Commercial, personal email services such as those offered by Google (Gmail), Hotmail, Yahoo! and others are designed as easy, convenient and “free” means of communication with friends and family.  These services were never intended as a secure means of transmitting potentially sensitive or personal information (read their “Terms of Use” disclosure). 

These external email hosts present a problem to our institution because they have the potential to circumvent or bypass existing UTMB security controls, filters and other measures in place that protect university data, infrastructure and users’ UTMB mail accounts from malicious programs and other threats.    

UTMB policy (IHOP 2.19.6 and others) requires all UTMB business to be conducted using UTMB resources, and all users needing to conduct business via email have established UTMB email accounts.

Because of the widespread use of and risks associated with these email services, UTMB’s Office of Information Security will begin to block access to non-UTMB email services from UTMB-owned and managed devices, and from UTMB’s protected network, effective July 6, 2022. Adding or integrating these email services to UTMB-managed Outlook profiles will also be blocked.

These controls are being added to prevent release of sensitive information via unmanaged email services; improve email mailbox security by ensuring SPAM/phishing filters are in place and effectively used; and preventing other security controls from being circumvented by personal email account use.

These new restrictions will not block access to these services from a personal device (such as a mobile phone or personal laptop) accessing the Internet via non-UTMB networks (or the UTMB-guest wireless network) and will not block sending/receiving emails to or from these services.

Users who attempt to access these email services from a UTMB-managed device or from a UTMB network (other than the UTMB-guest wireless) will receive a “Site Blocked” message.  Users who have integrated these services into their Outlook profiles will receive connection and sync errors.

We understand that this necessary change may present an inconvenience and thank you in advance for helping us protect our people and resources from ever-more-challenging and numerous threats.   

For more information, please review the content on this page.

FAQs

Can I still access/use Google Docs (and other services from these non-UTMB providers)?
Yes, this new control only applies to personal, non-UTMB email services. Access to https://docs.google.com or https://accounts.google.com are not blocked. If you encounter services, other than email services, which are being restricted, please contact the Office of Information Security to discuss options at cirt@utmb.edu.

Will I be able to access my non-UTMB email account from my cell phone?
Yes, as long as you are not on the UTMB protected network. You can access your external mail account on your personal phone, tablet or laptop as long as you are using the UTMB-guest wireless network, the wireless data service of your mobile service provider (Verizon, AT&T, etc), a wifi hotspot, or another non-UTMB wifi network.

Will this affect my access to my non-UTMB email account from home?
This change will not affect your access at home unless you are using a UTMB-owned or managed device (such as a UTMB laptop used to work from home) or if you are VPNed into UTMB.

Can I log into my non-UTMB email account if I access my account via a web browser from my work PC?
No. All access to external mail services will be blocked on UTMB devices and on protected UTMB networks.

What do you mean by the “protected UTMB network”?
The UTMB network refers to ethernet on all campuses and all clinics/sites (the wired network), any VPN connection, and to UTMB WIFI, UTMB-A and other UTMB wifi networks EXCLUDING “UTMB GUEST”.

What will happen once access is blocked?
You will receive a “Site Blocked” message.  Users who have previously integrated these services into their Outlook profiles will receive connection and sync errors.    

I currently have a business process tied to an external email account. What should I do?
Contact the Office of Information Security to discuss options at cirt@utmb.edu.