External email warning banner

Email received from senders outside of the University (non @essex.ac.uk senders) will contain a warning banner at the top of the message.

The purpose of the banner is to remind you that you should be extra vigilant when following links or opening attachments from external senders.

Frequently asked questions

Why has the University started adding this banner to some of my emails?

We are following recommendations from the wider cyber security advisory bodies to the academic sector, NCSC and JISC, on protecting against cyber threats.

Phishing and malware received through email is one of the most common cyber security threats faced by the University, and humans are the greatest first line of defence against potential cyber-attacks, so it’s important we continue to raise awareness of this issue.

Which emails will be affected?

Any email from a sender outside of the University except for some pre-approved, trusted senders.

If your department uses a third-party email service to send messages that are being tagged with the banner, please raise a ticket with the IT Helpdesk to have the sender considered for adding to the trusted sender list.  Note that the University will not whitelist individual senders.

The banner will only appear on the first email in an email chain.

Can I disable the banner or opt-out?

No – the banner cannot be disabled, and you cannot choose to opt-out. The banner serves as a reminder to be vigilant of email attachments and links from external senders

Can I delete the banner when replying to an external contact?

Yes, you can delete the banner from the original message when you reply. Right-click on the table containing the banner and choose Delete Table.

The banner takes up too much space in the Outlook message preview.  How do I fix this?

In Outlook, you can click "View", "Message Preview" and change the number of lines in the preview to three to allow for more of the message to be displayed.

In the Outlook mobile application this setting can be found in "Settings", "Mail", "Preview".