On Monday, February 5, 2024, we will implement a new security feature called URL Defense for all UW–Madison Microsoft 365 accounts. Also known as URL re-writing or URL wrapping, URL Defense is part of a suite of security features offered by Proofpoint, our email security provider.
What does URL Defense do?
URL Defense modifies links in emails from external senders, allowing our email security solution to evaluate the link and block recipients from accessing malicious websites. With URL Defense, we have a second opportunity to evaluate the website link and protect faculty, staff and students from phishing and malware attacks.
What will I see?
When you hover over links that are protected by URL Defense, you will see a different URL from the original one. URL Defense links will begin with https://urldefense.com/v3/__…. If you click a modified link and the URL is determined to be malicious, you will be redirected to a Proofpoint webpage that will let you know the website has been blocked.
This will go into effect for all users in February.
Questions?
It is still important to carefully choose what links you click on, but URL Defense offers another layer of protection. For answers to common questions around URL Defense, please see our FAQ.
