Understanding Proofpoint Essential's Mail Flow

Messages processed through Proofpoint Essentials go through various stages in a particular order which is outlined below for both inbound and outbound. (Order of Operations)

Inbound Mail Flow:

1. IP reputation checks
   • PDR - Proofpoint Dynamic Reputation.
   • CSI - Cloudmark Sender Intelligence.
2. Attachment Defense (if licensed)
3. Anti-Virus scanning
4. Filters: Custom filters and send lists.
   - Executables such as .exe, .dll, .bat, .js, and others are blocked before custom filters.
   - Any filter that triggers with "Quarantine" or "Allow" will skip the Anti-Spam step of processing
5. Anti-Spam
6. URL Defense Scan and Rewrites (if licensed)

Outbound Mail Flow:

1. Attachment Defense (if licensed)
2. Anti-Virus scanning
3. Filters: Custom filters and send lists
   - Executables such as .exe, .dll, .bat, .js, and others are blocked before custom filters.
   - Any filter that triggers with "Quarantine" or "Allow" will skip the Anti-Spam step of processing
4. Anti-Spam