OIT is implementing a new email security service, Abnormal Security, which uses advanced detection models to protect against email attacks that exploit human behavior such as phishing, social engineering and account takeovers. The service will be rolled out to all CU Boulder email accounts starting Wednesday, July 10.
Abnormal Security will run in parallel with our Microsoft Defender Quarantine service to help detect whether incoming emails are malicious or harmless. Abnormal Security brings greater scrutiny and nuance to phishing detection, catching phish that Microsoft Defender may miss. Abnormal Security only reviews emails that Microsoft Defender identifies as being safe. If Abnormal Security identifies the email as malicious, the email is blocked. This will save you time from having to review and report suspicious emails in addition to protecting your data and identity.
The addition of Abnormal Security to our email environment is in direct response to campus feedback about the desire for improved email security that requires minimal user input. According to the Verizon 2023 Data Breach Report, phishing is the second leading way for organizations to be breached. According to Station X, phishing is the number one cybercrime, with 3.4 billion attempts sent annually. Abnormal Security adds another layer of security to help keep our campus data and resources safe.
