Smart Mail Clickthroughs Triggered by Email Security Scanners

Learn why Smart Mail clickthroughs may be triggered by email security scanners, signatures, and automated link inspection systems.

Written by Kalila Richards
May 22, 2026

Table of contents

• Why This Happens
• Common Security Systems That Cause This
• Signs the Activity Is Likely a Security Scanner
• How to Identify More Reliable Engagement

Some Smart Mail clickthrough activity may be caused by email security scanners rather than real recipient engagement.

These systems automatically inspect hyperlinks inside incoming emails to protect users from phishing, malware, and malicious redirects. As part of this process, the scanner may “click” every link inside the email immediately after delivery.

This can inflate Smart Mail clickthrough activity and make it appear as though a recipient interacted with the email when they may not have.

Why This Happens

When a Smart Mail reaches a recipient’s mailbox, corporate security tools or email providers may automatically scan all URLs inside the message.

This can include:

• Artwork links
• OVR links
• Website links
• LinkedIn links
• Phone number hyperlinks
• Email hyperlinks
• Calendar booking links
• Logo image links
• Unsubscribe links
• Tracking links or pixels

Because signatures often contain several hyperlinks, these systems may trigger multiple “clicks” at nearly the same time.

Common Security Systems That Cause This

The most common systems include:

• Microsoft Defender / Safe Links
• Proofpoint URL Defense
• Mimecast
• Barracuda
• Google / Gmail security scanning
• Corporate spam filters and antivirus gateways

These tools may:

• Rewrite links
• Open links automatically
• Scan links at delivery time
• Re-check links when the email is opened

Signs the Activity Is Likely a Security Scanner

The activity is usually considered automated scanner behavior when:

• Multiple links are clicked within seconds
• Every link in the email gets clicked together
• Clicks happen immediately after delivery
• Clicks occur before a realistic email open
• All clicks share the same timestamp
• The IP address belongs to Microsoft, Google, AWS, Proofpoint, Mimecast, or another security provider

Example:

A recipient appears to click:

• the artwork link
• website link
• phone number
• unsubscribe link

…all within 1–5 seconds of the email arriving.

This is typically scanner activity rather than human engagement.

How to Identify More Reliable Engagement

A later click is usually a stronger indicator of real recipient interest.

Examples of more reliable engagement:

• A recipient clicks a link several minutes or hours later
• Only one or two links are clicked
• Clicks happen alongside replies
• The behavior looks sequential and human-paced

FAQs

Q: Why did all links get clicked at the same time?
A: This is usually caused by automated email security scanning systems checking hyperlinks for malicious content.

Q: Why was a phone number or LinkedIn link clicked?
A: Security scanners often inspect every hyperlink inside an email, including signature links.

Q: Does this mean the collector actually opened the email?
A: Not necessarily. Some clicks may happen automatically before the recipient even sees the message.