Information Technology Services and W&L’s Chief Information Security Officer continually evaluate opportunities to strengthen the university’s approach to security awareness and improve the protections available to students, faculty, and staff.

Over the past year, ITS has been evaluating a new email security platform called Abnormal AI. The platform uses behavioral artificial intelligence and machine learning to help protect users from malicious email, phishing attempts, spam, account takeover attacks, and other forms of social engineering.

As cyber threats continue to evolve, so too must the tools and strategies used to protect the university community. While W&L’s Security Awareness Program has successfully combined technology, training, and user engagement to reduce cybersecurity risk, ITS is committed to identifying opportunities to further improve both security and user experience.

Abnormal AI works by learning how individuals and departments at W&L normally communicate. By establishing a baseline of expected behavior, the platform can better identify unusual messages and activities that may indicate a phishing attempt, business email compromise, or other malicious activity. This approach helps provide an additional layer of protection against increasingly sophisticated attacks that may not contain obviously dangerous links or attachments.

Over the past several months, ITS has been using the platform within its own environment while allowing the system to learn W&L’s email patterns and communication habits. During this period, the ITS Security team has evaluated the platform’s ability to identify threats, reduce unwanted email, and improve visibility into potential attacks targeting the university.

November 9, 2026 Rollout

Several departments across campus have recently participated in the pilot, and ITS plans to expand the program to all students, faculty, and staff in early November.

What Will Change?

The introduction of Abnormal AI will enhance several aspects of W&L’s Security Awareness Program, including:

• Improved detection of phishing, spam, and social engineering attacks
• Automated remediation of identified email threats
• A new Phish Report Button in Outlook
• Enhanced visibility into suspicious email activity
• More personalized phishing simulations and follow-up coaching

The platform’s machine learning capabilities help identify threats that traditional email filtering solutions may miss, providing an additional layer of defense for university email accounts.

What Will Stay the Same?

Although new technologies are being introduced, the core components of W&L’s Security Awareness Program will remain in place.

Monthly Simulated Phishing Tests

Students, faculty, and staff will continue to receive periodic phishing simulations designed to help the community recognize and report suspicious messages. These simulations remain an important tool for building awareness and encouraging safe computing practices.

Remediation Training and Awareness Coaching

Users who interact with a simulated phishing message will continue to receive educational guidance and training. The new platform will deliver timely coaching that highlights the warning signs present in the simulation and helps users better identify similar threats in the future.

Annual Security Awareness Training

Employees who work with sensitive, confidential, or protected data will continue to complete annual security awareness training as required by university policies and applicable regulations.

Employee and Student Onboarding Training

Information regarding onboarding training for employees and students is currently under development. Training requirements, schedules, and implementation details will be announced when they become available.

A Continued Community Effort

While technologies such as Abnormal AI can significantly improve protection against email-based threats, cybersecurity remains a shared responsibility. Even the most advanced security tools cannot stop every attack.

Students, faculty, and staff continue to play a critical role in protecting W&L by remaining vigilant, carefully reviewing unexpected requests, and reporting suspicious email when something does not seem right.

By combining advanced technology with an informed and engaged university community, W&L can continue to strengthen its defenses against the growing threat of cybercrime.