About
When receiving links or file attachments in email messages it is difficult to determine if they are legitimate or something malicious. Safe Links and Safe Attachments are tools that are part of the Microsoft Office 365 Advanced Threat Protection service. This service verifies that file attachments and links sent through email are safe to open.
Safe Links
Links that have been processed through Safe Links service will look different. The link may be very long and contain the words "safelinksprotection.outlook.com" in the address, as well as a series of letters and numbers.
Other links may look normal, but will still have the Safe Links long URL if you hover over the link with your mouse. This is because the service has re-written the URL that was sent to scan it through the service.
What happens when you click on a link to open it?
- If the website is safe, the website will open normally.
- If the website is malicious, a warning page will open and you are unable to continue to the website.
- If the website is suspicious, a warning will open and you will have the option to move forward if you believe that it is safe.
Safe Attachments
Safe Attachments scans email attachments for malicious software. If nothing is found, the attachment will be sent as normal. If the attachment is malicious, it will be removed and the body of the email will be delivered.
When you receive an email with attachments you will be able to read the body of the email right away, but the attachments may take a few minutes to become available. A message "ATP Scan in Progress" will display over the attachments until the scan is complete.