Navigating Unwanted Email Communication

Nate Howe
October 17, 2023

Unwanted emails, such as spam and phishing messages, are an all-too-common nuisance for our campus community. While UT Dallas has taken steps to protect our students, faculty and staff as much as possible, the Information Security Office (ISO) recommends that all of our users prepare for how to handle the reality that some of these emails may bypass our security controls. There are a number of categories of incidents that should be reported using the guidelines below:

• If a crime is suspected, such as threats to life safety, these emails should be reported to the UTD Police Department at https://police.utdallas.edu/
• If discrimination, harassment, or sexual misconduct is suspected, these emails should be reported to UTD Institutional Compliance, Equity, and Title IX Initiatives at https://institutional-initiatives.utdallas.edu/
• If a violation of UTD code of conduct is suspected, these emails should be reported to UTD Human Resources at https://hr.utdallas.edu/
• If a cybersecurity threat or vulnerability is suspected, these emails should be reported to UTD Information Security Office at infosecurity@utdallas.edu or https://apps.utdallas.edu/infosecurity/contact-us/

Some of these unwanted messages contain distasteful content, damaging accusations, or criticism of faculty and staff. The ISO has observed many users who receive these messages report them to our office with a natural curiosity to inquire about the validity or origin of such claims and whether or not actions need to be taken against the senders. These kinds of emails are not considered cyber-attacks: the aim is not to gain access, steal information, or compromise systems. As such, these emails are not considered misuse, but can be a frustrating reality.

In addition, it is trivial for a user who intends to send messages like these through a free, privacy-centric email provider, such as Proton Mail (example@protonmail.com) or Gmail (example@gmail.com) and hide their identity. As a result, the ISO cannot offer assistance with investigating these kinds of messages. Instead, we recommend treating these emails like you would junk mail in your U.S. Postal mailbox: by ignoring and disposing of them accordingly.

We encourage all members of the UT Dallas community to apply email filtering controls to your personal inboxes, as preferred. This process is detailed in the following article: https://atlas.utdallas.edu/TDClient/30/Portal/KB/ArticleDet?ID=56. Please note that while using email filters can help alleviate these kinds of messages from appearing in your inbox, it is trivial for a motivated individual to change email addresses.