Engage - SMTP and URL Guide

This feature is available for Engage Core and Engage Pro.

This article contains information on configuring domains and SMTP addresses for Engage phishing simulations, including required allowlisting steps to ensure successful email delivery and proper functioning of phishing campaigns.

Also see: Managing Phishing Templates

Overview

When you are configuring your Engage environment, certain domains and SMTP addresses must be allowed, to ensure that your end users successfully receive phishing simulation Emails

This is because phishing simulation emails are sent from specific SMTP addresses and contain specific domain URLs in the Email content.
All of the domains and SMTP addresses listed below are available for you to choose from when configuring phishing templates for use in your phishing campaigns.

Trusted Sites Configuration

Click here to learn how to configure a Safe Senders list for Engage emails, ensuring that images display properly.

Step 1: Add Mimecast Sending Addresses to the Safe Senders List using GPO

  1. Create a Safe Senders List File:
  2. Create a .txt file containing the sending address(es) you would like to add as Safe Senders (in this case, this would be whichever address you are sending the Training Modules from)
@domain.com
postmaster@domain.com
  1. If you wish to do the same for Phishing Campaigns, ensure that you add the sending addresses listed in the article below to the text file as well:
https://mimecastsupport.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/34000445739027-Engage-SMTP-and-URL-Guide#h_01JC0JYXB6TMDBBYWBEB1168E7
  1. Save this file in a shared network location accessible to all users.

Configure the GPO

  1. Open the Group Policy Management Console (GPMC).
  2. Navigate to:
  • User ConfigurationAdministrative TemplatesMicrosoft Outlook | Outlook OptionsPreferences | Junk Email
  • Enable the policy Specify path to Safe Senders list.
  • Enter the UNC path to the .txt file (e.g.,\\ServerName\Share\SafeSenders.txt).
  1. Deploy the GPO:
  • Link the GPO to the appropriate Organizational Unit (OU) containing the users.
  • Run gpupdate /force on client machines to apply the policy.

Using Intune

Prepare the Safe Senders List:

  1. Create the same .txt file as above.
  2. Create a Configuration Profile:
  • Log in to the Microsoft Endpoint Manager Admin Center.
  • Go to Devices | Configuration profilesCreate profile.
  • Select Windows 10 and later as the platform and TemplatesAdministrative Templates.
  1. Configure the Policy:
  • Search for "Specify path to Safe Senders list".
  • Enable the policy and provide the path to the .txt file.
  • Assign the Profile. (Assign the configuration profile to the appropriate user or device groups.)

Using Exchange Online PowerShell (New Outlook/Outlook on the Web (OWA))

New Outlook and OWA require the sending email address to be added to the recipient's Safe Senders list in Outlook to automatically display external images in messages. To achieve this for all users in your organization, you can use Exchange Online PowerShell to add the sending email addresses from your selected Engage campaigns to user mailboxes. The following example demonstrates how to add the email addresses noreply@therelaysvc.com, noreply@info-needed.com, noreply@accountsecuritynotices.com to the Safe Senders list for all user mailboxes in your organization:

Import-Module ExchangeOnlineManagement
Connect-ExchangeOnline
$All = Get-Mailbox -RecipientTypeDetails UserMailbox -ResultSize Unlimited
$All | foreach {Set-MailboxJunkEmailConfiguration $_.Name -TrustedSendersAndDomains @{Add="noreply@info-needed.com","noreply@therelaysvc.com","noreply@accountsecuritynotices.com"}}

For more information, refer to the documentation on using Exchange PowerShell to Configure the Safe Sender's List.

Step 2: Enable Automatic Image Downloads for Safe Senders using GPO

Configure the GPO

  1. Open the Group Policy Management Console (GPMC).
  2. Navigate to:
  • User Configuration | Administrative TemplatesMicrosoft OutlookOutlook OptionsMail Format | HTML Options
  • Enable the policy Automatic Picture Download Settings.
  • Configure the setting to Permit downloads in email messages from Safe Senders and Safe Recipients.
  1. Deploy the GPO:
  • Link the GPO to the appropriate OU and apply it.

Using Intune

  1. Create a Configuration Profile:
  • Log in to the Microsoft Endpoint Manager Admin Center.
  • Go to DevicesConfiguration profilesCreate profile.
  • Select Windows 10 and later as the platform and Templates | Administrative Templates.
  1. Configure the Policy:
  • Search for Automatic Picture Download Settings.
  • Enable the policy and configure it to Permit downloads in email messages from Safe Senders and Safe Recipients.
  • Assign the Profile. (Assign the configuration profile to the appropriate user or device groups.)

