How to Manage the Quarantine Console in Proofpoint

The Proofpoint quarantine holds emails that have been flagged as potentially unwanted or malicious. Understanding how to manage the quarantine effectively ensures legitimate emails are delivered while maintaining security against threats.

Prerequisites

Before managing the quarantine, ensure you have:

• Proofpoint administrator or end-user access depending on your role
• Understanding of your organization's email policies
• Knowledge of expected email sources for your organization

Understanding Quarantine Types

Proofpoint quarantine handles different message categories:

Category	Description	User Access
Spam	Messages identified as unsolicited bulk email	Users can release
Suspect	Emails with suspicious characteristics	Users can release
Bulk	Marketing and newsletter emails	Users can release
Phishing	Confirmed phishing attempts	Admin only
Malware	Messages containing viruses	Admin only
Spoofed	Emails with forged sender addresses	Admin only

Step 1: Access the Quarantine Console

For Administrators

1. Log in to the Proofpoint Essentials Admin Console
2. Navigate to Logs in the left sidebar
3. Click Log Search or Message Log
4. Filter by Status: Quarantined

For End Users

Option 1: Via Quarantine Digest Email

1. Open your daily Quarantine Digest email from Proofpoint
2. Review the list of quarantined messages
3. Click action buttons directly in the digest:
   • Release - Deliver to inbox
   • Block Sender - Block future emails from this sender
   • Allow Sender - Add to Safe Senders list

Option 2: Via Web Portal

1. Click Manage My Account in any quarantine digest
2. Or navigate directly to your organization's Proofpoint portal
3. Log in with your email credentials
4. Click Quarantine in the navigation menu

Step 2: Search for Quarantined Messages (Admin)

Administrators can search across all users:

1. In the Admin Console, go to Tools > Log Search
2. Configure search parameters:

Field	Description
Type	Select Inbound or Outbound
Date Range	Specify the time period
Status	Select Quarantined
From	Filter by sender address
To	Filter by recipient
Subject	Search by subject line

3. Click Search to view results
4. Results display sender, recipient, subject, date, and quarantine reason

Step 3: Release Quarantined Emails

Releasing Individual Messages

1. Locate the message in the quarantine list
2. Check the checkbox next to the message
3. Click the Actions dropdown menu
4. Select Release from Quarantine
5. Click Apply to confirm

The message will be delivered to the recipient's inbox immediately.

Releasing Multiple Messages

1. Check the boxes next to all messages to release
2. Click Actions > Release from Quarantine
3. Click Apply

Release Options

Action	Result
Release	Delivers email to inbox (one-time)
Release and Allow Sender	Delivers email AND adds sender to Safe list
Delete	Permanently removes email from quarantine
Block Sender	Deletes email AND blocks future messages

Step 4: Configure Quarantine Digest Settings

The quarantine digest is an email summary sent to users showing their quarantined messages.

Admin Configuration

1. Navigate to Administration > Account Management > Digests
2. Configure the following settings:

Setting	Recommendation
Receive Quarantine Digests	Yes
Digest Frequency	Daily (recommended)
Digest Time	Morning business hours
Exclude High-Confidence Spam	Yes (reduces clutter)

3. Click Save to apply changes

User Self-Configuration

Users can adjust their own digest settings:

1. Log in to the Proofpoint user portal
2. Navigate to Settings > Quarantine Digest
3. Adjust frequency and preferences
4. Click Save

Step 5: Manage User Quarantine Access

Administrators can control what users see and do:

Restrict Release Privileges

For high-security environments:

1. Navigate to Administration > Account Management
2. Click Features or Access Controls
3. Find quarantine-related settings
4. Disable user release capabilities for specific message types
5. Click Save

Review User Sender Lists

Check what senders users have allowed or blocked:

1. Navigate to Security Settings > Email > Sender Lists
2. Click on a specific user
3. Click Sender Lists in the user menu
4. Review their Safe Senders and Blocked Senders lists
5. Remove inappropriate entries if necessary

Step 6: Handle False Positives

When legitimate emails are incorrectly quarantined:

Immediate Resolution

1. Release the message from quarantine
2. Add the sender to the Safe Senders list
3. Review the quarantine reason to understand why it was flagged

Long-Term Prevention

1. Create Filter Exception: Add a filter rule that allows emails matching specific criteria
2. Adjust Spam Sensitivity: Lower the spam threshold if too aggressive
3. Whitelist Domains: Add trusted sending domains to the organization Safe list
4. Review Filter Rules: Check if custom filters are causing false positives

Documenting False Positives

Track false positives to identify patterns:

Date	Sender	Subject	Reason	Resolution
Jan 15	[email protected]	Invoice Q1	Spam score	Added to Safe list
Jan 16	[email protected]	Newsletter	Bulk classification	Created filter exception

Step 7: Monitor Quarantine Health

Regular monitoring helps maintain email flow:

Daily Tasks

• Review quarantine for false positives
• Release legitimate business emails
• Check for user complaints about missing emails

Weekly Tasks

• Review quarantine statistics in dashboard
• Identify recurring false positive patterns
• Update filter rules as needed

Monthly Tasks

• Audit Safe Senders and Blocked Senders lists
• Review quarantine retention settings
• Generate quarantine reports for compliance

Troubleshooting Quarantine Issues

Users Not Receiving Digest Emails

Symptoms: Users report not receiving quarantine digests.

Solutions:

1. Verify digest is enabled in user settings
2. Check the user's spam folder
3. Confirm the user has a valid email address
4. Verify no mail rules are filtering the digest
5. Check if digest frequency is set correctly

Cannot Release Specific Messages

Symptoms: Release button is grayed out or unavailable.

Solutions:

1. Check if the message is a high-risk category (malware, phishing)
2. Verify you have appropriate permissions
3. Contact administrator for restricted message types
4. Check if the message has already expired from quarantine

Quarantine Search Not Finding Messages

Symptoms: Known quarantined emails don't appear in search results.

Solutions:

1. Expand the date range
2. Check the correct direction (inbound vs. outbound)
3. Verify exact spelling of sender/recipient addresses
4. Try searching with fewer filters
5. Check if the message has been deleted or released

Best Practices for Quarantine Management

1. Review daily - Check quarantine at least once per day for false positives
2. Educate users - Train users to check their digest and report missing emails
3. Don't over-whitelist - Be cautious about adding senders to Safe lists
4. Document patterns - Track recurring issues to improve filter accuracy
5. Set appropriate retention - Balance storage with compliance requirements
6. Use digest exclusions - Hide obvious spam from user digests to reduce noise

Understanding Quarantine Reasons

Reason	Meaning	Risk Level
Spam	Matched spam signatures	Low
Suspect	Unusual patterns detected	Medium
Bulk	Marketing/newsletter email	Low
Adult	Adult content detected	Varies
Virus	Malware detected	High
Phishing	Phishing attempt identified	High
Impostor	Sender impersonation	High

Next Steps

After mastering quarantine management:

1. Configure email filtering - Set up filter policies
2. Manage sender lists - Configure safe senders and block lists
3. Enable URL Defense - Protect against malicious links

Additional Resources

• Proofpoint Quarantine Digest Guide
• Releasing Quarantined Emails

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