Phishing attacks are a top cybersecurity threat to the University of Nebraska. These types of attacks involve the use of malicious attachments or links in an email to steal personal information. To help identify potential phishing emails from outside senders, Information Technology Services will be turning on external email tags for all University of Nebraska user accounts on Dec. 11.

External email tags will notify a user when an email has been sent from someone outside of the university. The notification alerts the user to potential risks of clicking on links or opening attachments in emails sent from an unrecognized sender.

When a user receives an email from outside the university, such as through Gmail or Yahoo, red text reading “Non-NU Email” will appear at the top of the message. External email tags will appear when viewing University of Nebraska email in the Outlook Web App, email clients and mobile devices.

FAQs

Is an email unsafe to open if it contains an external email tag?

An external email tag does not indicate that an email is unsafe. However, you should be cautious of clicking on links or opening attachments if you do not recognize the sender. Please keep in mind that bad actors regularly pose as someone who is part of a community, such as the University of Nebraska, so users should still apply caution to all emails received; the external email tag is simply another layer in which to help protect users.

If I forward a copy of a tagged email, will the external email tag also be forwarded?

Yes, the text “Non-NU Email” is added to the beginning of the forwarded message.

What does it mean if I receive an external email and it does not have an external email tag?

External email tags are applied to the majority of external emails sent to University of Nebraska addresses. However, it is possible for an external email to be delivered without an external email tag. In these cases, Information Technology Services recommends proceeding with caution when viewing the message.

Who do I contact if an internal email is tagged?

If you believe that a University of Nebraska email has been tagged as an external email by mistake, please contact Information Technology Services.