NC A&T State University has officially launched the new KnowBe4 Phish Alert Button (PAB) to help our Aggie community easily report suspicious emails directly to the Information Technology Services (ITS). The PAB makes it faster and safer to alert our team when something looks “phishy,” helping us reduce risk, prevent exposure, and strengthen our campus-wide cyber defenses.

Whether you’re a student, faculty member, or staff, the PAB empowers YOU to be part of the Aggie Cyber Force. Cyber vigilance is everyone’s responsibility. 

If you receive an email that seems unusual or out of place, do not click links, download attachments, reply, or investigate further.

Simply report it using the Phish Alert Button in Outlook. Or report suspicious email by forwarding it to informIT@ncat.edu.

What the Phish Alert Button Does

 When you click the PAB on a suspicious email:

•  It instantly reports the message to the ISO for analysis
• It records your response time during phishing simulations
  (critical for metrics, learning, and automation)
• It moves the email out of your inbox to keep you safe
• It helps the ISO detect patterns, compromised accounts, and exposure risks
• It reduces click rates by encouraging reporting over interacting

How It Works 

1. You receive an email that looks suspicious.
2. You click the Phish Alert Button located in your mail toolbar.
3. The email is immediately forwarded to Information Security.
4. A classified copy is stored:
   • For training/simulation metrics
   • For real threat analysis
5. The email is moved to your Deleted folder or Quarantine (depending on client).

That’s it — you’ve just protected yourself AND the university.

If the Phish Alert Button isn’t visible in your Outlook client, please try the following steps before reaching out for assistance:

For Outlook on Windows:

1. Open the message you want to report.
2. Click the three dots (…) on the message toolbar.
3. Select Get Add-ins or Add-ins.
4. In the search bar, type Phish Alert.
5. Click Add or Enable next to the Phish Alert Button.
6. Restart Outlook and verify the icon appears in your ribbon.

1. Open the message.
2. Click the three dots (…) in the top message bar to open More Actions.
3. Scroll to see if Phish Alert is listed.
4. If not, select Customize Toolbar or Get Add-ins, search for Phish Alert, and add it.
5. Restart Outlook and confirm the icon appears.

1. Open the message in your browser.
2. Click the three dots (…) near the top-right corner of the message.
3. Choose Phish Alert from the list of available actions.
4. If it’s not listed, click Get Add-ins, search for Phish Alert, and install it.