Secure U of T advanced threat protections: Safe Links for email, Teams and documents


Safe Links (Emails)

What are Safe Links (Email)? 

Secure U of T Safe Links (Email) uses Microsoft threat detection software to check every URL found in an incoming email. It redirects it through a Microsoft proxy server which checks that the website link is safe to view. Safe links for the University of Toronto contain the domain name "can01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com". When you click an email link, Safe Links will check the URL automatically. You can copy and paste the Safe Link as you would a normal link. 

How do Safe Links (Email) work?

When a URL in an email to your University of Toronto email account is clicked, Safe Links performs a scan to determine if the hyperlink is malicious. If the link you click is determined to be safe to view, the link will work as expected. 

What will URLs look like in my emails with Safe Links?

With Safe Links, links in your emails will have URLs that start with this text: https://can01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com. This is an indicator that Microsoft will scan the URL to make sure that it is safe for you to access. Here is an example of what this could look like in your inbox.

The hyperlinked text in your email will appear as normal:

Malicious email example with link

However, when you hover your cursor over the text, you will see that the link starts with https://can01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com:

Link hovered with link expanded

When you click the link, it will take you to the correct website and the normal website URL will be displayed in the address bar. However, if the link is determined to contain malicious content, a warning may be displayed, and you will not be able to proceed to the site.

A link was clicked from a suspicious message 

If the clicked URL was in an email message that has been identified as part of a phishing attack, you will see the following warning. All URLs in that email message will be blocked.

A link was clicked from a suspected phishing message 

Note: The Safe Links feature only applies to links in incoming emails. When a user writes an email to an external party, the URLs in that message are not rewritten.

Safe Links (Teams)

What are Safe Links (Teams)? 

Secure U of T Safe Links (Teams) uses Microsoft threat detection software to verify that links shared in Teams conversations, group chats, channels and tabs are safe to view. URLs in Teams are checked against a list of known malicious links when the protected user clicks the link. URLs are not rewritten. 

How do Safe Links (Teams) work? 

When a URL in Teams is clicked, Safe Links performs a scan to determine if the hyperlink is malicious. If the link you click is determined to be safe to view, the link will work as expected.  

What will Safe Links (Teams) look like in action? 

With Safe Links (Teams), links are not rewritten. When you click on a link in a Teams conversation, group chat, channel or tab, you may see the following screen as Safe Links verifies the link: 


If the link is deemed safe, you will be directed to the URL’s destination. However, if the link is determined to contain malicious content, a warning may be displayed, and you will not be able to proceed to the site. 


Safe Links (Documents)

What is Safe Links (Documents)? 

Secure U of T Safe Links (Documents) uses Microsoft threat detection software to check every URL found in supported Microsoft 365 applications. It redirects them through a Microsoft proxy server which makes sure the website links are safe to view. Safe links for the University of Toronto contain the domain name "can01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com". When you click on a link from inside a document, Safe Links will check the URL automatically.  

How does Safe Links (Documents) work?

When a URL in an online Word, PowerPoint or Excel file is clicked, Safe Links performs a scan to determine if the hyperlink is malicious. If the link you click is determined to be safe to view, the link will work as expected. 

What will URLs look like in my documents with Safe Links?

With Safe Links, links in your documents will have URLs that start with this text: https://can01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com. This is an indicator that Microsoft will scan the URL to make sure that it is safe for you to access. Here is an example of what this could look like in your document.

The hyperlinked text in your document will appear as normal, but will display a URL starting with https://can01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com when you hover over it.

If the link is determined to contain malicious content, a warning may be displayed: 

This website has been classified as malicous message

Which Microsoft 365 apps does Safe Links (Documents) work for?

Safe Links protection for Microsoft 365 apps has the following client requirements:

  1. Microsoft 365 Apps or Microsoft 365 Business Premium.
    • Current versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint on Windows, Mac, or in a web browser.
    • Office apps on iOS or Android devices.
    • Visio on Windows.
    • OneNote in a web browser.
  2. Microsoft 365 apps are configured to use modern authentication. For more information, see How modern authentication works for Office 2013, Office 2016, and Office 2019 client apps.
  3. Users are signed in using their work or school accounts.

Learn more

For information about other Secure U of T features and frequently asked questions, please see the Secure U of T overview article.