Exchange Online Protection (EOP) | Office 365 | Spam & Malware Filter Step by Step Tutorial

Introduction

This tutorial will guide you through the process of configuring Exchange Online Protection (EOP) in Office 365. EOP is essential for protecting your email environment from threats such as spam and malware. By following these steps, you will learn how to set up various filtering options, manage quarantined items, and enhance your email security.

Step 1: Accessing EOP Settings

To start configuring EOP, you need to access the Exchange admin center.

1. Log in to your Office 365 account.
2. Navigate to the Admin Center.
3. Select Exchange from the left-hand menu to open the Exchange admin center.
4. Click on protection to access the EOP settings.

Step 2: Configuring Anti-Spam Settings

EOP offers several anti-spam features to help filter unwanted emails.

High Confidence Spam

• Enable High Confidence Spam Filter:
  • Go to the spam filter settings.
  • Adjust the settings to treat emails flagged as high confidence spam appropriately, such as moving them to the Junk folder.

Bulk Email

• Manage Bulk Email Settings:
  • Set thresholds for what constitutes bulk email.
  • Choose to either block or allow certain bulk email senders.

Quarantined Items

• Retention Settings:
  • Define how long quarantined items should be retained.
  • You can set this to a specific number of days based on your organization’s policy.

Increasing Spam Score

• Adjust Spam Scoring:
  • Consider increasing the spam score for certain types of emails that you want to be more aggressive in filtering.

Step 3: Connection Filter Policy

The connection filter policy helps manage which IP addresses can send mail to your organization.

1. Navigate to connection filtering in the EOP settings.
2. Configure settings to allow or block specific IP addresses.
3. Add entries to the allow list for trusted senders.

Step 4: Outbound Spam Filter Policy

To manage outgoing emails, configure the outbound spam filter policy.

1. Go to the outbound spam filter settings.
2. Set thresholds and actions for emails that appear to be spam.
3. Ensure notifications are set for administrators when outbound spam is detected.

Step 5: Configuring Spoof Intelligence

Spoof intelligence helps protect against phishing attacks.

1. Access the spoof intelligence settings.
2. Enable spoofing protections for your organization.
3. Adjust settings to allow or block specific senders based on your organization's needs.

Step 6: Malware Filter Settings

Protect your organization from malware by configuring the malware filter.

1. Navigate to the malware filter settings.
2. Enable scanning for attachments and links.
3. Set appropriate actions for detected malware, such as deleting the message or notifying the recipient.

Step 7: Quarantine Management

Managing quarantined items is essential for monitoring potentially harmful emails.

1. Check the quarantine section regularly.
2. Review quarantined items and decide whether to release or delete them.
3. Set up end-user spam notifications to keep users informed of quarantined messages.

Step 8: Testing Configuration

After configuring EOP, test your settings to ensure they are functioning as intended.

1. Send a test email with a known spam characteristic.
2. Check if the email is filtered correctly.
3. Send a test email containing a safe attachment, such as .exe, to see how it is handled.

Conclusion

By following these steps, you have successfully configured Exchange Online Protection to enhance your organization's email security. Regularly review and update your EOP settings to adapt to new threats. For further information, refer to the Microsoft documentation linked in the video description. Implementing these measures will help safeguard your email communications against spam and malware effectively.