How Well Does Outlook Protect Your Emails?
Microsoft Outlook is working hard to keep email safe. See how this email client handles spam or scam emails — so you don't have to.
For every legitimate email that you receive, chances are you get one hundred other emails that are anything but real. Whether it’s another notification about your Swiss Lotto win, an online dating website enticing you to join, or an inheritance you’ll get if you will only provide your bank account info., chances are that you’ve come across more than a few spam emails. Microsoft Outlook users, however, receive a double dose of protection from scam emails. How does Microsoft Outlook protect your emails?
Spam Emails
Right from the start, like most email clients, Microsoft Outlook evaluates your incoming messages, determining whether or not they are spam. Anything that doesn’t make the cut heads directly to your spam folder so you never have to deal with it.
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But this email program goes a step above and beyond. Most messages that arrive to your inbox are in HTML format. Many of them contain images or even sounds that are from another place on the Internet (an external source).
Sometimes, scammy email providers use those things to grab your email address. When you open the email, the content is downloaded automatically, and the spammer is able to effortlessly validate your email address. After that, it may be sold off to additional spammers so you receive even more junk emails — as if you didn’t receive enough already. Luckily, Microsoft Outlook blocks these automatic picture downloads.
Phishing
There are plenty of junk emails that pretend to be from legitimate sources. They may pose as a financial institution, an insurance company, or an online retailer (to name a few). No matter who they pretend to be, they share a common goal: to get you to provide your personal information. They are hoping to trick you into providing your account number or passwords so they can get into it themselves.
Phishing scams aren’t always easy to spot. The junk email filter checks out each incoming email to make sure it doesn’t contain suspicious links, and to see if the sender’s address is legitimate. To keep you from making a big mistake, those emails are routed to your junk folder, and any functionality (like clicking links or replying to the message), is disabled.
However, there is always a risk, as Outlook’s system isn’t perfect. Install DFNDR on your Android smartphone for highly effective antivirus and malware protection. If a malicious email slips through, DFNDR will detect the threat immediately.