ICT
Secure emailing: how to ensure your email is not redirected to the spam folder
Do you sometimes send work-related emails using a non-university email address? Or do you sometimes send emails from a server not managed by the university? Then it is possible that these emails will now be classified as spam and automatically sent to a spam folder. Emails from unknown and possibly unreliable sources form a serious security risk for the university. For this reason, precautionary measures have been taken to intercept such suspect messages. Emails from unknown sources will now be diverted to spam folders and will ultimately be permanently removed. Make sure that your own outgoing emails are not inadvertently stopped by these security measures. By following a number of general principles you can help to prevent this from occurring:
- If you use a different server, your emails will probably no longer arrive at their destination.
- How can you tell whether or not you are using a university server?
• Are you using your university Outlook or webmail? Then all is well,
you are sending your emails via the university (Exchange) server.
• Is the domain name you are using as your sender address not
...@...leidenuniv.nl but something else? If so, please contact your
ICT contact person.
Do not use Gmail (or Yahoo, etc.) for university emails; use your university mail address (i.e. ...@ ...leidenuniv.nl) via Outlook or webmail instead.
This is not only unsafe, it may also be in contravention of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
- Do not use the mail server of an overseas university when you are working or staying there.
- Do not use the mail server of another company or institution when you are on location there.
- Do not use the mail server of your internet provider at home.
Check your spam folder
Tip: Periodically check your spam folder, in case important messages have accidentally been diverted there. All over the world, email security is being tightened. This may sometimes result in a legitimate email arriving in the spam folder.
If you have any questions about email security or about using an external mail server, please contact the helpdesk.