How to Configure Spam Assassin to Tag Emails as SPAM

September 1, 2025 / General Discussion

By configuring Spam Assassin, you can automatically detect unwanted emails and tag them with a clear subject line. Spam emails can clutter your inbox and reduce productivity.

This guide explains how to set up Spam Assassin spam filters to mark suspicious emails with ***SPAM***.

Steps to Configure SpamAssassin

  1. Access SpamAssassin Directory
    Go to the .spamassassin directory of your user:
    cd /home/username/.spamassassin
  2. Edit User Preferences
    Open the user_prefs file with a text editor:
    pico /home/wwwmfm/.spamassassin/user_prefs
  3. Set Required Rules
    Add or update the following lines:
    required_hits 1
    rewrite_subject 1
    rewrite_header Subject *****SPAM*****

Please Note:

  • required_hits 1 >> Sets the spam score threshold to mark an email as spam.
  • rewrite_subject 1 >> Enables rewriting of the email subject line.
  • rewrite_header Subject *****SPAM***** >> Adds “SPAM” to the subject of detected spam emails.