Over the past two weeks, a new e-mail filter has been put into use. This was necessary because the previous e-mail filter had to be replaced.
What is an e-mail filter?
An e-mail filter is a way of checking all incoming and outgoing e-mail and filtering it for viruses, phishing and spam. The new e-mail filter is part of Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP). EOP will reduce the likelihood that members of the University will become the victims of phishing scams or malware/virus infestations.
What do you notice about the new email filter?
You may have already noticed, but there are three new features: Safe Links, Safe Attachments, and Quarantined email messages:
- Safe Links: This feature proactively protects the University Twente from malicious hyperlinks in an email message. A banner appears across the top of the email stating that the email is likely to be Junk or contain phishing content. When a malicious link is clicked, the protection dynamically blocks the content, while good links can be accessed. If a link is found to lead to a malicious website, a warning will be displayed instead of the website. This feature does not guarantee that all scanned links are safe, but it does guard against many known unsafe sites and is continually updated with new information about malicious sites.
- Safe Attachments: This feature checks email message attachments for malware and viruses. If an attachment is found to contain malicious content, the email is not delivered, and the sender is notified.
Note: If you receive an email with possible malicious content, you will see a banner across the top of the message. Email links[2] will be rewritten and look similar to this: https://...safelinks.protection.outlook.com.../. - Quarantined email messages: Quarantine holds potentially dangerous or unwanted messages. When you receive a quarantine notification, the following information is always available for each quarantined message: Sender, Subject and Date that the message was quarantined. The following actions (buttons) are available Block Sender, Release and Review. A click on the button will send you to your security dashboard at https://security.microsoft.com. When you click Review, CERT-UT will review this Release request.
Note: Quarantine messages always come from quarantine@messaging.microsoft.com.
Where is the email filter applied?
This protection is enabled for all Staff, Students and Guests who use the Office 365 platform of the University of Twente (@utwente.nl and @student.utwente.nl accounts).
Support
Don't hesitate to contact CERT-UT cert@utwente.nl if you suspect that Microsoft EOP may be blocking legitimate links or attachments or if you have additional questions about EOP.
