🔉 Audience – All Employees
📅 Effective – June 3, 2026
📢 Announcement
As part of our ongoing commitment to simplified technology, we are upgrading our email security from Microsoft Defender to Check Point Harmony. This is a proactive step to better protect Sentry and all of us from phishing, spoofing, impersonation attempts, and other email-based threats.
Why We Are Making This Change
Our current single red banner warning on external emails has served its purpose, but bad actors have found ways around it. Check Point analyzes incoming email headers in real time and applies to the most relevant warning banner based on the specific threat detected. All mail flows through Check Point's protection layer before it reaches your inbox so we catch any problems beforehand, not after they've done damage. This will go into effect starting tomorrow, June 3, 2026.
What You Will Notice – Three Main Changes
1. Smart Banners (Replaces the single red banner)
Instead of one generic banner, you will now see color-coded banners based on the threat level:
- Blue – Informational only, low concern
- Orange/Yellow – Medium caution
- Red – High alert / critical – please review carefully
For email forwarding: Smart banners do remain visible when an email is forwarded.
2. Promotional Email Labeling ("Gray Mail")
Check Point refers to legitimate but a email (newsletters, marketing, subscriptions) as "gray mail."
- First 45 days: These emails will be tagged with [Promotional] in the subject line and delivered normally to your inbox. This gives you time to see what is being flagged and decide what to keep, delete, or unsubscribe from.
- After 45 days: A Promotions folder will be automatically created in your inbox, and all gray mail will be routed there going forward keeping your main inbox cleaner.
3. Quarantine & Daily Digest
The Quarantine is reserved for high-risk emails only: suspected phishing, malware, spoofing, or malicious content.
- You will receive a daily digest email around 8:00 AM Eastern showing anything quarantined in the previous 24 hours.
- If you do not receive any quarantined emails, you will not receive the Daily Digest.
- You can preview quarantined emails in a sandbox (a safe, isolated environment where malicious content cannot cause harm).
- Important – You cannot release quarantined emails yourself. This is an intentional security policy. Check Point's AI is highly accurate, and anything placed in quarantine is considered a genuine threat.
- If you see a quarantined email you believe is legitimate, click "Request Restore" and provide a reason.
- This automatically creates a Zendesk ticket for Tech Support to review.
- Even after Tech Support review, Check Point may continue to block the email if it detects risk.
Where to Check If You Are Missing an Expected Email
If you are expecting a legitimate message and have not received it, please check in this order:
- Junk Email folder
- Promotions folder (Will be available after 45 days)
- Quarantine digest – if found there, submit a restore request
If you are unsure whether a quarantined message is safe, do not try to bypass the system. Simply submit a help desk ticket and Tech Support will assist you.
Password-Protected Attachments – What to Expect
If you receive an email that includes an attachment that is password protected AND the password is NOT found in the message, Check Point adds an extra layer of protection against unauthorized access.
Check Point has configured the policy to require users to enter the attachment password (NOT your Sentry email password).
The system temporarily removes the attachment and adds a warning banner to the email. This banner includes a "click here" link where you can securely enter the attachment password to access the file.
Report Suspicious Emails
You already have a Report button in Outlook. It is available in your toolbar at the top of your Outlook window or when you right click on a message. See the user guide to determine whether you choose junk or phishing. When you report a suspicious email:
- It is automatically removed from your inbox
- It is submitted to Check Point's threat intelligence system
- This helps train the system and improve protection for everyone
📞Contact Information - Submit a help desk ticket for any questions or if you need assistance releasing a quarantined message.
📖 Resources
User Guide
Quarantine Guide