In response to many phishing attacks targeting Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) email accounts, the institution has subscribed to Microsoft’s Exchange Online Advanced Threat Protection (ATP).
On Monday, Aug. 28, ATP was activated for all Vanderbilt users adding an additional layer of protection against malicious attachments and links originating from email addresses external to Vanderbilt.
ATP is an email filtering application that moderates malware and virus infiltration within an organization and blocks threats when detected. A procedure is currently being established to extend this service to internal addresses, in addition to external addresses.
Although ATP acts as an additional layer of protection, it is still crucial that users exercise caution whenever clicking on links or attachments in emails.
With ATP, users will be redirected to a warning page if the database determines a link to be malicious. The diagram illustrates how ATP works when an email is received.
If a user is sent an email that contains a malicious attachment, ATP will deliver the email with a message noting that the malicious attachment has been removed.
For more information, visit the VUMC IT website.
