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The following recommendations are strongly encouraged when sending email:
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Email should be sent from a verifiable University email account
Make sure to utilize your University-issued email account for internal correspondence. Avoid sending emails from third-party accounts or a personal Gmail. Remember, any email address can be impersonated by malicious actors. If you receive a suspicious email, promptly report it following the designated procedures for handling suspicious emails or spam. How to Report a Phishing Email: https://vinu.teamdynamix.com/TDClient/69/Portal/KB/ArticleDet?ID=759
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Mass Group Email should be sent using Blind Carbon Copy (Bcc) functionality
When responding to a mass group email, users might accidentally or intentionally select "Reply to All," causing another mass email to be sent. This situation often triggers further responses, potentially overwhelming the email system and inconveniencing users. Utilizing the Blind Carbon Copy (Bcc) feature mitigates this risk and safeguards the privacy of recipients.
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Email should have a Subject that clearly defines the purpose of the email
Unclear subject lines pose challenges in distinguishing between genuine emails and spam or phishing attempts. Consequently, emails with ambiguous subject lines might be mistakenly classified as spam, disregarded, or deleted.
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Email should be sent in plain-text format when applicable
Sending plain-text format emails reduces security risks for recipients and mitigates various issues associated with receiving and viewing email messages. Malicious actors often exploit software vulnerabilities through HTML format emails to cause harm. For instance, hyperlinks and images may be disguised to deceive users into accessing malicious websites.
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Avoid sending attachments in Mass Email
Email attachments are a common tool for propagating computer viruses, and delivering ransomware attacks. As a result, users are hesitant to open unexpected attachments. Senders of Mass Email should consider posting files to a University hosted website, or google drive and then providing instructions in the email on how to access the file. This provides some measure of authenticity. Sending large attachments to multiple recipients can also create unnecessary load on email servers.
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Avoid hyperlinks to third-party websites
Spam and phishing emails often include hyperlinks to malicious websites. As a result, recipients may be hesitant to click on a hyperlink even in an email that appears legitimate. Similar to attachments, posting third-party hyperlinks to a University hosted website provides some measures of authenticity. Whenever possible, advise email recipients to verify message contents by linking secure University systems such as a vinu.edu webpage, Team Dynamix knowledge base, or trumba University events calendar.