Defender for Office 365 Safe Links and Attachments

Published Jan 27, 2024 • Updated May 1, 2026

Overview

Safe Attachments detonates files; Safe Links rewrites URLs. Together they sharply reduce phishing impact.

Policy tiers

Build at least two: Standard (most users) and Strict (finance, admins, executives).

Exceptions

Document time-boxed allow rules for marketing/newsletters after security review.

Operational review

Weekly alert triage for false positives; monthly executive-friendly stat: blocked threats vs attempts.

Integration

Ensure transport rules and journaling don’t bypass scanning unintentionally.

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