Email Examples: What Ends Up in Inbox vs. Junk vs. Quarantine?
If you use Microsoft Outlook as your email client, we’ve previously discussed what determines whether an email goes to the junk folder or is quarantined by Microsoft Defender.
As a refresher, every inbound message goes through spam filtering and is assigned a spam confidence level (SCL) value. A higher value indicates a message is more likely to be spam or phishing.
SCL value | Goes To | Definition |
-1 | Inbox | The message skipped spam filtering. For example, the message is from a safe sender. |
0 or 1 | Inbox | Spam filtering marked this message as safe. |
5 or 6 | Junk Folder | Spam filtering marked the message as Spam. |
7, 8 or 9 | Quarantine | Spam filtering marked the message as High-confidence spam |
While it’s great to know how Microsoft filters messages, it doesn’t do us any good until we know what kinds of messages fall into each SCL value.
Where they fall on the scale will determine whether a message is moved to the inbox, junk folder or quarantined for further review.
At Hungerford’s technology division, we configure our clients’ accounts with the standard preset security policy, meaning any message marked 5 or 6 goes to the junk folder and 7-9 goes to quarantine.
“It’s important to note that Microsoft’s spam filtering is not 100% accurate. Spam or phishing emails will slip through the cracks and wind up in your inbox. Think before you click!”
Email Examples and Where They Go
Inbox
- Regular communication from a colleague (someone within your organization) or any allow listed domains
- A newsletter from a trusted subscription service you signed up for or a legitimate business email (from a client or vendor outside of your organization)
Junk Folder
- Unsolicited promotional emails (retail advertisements), phishing attempts (emails asking for personal or financial information) or suspicious content
Quarantine
- Malicious attachments, fraudulent schemes (PayPal or Amazon scams) known threats (Microsoft 365 redirect phishing scam)
It’s important to note that Microsoft’s spam filtering is not 100% accurate. Spam or phishing emails will slip through the cracks and wind up in your inbox. Think before you click!
Likewise, an email from your colleague, despite sharing the same domain, may wind up in your junk folder or be quarantined.
Stay Safe with Phishing Training
Remain vigilant, take your phishing training seriously and know the differences between spam and phishing.
Are you looking to protect your company from cybersecurity threats? Contact us here to learn how we can help secure your sensitive data from phishing and spam.
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