Good afternoon, everyone.

For a short week, this sure has been a busy one so far! I have one current threat and an explanation about a non-threat. I also want to remind everyone about the new Promotions or Graymail folder, as well as the UT AI Matrix.

Current Threat

• Immunization Email
  • I have been told by several people about an email having to do with immunizations.
  • The sender appears to be noreply[at]medicat.com.
  • The subject is YOU HAVE COMPLETED THE IMMUNIZATION REQUIREMENTS.
  • The message says that you are now compliant with the State of Tennessee and the University of Tennessee immunization requirements.
  • The message welcomes you to UT and it sounds like it is directed toward new students.
  • There is a link to hxxps://studenthealth.utk.edu but this is not the correct/current link for the UT Student Health Center.
  • There are a lot of misspelled words and other errors.
  • There is also a lack of any identifiable “UT” logo, signatures, etc.
  • With the beginning of school, this is a common type of email targeting new students.
  • I have shared this with other IT Security colleagues throughout the UT System.
  • Since the people who have asked me are not students and did NOT submit any kind of immunization records, this is not a legitimate email.
  • If you do use UT’s Student Health Center you should go to Student Health Center – Student Health Center if you want to check your records but don’t click any links in the email from medicat.com.
  • If you received this email, please use the red “Report” button on the top left corner of your Outlook ribbon and choose “Report Phishing’ (if you get a message in return saying it was found to be safe or clean, please ignore it).
  • Please share this information with your students so they know the most secure way to check their records.

Current Non-Threat

• Self-Assessment of Controls Email
  • On Monday, an email went out to various people about a Self-Assessment of Controls.
  • The sender was AuditBoard <noreply[at]appmail.auditboardapp.com>.
  • The subject is 2026 System and Campus Safety Self-Assessment of Controls.
  • The message says, You have been selected by your campus or institute to participate in the 2026 Self-Assessment of Controls related to Accounts Payable processes. The survey is due by October 2, 2026.
  • I could tell something was off because the four tasks that had been assigned were all related to another UT institute, not UTIA.
  • I contacted Internal Audit and they said that anyone who received this email on Monday should disregard it, as it was a test that was automatically sent by the system (AuditBoard/Optro) and was sent in error.
  • I was also told that the official and actual Self-Assessment of Controls survey will be sent on Monday, September 14, so if you received the erroneous test message you should get the correct one next week.

Important Information (Repeat)

• Promotions (Graymail)
  • In This Week’s Cybersecurity News, 08/28/2026 I mentioned that on 08/26 OneIT (aka OIT) had launched a new way to try to better manage your email’s inbox.
  • This new management system automatically redirects certain emails to a separate folder in an effort to keep your inbox free from clutter by “training” the system how to handle your graymail.
  • Graymail is solicited bulk email, such as newsletters, promotional offers, or notifications, sent by a legitimate sender that you had opted in to receive either knowingly or through a hidden checkbox.
  • It is different than junk mail, or spam, because these are messages sent from anonymous, untrusted, and often fraudulent sources that you never agreed to receive.
  • You now have a Promotions folder appearing in Outlook, or a Graymail folder if you are a student using Gmail.
  • Messages considered by the system to be graymail will be sent to the Promotions the system to know what is important enough to go in your Inbox and what can be deleted before you even see them in the future.
  • Remember these key tips:
    • You cannot delete the Promotions folder because it will come back.
    • The Promotions folder cannot be turned off, as it is a UT System “feature”.
    • Please check the Promotions folder regularly, as the emails can add up quickly.
    • I recommend sorting the emails by sender, then move the good senders’ emails to your Inbox and move the emails from senders you will no longer want to receive to Deleted Items.
    • Moving emails from the Promotions folder should be moved to only the Inbox or Deleted Items folders, and moving to any custom folder will not train the system for future emails from that sender.
    • Please check the Promotions folder carefully as legitimate UT-related emails, including those about open enrollment, retirement, etc., can land in Promotions.
  • I have been told that if you have concerns, issues, or feedback (good or bad) please contact the UTK OIT HelpDesk at (865) 974-9900.

• UT’s Guidance Chart for Using AI Tools
  • UT has added a web page with a matrix clarifying where UT users may input University data using AI tools.
  • The matrix shows data by its classification, then shows only the AI tools that are approved for inputting that type of data.
  • There are also examples and clarifications included.
  • Please remember that our data is critical to what we do and we must protect it so don’t use AI tools except as listed on this matrix.
  • You can find the matrix at Guidance Chart for Using AI Tools | Office of Innovative Technologies.
  • Please bookmark this page and refer to it often, as the information is subject to change often as the technologies change.

Thank you for all you do to protect the Institute, its data, students, employees, clients, and yourself. When you have questions, concerns, or comments please don’t hesitate to let me know. I am here to help you!

Sandy

Important Note: Thank you so much for sharing these e-newsletters with family, friends, clients, students, and anyone else who may benefit from the information. I would like to stress that you should keep your students in mind, as non-employee students will not get this information without someone sharing. If anyone has an email group for students who are not employees of your department, please let me know what that address is, and I can include it. I do this as a blind copy so student names and addresses will not show up!