Abnormal AI & Graymail FAQ

What is Abnormal AI?

AI-based platform works alongside Gmail to provide an extra layer of protection against sophisticated email threats while helping you manage the "clutter" in your inbox.

How does Abnormal AI protect the university?

Abnormal AI protects the university by:

• Identifying attackers pretending to be university leadership or vendors.

• Catching credential-harvesting sites that often bypass standard filters.

• Automatically sorting low-priority promotional emails into “Graymail” so you can focus on what matters.

Is Abnormal Security reading my private emails?

No. The AI analyzes communication patterns (such as sender reputation, typical headers, and known malicious links) rather than "reading" for content like a human would. The processing happens programmatically to identify threats and clutter.

What is Graymail?

Graymail is not spam. It consists of legitimate emails that you likely signed up for at some point—such as newsletters, social media updates, or marketing promotions—but that you may not want cluttering your primary inbox.

While spam is malicious and unsolicited, Graymail is often "wanted" but "lower priority." Abnormal identifies these messages and moves them out of sight to keep your workspace clean.

How can I find Graymail?

Abnormal doesn’t delete the emails that are sent to Graymail; it simply moves them to a specific folder (label) within your Gmail account.

1. Open your University Gmail account.

2. Look at the list of labels/folders on the left-hand side and locate the label named Graymail.

3. Click the label to view all filtered messages.

If an email is in Graymail, is it "safe" to click the links?

Generally, yes. Abnormal has already scanned these emails for known phishing and malware threats. However, always exercise standard caution when clicking links or downloading attachments from promotional senders.

How do I move emails back to my inbox?

If you find an email in Graymail that you want to see in your main inbox, Abnormal makes it very easy to "teach" the system your preferences using a simple drag-and-drop action:

• The Action: Click and hold the email in the Graymail folder and drag it onto the Inbox label.

• The Result: When you move a message this way, Abnormal’s AI learns your preference. Future emails from that specific sender will now arrive directly in your main Inbox instead of being filtered as Graymail.

Note: Because Abnormal is AI-driven, it may take one or two instances of moving an email for the system to fully "lock in" the new behavior for that specific sender.

How do I prevent emails from going to Graymail?

If you want to ensure a specific sender never goes to Graymail again, you have two main options:

Is Graymail the same as the "Spam" folder? 

No. Spam is for malicious, unsolicited, or "junk" mail. Graymail is for legitimate mail (like newsletters or coupons) that you likely opted into but are not urgent. By separating them, Abnormal keeps your Inbox reserved for direct person-to-person communication.

What if an important email from a professor or colleague ends up in Graymail? 

While Abnormal’s AI is highly accurate, it can occasionally misidentify a message. If this happens, simply drag and drop the email back into your Inbox. This "trains" the AI to recognize that sender as high-priority for you in the future.

Can I "Unsubscribe" from within the Graymail folder? 

Yes. If you no longer wish to receive the emails at all, using the "Unsubscribe" link provided by the sender is still the best way to stop the emails from being sent to you entirely.

How often should I check my Graymail/Promotions folder? 

We recommend a quick glance once a day or every few days to ensure no low-priority newsletters you actually wanted to read were missed.

I got a notification that I received an email but it is not in my university inbox. Where did it go?

If you receive a notification that you received an email but it is not in your inbox, it was likely identified by Abnormal Security as Graymail. The AI monitors your inbox in real-time and moves lower-priority promotional or newsletter style emails into your Graymail folder to keep your primary workspace clear.

An email appeared and then disappeared from my inbox. Where did it go?

If an email briefly appeared in your Inbox and then vanished, it was likely identified by Abnormal Security as Graymail. The AI monitors your inbox in real-time and moves lower-priority promotional or newsletter style emails into your Graymail folder to keep your primary workspace clear.