The KAUST Information Technology Department blog
20 August, 2026
You receive an email and your phone lets you know it has arrived.
A short while later, you might get another notification for what appears to be exactly the same message.
It can look like the email was sent twice, but there is usually a simple reason, especially when the message contains an attachment.
KAUST email is protected by Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Safe Attachments, which provides an additional security check for email attachments.
In some cases, the email itself can reach your inbox while its attachment is still being checked. This allows you to read the message without waiting for the attachment scan to finish.
While the check is taking place, you may temporarily see a placeholder instead of the attachment. Some PDF and Microsoft Office files may also be available to preview in a protected mode.
Once Microsoft Defender determines that the attachment is safe, the message is updated and the attachment becomes available to open or download. On some mobile devices, you may receive another notification when this happens.
Usually, the email has not been sent twice and there is nothing you need to fix.
Usually, nothing.
If the attachment is not immediately available, give the security check a little time to finish. Once the file has been cleared, it should become available automatically.
Even when an attachment has passed automated security checks, it is still important to consider whether the message and file make sense before opening it.
So, if the same email seems to get your phone's attention twice, there is a good chance nothing has gone wrong.
It may simply be a small, visible sign of a security check happening quietly in the background.
