We’re cracking down on phishing attacks and spam

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We’re cracking down on phishing attacks and spam

The University is regularly targeted with phishing and spam. Here’s what we’re doing to warn you about potential phishing email and to help keep spam away from your Inbox.

New warning message on external email

From Monday 10 December, all incoming emails originating from outwith the University domains @abdn and @aberdeen that contain links will display a warning message in the header.

The message will either look like this:

Screenshot of warning message about phishing. The message reads

or this:

Alternative screenshot of warning message about phishing. The message reads

Its purpose is to remind you that the email could be phishing – particularly if you don’t recognise the sender – and that you should think twice before clicking on links.

Augmenting spam detection

We are also enabling extra layers of spam detection to cut down on the amount of unsolicited email we receive.

As a result, you may find that more messages are directed to your Junk folder than previously, so remember to check Junk regularly for legitimate messages that may have been incorrectly classified as spam.

Why do we get so many phishing and spam emails?

Our mail filters detect and reject over 80% of phishing and spam email outright. So why do some messages still get through? It’s mainly because perpetrators change their method of attack in direct response to improved countermeasures, so we are continually having to adjust our defences.

Want to know more?

See our user guides:

Or contact the Service Desk for advice – servicedesk@abdn.ac.uk.