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General Overview & How It Works
What is Abnormal and how does it work?
Abnormal is an email protection platform that uses artificial intelligence to protect YCP from advanced email threats like phishing, malicious links, and compromised accounts.
Instead of just looking for known "bad" emails, Abnormal learns what "normal" communication looks like for our campus. It can then quickly spot unusual activity—such as unusual login locations, sudden email rule changes, shifts in how someone writes, or unexpected attachments—and block threats before they cause damage.
Doesn’t Google already filter email for phishing and spam?
Yes! Google Workspace has strong built-in spam and phishing protection, which we will continue to use. Abnormal acts as a powerful second layer of defense. It catches sophisticated, highly targeted attacks that slip past standard filters, and it introduces graymail filtering to help keep your inbox organized.
Are staff members reading my emails?
No humans are reading your emails. Abnormal analyzes emails automatically in a fraction of a second. It looks at the content programmatically and reviews "metadata" (the technical details of the email's digital envelope, like where it was sent from and when). Your privacy remains fully protected.
Daily Impact & Email Behavior
How does Abnormal impact my daily email experience?
Abnormal work silently behind the scenes. Dangerous and highly suspicious messages will be automatically removed from your inbox and placed into your Spam or Trash folders.
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30-Day Window: These messages will stay in your Spam or Trash folders for 30 days before being permanently deleted. You can manually empty these folders sooner if you prefer.
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Keep Guard Up: While the number of malicious emails reaching your inbox will drop dramatically, no tool is 100% perfect. You should still remain cautious of unexpected requests or suspicious links.
A message appeared in my inbox and then suddenly vanished. Is this normal?
Yes, this is normal behavior. To keep your mail flowing without delays, emails are delivered to your inbox instantly while Abnormal simultaneously inspects them in a secure, isolated testing area (called a "sandbox").
If Abnormal identifies a threat, it immediately pulls the message out of your inbox. This process usually takes less than a second, but if you happen to be actively looking at your inbox, you might see a message briefly pop up and disappear. If you ever have concerns about a missing message, contact the LTS Help Desk so we can verify if it was removed by the security tool.
What is "graymail" and how does it help me?
Graymail refers to unsolicited, promotional, or bulk emails—like newsletters, advertisements, and social media notifications—that aren't malicious, but aren't necessary for your daily work either.
Abnormal automatically filters these out of your main inbox and moves them to a custom Graymail folder in Gmail. This keeps your main inbox clutter-free so you can focus on important, time-sensitive conversations.
What is the best way to check my YCP email?
We highly recommend using the official Gmail website on your desktop or the Gmail app on your mobile device. This ensures you can easily see all of your custom labels and folders, including your Spam, Trash, and new Graymail folders.
Customizing & Managing Your Email
Can I still read my promotional and bulk emails?
Yes. If you like to keep up with newsletters or advertisements, you haven't lost access to them. They will simply bypass your main inbox and wait for you in your Graymail folder. You can read them whenever you have spare time.
If an email goes to the wrong folder, can I "train" the system?
Yes! You can easily teach both Google and Abnormal your personal preferences:
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For Spam: Use Gmail's built-in "Report Spam" or "Report Not Spam" buttons.
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For Graymail: Simply drag and drop the message. If a newsletter lands in your Inbox and you want it in Graymail, drag it to the Graymail folder. If a legitimate email lands in Graymail, drag it back to your Inbox. The artificial intelligence will learn from your actions over time.
I already built custom filters in Gmail. Should I keep them?
Your existing filters will still work, but because Abnormal’s graymail filtering is highly accurate, you may find you no longer need them. Sometimes, overlapping custom rules can conflict with Abnormal's sorting. For the smoothest experience, we recommend minimizing your custom rules and letting Abnormal do the heavy lifting.
I’m expecting an email but can't find it. What should I do?
If an expected email is missing, please take these steps:
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Check your Spam folder.
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Check your Graymail folder.
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If you still cannot find the message, contact the LTS Help Desk. We can help track down the email or adjust your filtering settings to ensure future messages arrive safely.
What should I do if I find a suspicious email in my inbox?
Please report it immediately using Gmail’s built-in "Report as Spam" or "Report as Phishing" options. Because Abnormal is deeply integrated with Google Workspace, reporting it directly through Gmail helps train and improve Abnormal's detection systems for everyone on campus.
When should I contact the LTS Help Desk?
Because you can train the system yourself simply by dragging emails between folders, most users won't need technical support. However, please reach out to the LTS Help Desk if:
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You suspect a safe email was permanently blocked.
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The system doesn't seem to be learning your drag-and-drop preferences.
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You need help adjusting your security settings or have questions about email safety.