New labelling of external emails to reduce the risk of phishing
To strengthen protection against phishing, a new labelling system for emails from external senders is being introduced. By adding the word ‘External’ to the subject line, it will be easier to identify messages sent from outside the university’s email system.
The University is introducing a warning label in the subject line of emails sent from external senders. The purpose is to make it clearer when a message originates from outside the University's email environment, helping users to identify potential phishing attempts more easily.
From 19 October, external emails will be labelled “External”.
Emails sent from a sender outside the University to your @student.su.se address will be marked with “External”. These messages are not necessarily unsafe, but you should be extra vigilant. Before clicking on links, opening attachments or sharing information, it is important to verify that the sender is genuinely the person or organisation they claim to be.
Emails labelled “External” can still be handled in the same way as other emails. The label is simply a reminder to take extra care with external messages, as phishing attempts and other types of fraud often use external sender addresses.
When you receive an email marked “External”, it does not mean the message is malicious. It simply means that it was sent from a system outside the University's email environment.
You can find advice on how to recognise phishing emails, spam and fraud attempts in Serviceportalen
Example of how it may look:
Last updated: 2026-10-26
Source: IT Services