ITS manages the Mail Filtering Service, which filters unwanted e-mail from many UT Austin email services. Although ITS anti-spam and anti-phishing solutions are very effective, it is impossible to detect all unwanted e-mail. If the Mail Filtering Service can positively identify a message as spam, it automatically blocks the message so it doesn't arrive in your inbox. While ITS adjusts the technologies in use to adapt to new spamming and phishing techniques, you may occasionally see unwanted e-mail appear in your inbox.

Messages sometimes look like spam, but are not. If the Mail Filtering Service is unable to conclusively determine whether a message is spam or otherwise malicious, the message is delivered with a prefix on the subject line and a disclaimer at the top of the message. There are two categories of such messages: suspicious for the less dangerous ones, and possibly malicious for more dangerous. Their subject line prefixes and message body disclaimers are as follows:

Subject: [UTEXAS: SUSPECTED SPAM]

WARNING: The University of Texas at Austin email defense system has flagged the following message as suspicious. If the message asks you for a username and/or password, such as your UT EID or your UTmail login, DO NOT respond to the message. The university will NEVER ask for your username or password in an email message.

If you have sent your username or password in response to this message or a message like it, contact the UT Service Desk immediately at 512-475-9400.

Subject: [UTEXAS: POSSIBLY MALICIOUS CONTENT]

WARNING! The University of Texas at Austin email defense system has identified the following message as possibly containing malicious content.

Please use extreme caution in vetting this message, especially if the message asks you to click on a URL or to login to a web page that you do not confidently recognize.

The university will NEVER ask for your username or password in an e-mail message. If you have related questions or may have fallen victims to a scam please contact the UT Service Desk immediately at 512-475-9400.

These hints can help you determine whether or not the message is legitimate. You can also create a rule or filter based on the altered subject line to automatically mark these messages as unwanted email in the future.

Please be aware that it is possible for legitimate e-mail to be tagged as spam or as being malicious. Given this, it is important that you consider reviewing or searching the folder where these tagged e-mails are kept in the event you are missing e-mail that you expected to receive. For more information on university disclaimers on external, suspect, or malicious email, please visit KB0011401.

If the message is in fact spam, please DO NOT reply or click on any links or images within the message. ITS recommends reporting the spam and then deleting it.