Step 3: Verify the Configuration

On a Client Machine:

  1. Open Outlook and navigate to:
  • Home | Junk | Junk Email Options | Safe Senders
  • Confirm that Mimecast's sending addresses are listed.
  1. Test Automatic Image Downloads:
  • Send a test email from a Mimecast address and verify that images are downloaded automatically without user intervention.

Domains

See the Listing Managed URLs section of Managed URLs for steps on how to specify the URLs and / or domains to be added to the managed URLs list.

The same configuration for Domains needs to be carried out by all Engage customers, regardless of your license type, the API security solutions you're using, or whether Secure Email Gateway has been set up.

You need to add the following to your Managed URLs list:

  • https://*.therelayservice.com/ is the Engage phishing landing page, and the domain is owned by Mimecast.
  • https://s3.amazonaws.com is needed to enable automatic downloads of inserted images and [videoposter] in your Engage Email Notifications.

The following domains, used in Engage Phishing Campaigns, also needed to be allowlisted. This is to ensure phishing simulations pass seamlessly through your email provider and are not blocked. 
Domains that our phishing platform sends from are:

KB Domains In Platform Domains
account-renewals.com account-renewals.com
accountsecuritynotices.com accountsecuritynotices.com
benefits-bulletin.com benefits-bulletin.com
ceo-update.com ceo-update.com
company-updates.com company-updates.com
corp-accounts.com corp-accounts.com
corp-news.com corp-news.com
corp-update.com corp-update.com
corporate-payroll.com corporate-payroll.com
corporate-updates.com corporate-updates.com
cy-se.com cy-se.com
employee-news.com employee-news.com
info-needed.com info-needed.com
instant-promos.com instant-promos.com
our-account.com payroll-news.com
payroll-news.com payroll-updates.com
payroll-updates.com relaysvc.com
relaysvc.com salary-info.com
salary-info.com secure-corporate-communications.com
secure-corporate-communications.com secure-corporate-news.com
secure-corporate-news.com secure-corporate-updates.com
secure-corporate-updates.com secureceocommunications.com
secureceocommunications.com securesecuritysolutions.com
securesecuritysolutions.com security-bulletin.com
security-bulletin.com subscriptionrenewalnotices.com
subscriptionrenewalnotices.com subscriptionrenewalservices.com
subscriptionrenewalservices.com sysgen-cash.com
sysgen-cash.com sysgen-payroll.com
sysgen-payroll.com worldwidenewsupdates.com
worldwidenewsupdates.com  

SMTP Email Addresses

See Permitted Senders Policy - Configuration on how to set up Permitted Senders policies, to ensure the successful delivery of inbound messages from trusted sources, and Policy Basics for more information on configuring policies.

You need to ensure the following email addresses are permitted, as they are used for Engage Phishing Campaigns. Emails are sent from these envelope addresses as the phishing domain.

  • noreply@therelaysvc.com
  • noreply@therelayservice.com
  • noreply@securityvault.com ‐ FOR TEST SYSTEM ONLY

The following  SMTP addresses also need to be permitted, as these are used for Engage Phishing Campaign Simulations:

This list of values / sending addresses is the same for all customers.
It’s up to you to choose which of the sending addresses to use from those available to you, which will then need to be allowlisted.

