Beginning Feb. 2, the university implemented two new security features, Safe Link and Safe Attachments, to combat phishing and malware schemes. These features will help identify malicious links on several platforms, including mailboxes that have already migrated to Microsoft 365. The feature will be turned on automatically as new mailboxes migrate, and the changes outlined below should not interrupt your workflow.

Safe Links scans inbound emails and verifies links. When you click a link in an email or on SharePoint, OneDrive or Teams, Safe Links will determine if the destination is safe. You may notice Safe Links rewrites URLs to begin with “nam01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com.” Links that are located in SharePoint, OneDrive and Teams or direct to webpages that fall under one of our core domains (i.e., umsystem.edu) will not be rewritten.

Safe Attachments checks email attachments before they're delivered to recipients. If malware is found, the attachment will be removed and the email and an additional notification will be delivered without the attachment. SharePoint and OneDrive will also be scanned and files containing malware will be blocked from opening, copying, moving or sharing.

The university has implemented many new safety features to protect our community, but security breaches can still happen. While Safe Links and Safe Attachments reduce our risk, please remain vigilant. It’s your professional responsibility to protect sensitive information.