Adjust your Microsoft Defender for Office 365 settings to prevent ContactMonkey emails from being quarantined or blocked. This guide helps Exchange administrators balance security requirements with email delivery needs.
Note: These recommendations provide a starting point for investigation. Your specific security requirements will determine which adjustments are appropriate for your organization. Contact Microsoft Support through your Exchange or Defender portal for personalized guidance.
Prerequisites
- Microsoft Defender for Office 365 access
- Exchange administrator permissions
- Knowledge of your organization's security policies
Understanding Defender Policies
Microsoft Defender for Office 365 uses security policies to determine which emails get quarantined. Your available options depend on your Defender subscription level.
Standard features include:
- Quarantine process for Exchange Online
- Preset security policies (Standard and Strict)
Advanced features may include:
- Endpoint protection
- Custom threat policies
- Advanced anti-phishing controls
Review Microsoft's preset security policies to understand your current configuration.
Add ContactMonkey to Allow Lists
To prevent ContactMonkey emails and tracking links from being flagged, add ContactMonkey endpoints to your Defender allow lists.
Recommended Allow List Configurations
- Anti-spam policies - Add ContactMonkey domains to prevent internal emails from being marked as spam
- Anti-phishing policies - Whitelist ContactMonkey tracking domains to avoid false phishing alerts
- Safe Links policies - Exclude ContactMonkey URLs from link scanning that may break click tracking
Please reach out to support@contactmonkey.com for the current list of domains and IP addresses to whitelist.
Adjust Quarantine Policies
If ContactMonkey emails are being quarantined frequently, modify your quarantine policies.
Common adjustments:
- Lower sensitivity thresholds for internal email
- Create exceptions for authenticated senders
- Adjust bulk email filtering for campaign sends
Click here to adjust quarantine policies.
Configure Threat Policies
Review and adjust Microsoft Defender threat policies to ensure ContactMonkey tracking isn't flagged as malicious.
Key policy areas:
- URL filtering - Exclude ContactMonkey tracking domains
- Link click protection - Configure exceptions for internal links
- Attachment scanning - Adjust rules for campaign attachments
Additional Configuration Options
Depending on your security requirements, you may need to adjust:
- Zero-hour auto purge (ZAP) - Configure ZAP policies to prevent removal of delivered ContactMonkey emails
- Quarantine notifications - Adjust quarantine settings to notify users when emails are held
- Tenant allow/block lists - Manage tenant URL lists (Email at Scale customers only)
- Threat hunting - Review threat hunting settings to reduce false positives
Test Your Configuration
After making changes, verify that ContactMonkey emails deliver correctly.
Testing Steps
- Send a test campaign with all tracking features enabled (opens, clicks, attachments)
- Check that the email arrives in recipient inboxes without quarantine
- Verify that tracking links work correctly
- Monitor your Defender quarantine for any ContactMonkey emails
If emails are still being blocked, review your policy settings and make additional adjustments. Each organization's security requirements are unique, so you may need to fine-tune your configuration.