Template Name SMTP Address Template Location
Sign-In Notification noreply@accountsecuritynotices.com System Template
OneDrive noreply@benefits-bulletin.com System Template
Free Promotions noreply@instant-promos.com System Template
Shipping noreply@our-account.com System Template
Dropbox Sharing noreply@payroll-news.com System Template
Amazon Shipping noreply@relaysvc.com System Template
File Sharing noreply@secure-corporate-communications.com System Template
Tracking Package noreply@worldwidenewsupdates.com System Template
ALL COMMUNITY TEMPLATES HAVE THE SAME SMTP ADDRESS BY DEFAULT
Access Restricted noreply@info-needed.com Community template
Account Compromised noreply@info-needed.com Community template
Grubhub Gift Card Acceptance noreply@info-needed.com Community template
Microsoft Task Approval Request noreply@info-needed.com Community template
Signature Request noreply@info-needed.com Community template
Statement of Account noreply@info-needed.com Community template
Product Marketing noreply@info-needed.com Community template
Login Confirmation noreply@info-needed.com Community template
Docusign Contract noreply@info-needed.com Community template
Account Verification noreply@info-needed.com Community template
Incoming Fax noreply@info-needed.com Community template
Login Attempt noreply@info-needed.com Community template
Adobe Subscription noreply@info-needed.com Community template
Microsoft Authenticator noreply@info-needed.com Community template
Invalid Payment noreply@info-needed.com Community template
BBC Licensing noreply@info-needed.com Community template
Netflix Payment noreply@info-needed.com Community template
Payroll Department noreply@info-needed.com Community template
Account Expiration noreply@info-needed.com Community template
Document Share noreply@info-needed.com Community template
FedEx Delivery noreply@info-needed.com Community template
Marketing Advertisement noreply@info-needed.com Community template
Microsoft Task Assignment noreply@info-needed.com Community template
Microsoft Teams Outreach noreply@info-needed.com Community template
Unlock Apple ID noreply@info-needed.com Community template
View Pay Slip noreply@info-needed.com Community template
Teams Project Outreach noreply@info-needed.com Community template
OneDrive Invoice noreply@info-needed.com Community template
Pending Payment noreply@info-needed.com Community template
Deposit Confirmation noreply@info-needed.com Community template
Signed Contract noreply@info-needed.com Community template
Send Data noreply@info-needed.com Community template
Login Attempt 3 noreply@info-needed.com Community template
Microsoft Teams noreply@info-needed.com Community template
Microsoft Planner noreply@info-needed.com Community template
Payment Processed noreply@info-needed.com Community template
Capital One noreply@info-needed.com Community template
401k Information noreply@info-needed.com Community template
Maritime London Payment noreply@info-needed.com Community template
OpenAI Password Reset noreply@info-needed.com Community template
Auto Enrolment noreply@info-needed.com Community template
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Comments

6 comments
Date Votes
  • For the GPO creation steps for ‘automatic picture download’, the GPO was located in a different location:

    "Automatically download content for e-mail from people in Safe Senders and Safe Recipients lists" located at User Configuration/Administrative Templates/Microsoft Outlook 2016/Security/Automatic Picture Download Settings

    0
  • In “Trusted Sites Configuration- Step 1:”, the entry ‘@domain.com ’ make sure the SafeSender list .txt file is reachable from the client machines and in users contexts.

    And finally, before I could get the GPOs to apply to my clients, I had to add the below registry key to their machines:

    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Office\1x.0\Outlook\Options\Mail
     

    or

    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\1x.0\Outlook\Options\Mail

    DWORD: JunkMailImportLists
    Value: 1

    Source- https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/how-to-deploy-junk-email-settings-such-as-the-safe-senders-list-by-using-group-policy-d17e49fb-af72-c796-6295-4da6d89ef5fa

    0
  • Thank you for your feedback, and for sharing your observations. 

    0
  • Steps 1 and 2 do not work for those that are Azure/M365 cloud based and are not in a Hybrid or AD on-prim setup. To accomplish the same thing, you must log into Exchange Online using PowerShell and use something like the following. I hope this helps others. There's no Mimecast documentation about this.

    install-module ExchangeOnlineManagement

    connect-exchangeonline

    $mbxs = (get-mailbox -resultsize unlimited -recipienttypedetails usermailbox).userprincipalname

    $mbxs | set-mailboxjunkemailconfiguration -TrustedSendersAndDomains @{Add="<redacted email>","<redacted email>","<redacted email>","<redacted email>","<redacted email>","<redacted email>","<redacted email>","<redacted email>",",redacted email>"}

    0
  • New Outlook seems to block images from external parties by default and the safe senders inTune policy does not work with New Outlook.

    Is there any workaround for this?

     

    0
  • Hi Adrian Graves,

    The New Outlook requires you to add an email address or domain to your M365 safe list for embedded images to display in an email. Your admin can add addresses to your safe list via PowerShell or add them as a contact and ensure "Also trust email from my Contacts" is checked in New Outlook.

    From Microsoft Support:
    Add recipients to the Safe Senders List in Outlook to prevent messages from being moved to the Junk E-mail folder:
    Add recipients to the Safe Senders List in Outlook - Microsoft Support

    From Microsoft Learn:
    Configure junk email settings on Exchange Online mailboxes (including the safe list collection):
    Configure junk email settings on Exchange Online mailboxes - Microsoft Defender for Office 365

    0

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