (for example, "user@target.domain"@your.domain).

  • Resolve relay attempts using ! character in recipient addresses.

    Determines if the Receiver service identifies a relay target domain within a recipient address that contains a user name including a domain name and the ! character (for example, target.domain!user@your.domain).

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Changes between Versions 4.1 and 4.2_1

Table 2 summarizes the new features and enhancements that were introduced in MAILsweeper for SMTP Version 4.2. For full details on these features and enhancements, see the ReadMe.htm file supplied on the MAILsweeper for SMTP Version 4.2_1 distribution media, the online help system in the Version 4.2_1 product software, and the MAILsweeper for SMTP Reference Revision 2.0.

Table 2: New features at Version 4.2_1
Feature Description
Auditor for Reporting A new audit plug-in was provided to improve database size and query performance and to enable users to configure the level of information to record. The Auditor for Reporting records audit points in a database with an ODBC driver (a Microsoft SQL database is recommended) and enables a report generation tool to generate a configurable set of management reports.
Data type recognition Data type recognition used by scenarios such as the Data Type Manager scenario and the Executable scenario was improved in terms of speed, resilience, recognition, and extraction of embedded objects.

The following additional data types were able to be recognized:

Format Description
Document format types:
Fax Facsimile
MS Outlook Microsoft Outlook message
Image format types:
DWG AutoCAD Drawing
DXF Drawing Exchange Format
WMF Windows Meta File (see Table Note)
Sound format types:
AIF Audio Interchange File
AU Audio File
MIDI Musical Instrument Digital Interface
MP3 MPEG-1 Audio Layer-3
VOC Creative Voice
WAV Windows WAV Sound File
Distributed deployment The distributed deployment option was introduced. This enables users to deploy a cluster of MAILsweeper machines that operate with identical configuration to increase processing power and resilience.
Executable scenario A scenario to enable MAILsweeper to run third-party executable programs (for example, a .exe, .com, or .bat application) was introduced. An Executable scenario can be created to have MAILsweeper for SMTP automatically run an application that, for example, processes a file type not supported by MAILsweeper or one that performs additional processing on a component of an email message.
File Blocker scenario A scenario to detect specified file names or extensions (for example, *.vbs or *.exe) was introduced. A File Blocker scenario can be used to configure a quick, temporary search that prevents a specific file extension from being sent or received.
Installer An installation program providing options for installing MAILsweeper in a stand-alone deployment with a full MAILsweeper host machine and an optional Remote Manager was introduced. It also provides an option for installing a MAILsweeper server, which can then be used to install MAILsweeper on other computers in a distributed deployment.
LDAP address lists The LDAP address list functionality was improved to allow more granular queries to improve import capabilities from Microsoft Exchange servers. If the LDAP server supports complex expressions, the AND or OR filters can be used to create LDAP address lists in MAILsweeper.
Manager The responsiveness and stability of the manager was generally improved. A Text Analysis pane was added to the Message Viewer to provide a summary of the results of text scans at each relevant stage of decomposition.
Multiprocessing support Support was added to enable the Security service to use multiple processors.
Pattern Matcher scenario A scenario to detect file types by matching a specified binary file pattern within blocks of data was introduced. A Pattern Matcher scenario can be used, for example, to detect a proprietary file format that must not be sent outside of your network to another organization. Users can specify their own binary file pattern or can import existing patterns.
Performance The performance of MAILsweeper for SMTP was improved. Version 4.2 was up to 75% faster than Version 4.1_x.
Performance monitoring The MAILsweeper Security service had hooks to the Windows NT Performance Monitor added to enable users to monitor activity without keeping the MAILsweeper Manager connected for long periods. This enhancement improves server performance and reduces network traffic. Windows NT alerts can also be configured via the Performance Monitor.
Policy Editor The behavior of the user interface was made much more consistent, and a number of bugs were fixed. It was made much more difficult for the user to inadvertently break the configuration.
Receiver service security The MAILsweeper Receiver service had additional security features added to enable users to:
  • Control the SMTP connection timeout period.
  • Control the maximum time between successive SMTP commands.
  • Control the number of messages that may be transmitted down a single SMTP connection.
  • Control the number of concurrent connections that the Receiver service allows.
  • Decide whether to accept mail to recipients without a specified domain (closing a long-standing open relay bug).
References A References folder was added to the MAILsweeper for SMTP console to provide a single repository of search lists and language settings that can be shared by any scenarios that use text analysis. Text analysis was made language dependent. The ability for text analysis results to be logged to the context and to attach an HTML view of text analysis to Inform messages was added. The performance of the regular expression engine was improved.
Reporting system The new Auditor for Reporting, increased the flexibility of the MAILsweeper reporting system. Advanced users were given the ability to add their own Crystal Report objects.

The following additional management reports were introduced:

  • 24 Hour Processing Activity
  • Data Type Summary
  • Email Tracker
  • Message Area Activity
  • Message Summary
  • Point to Point Summary
  • Policy Usage
  • Processing Activity
  • Threat Detection
  • Top 10 Mail Authors
  • Top 10 Mail Authors by Volume
  • Top 10 Mail Recipients
  • Top 10 Mail Recipients by Volume
Windows 2000 support Support for Microsoft Windows 2000 was introduced.

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Changes between Versions 4.0 and 4.1

Table 3 summarizes the new features and enhancements that were introduced in MAILsweeper for SMTP Version 4.1. For full details on these features and enhancements, see the Engread.htm file supplied on the MAILsweeper for SMTP Version 4.1 distribution media, the online help system in the Version 4.1 product software, and the MAILsweeper for SMTP Reference Revision 1.0.

Table 3: New features at Version 4.1
Feature Description
Archiving Two new actions were added for archiving messages:
  • Copy to Archive Account
  • Copy to Archive Folder
Identify policy The Identify Policy option was provided to identify the policy that is applied to a particular message route.
LDAP address lists The ability to create address lists from the email address entries in a specified part of an LDAP directory (including LDAP-compliant portions of Exchange and Domino servers) was introduced.
New utilities The following new utilities were provided on an unsupported basis:
  • Message Area Repair for rebuilding the index file for a Version 4.1 Message Area.
  • Message Area Upgrade for upgrading Version 4.0 message areas to Version 4.1 Message Areas. (Note that this utility is not supported in Version 4.2.)
  • Compact Database Utility for defragmenting Microsoft Access database files and reconciling the database formats.
Reload policy The Reload Policy option was removed.
Reporting The Reporting facility was added to generate reports about the types of messages and attachments passing through the MAILsweeper system, and how they were processed.

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Revision 1.2
Published by Clearswift Ltd. November 2003
© 2003 Clearswift Ltd
All rights reserved
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