Same Hyperlink from SharePoint Designer email is not working for other user

Question

Hi Everyone,

This is very first time I am asking a question on a tech community. In case I missed any information related to my query, please let me know and I will provide it in the reply.

I have created a tool on SharePoint which submits the data on a Custom List. As soon as the list is updated, SharePoint Designer 2013 Shoots an email with a hyperlink for another webpage along with few parameters. The hyperlink which is used in SharePoint Designer 2013 is like https://companyname.sharepoint.com/sitepages/TheWebPage.html?Parameter1|Parameter2|Parameter3

Parameters in the above link are the workflow items.

Issue : When SharePoint Designer sends the notification to all the addressed users below is the difference

1. Few users get the link which starts with (on hovering over the mouse on the link) https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url= and then the link used in SharePoint Designer (mentioned above) + &data=UsersEmailId + encrypted text. Here URL Encoding gets changed for '|' to %7C in the part used in SharePoint Designer

2. Few users get the exact link as used in the SharePoint Designer and no change anywhere in the link and no https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url= is prefixed in that link, no encrypted text

Systems : We all are using Windows 10, Microsoft Office 2016, 64bit machine. SharePoint Designer 2013 to send the notification email.

What I tried - I matched one of the user's Outlook's Add Ins from mine and found that his Outlook does not have "Microsoft Azure Information Protection" add in. He got it installed and then the link worked for him. Now, all the add ins were same in his Outlook as in mine. But today the same issue occurred again. There is no change in the add ins in his Outlook and are still same as in mine.

Query : Why there is a difference in URL Encoding in the Outlook email while we all are receiving the email from same source (SharePoint 2013) and are using same systems ? What I am missing while troubleshooting this issue ?

Please help me with this issue. It would be a great help and a good learning for me.

Answer 1

@CuriousVishal ,

Per my research, Safe Links scans incoming email for known malicious hyperlinks. Scanned URLs are rewritten using the Microsoft standard URL prefix: https://nam01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com. After the link is rewritten, it's analyzed for potentially malicious content.

Please go directly to the Safe Links page at Microsoft 365 Defender portal to check if you have any Safe Links policies will rewrite the scanned url:

Note: To create, modify, and delete Safe Links policies, you need to be a member of the Organization Management or Security Administrator role groups in the Microsoft 365 Defender portal and a member of the Organization Management role group in Exchange Online

However, even if the url is rewritten, we can still access the target source through the rewritten link:

More information for your reference:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/security/office-365-security/safe-links?view=o365-worldwide#safe-links-settings-for-email-messages

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