Patent ID: 8601577

Claim:
A computer implemented method for unloading blocking of spam email traffic from a message transfer agent to an antispam computing device, the method comprising the steps of: receiving, by the antispam computing device, email traffic between the message transfer agent and a plurality of sources of email traffic, the message transfer agent being primarily responsible for delivery of email traffic to network components; detecting specific error codes in the email traffic as defined by a protocol of the email traffic, by the antispam computing device from the message transfer agent, the specific error codes being transmitted by the message transfer agent to sources of email traffic in response to specific email traffic received by the message transfer agent; wherein the specific error codes of the protocol of the email traffic 1) simulate non-spam based errors, whether or not a non-spam based error has occurred, to the sources of the email traffic and 2) alert the antispam computing device that the message transfer agent has adjudicated the specific email traffic to comprise spam; interpreting, by the antispam computing device, the specific received error codes transmitted by the message transfer agent in response to the specific email traffic as indicating that the message transfer agent adjudicated the specific email traffic to comprise spam; and blocking, by the antispam computing device, at least some email traffic from at least one source based on interpreting the specific received error codes, such that the blocked email traffic does not reach the message transfer agent.