Getting Unsubscribes From Security Bots? Here’s What to Know [2026]

Email security keeps getting smarter. Sometimes, though, it’s a bit too smart.

Firewalls and tools like Barracuda, Microsoft Defender, and Cisco scan every email to keep users safe. That part works as intended, but here’s where things get tricky. Some of these systems also click every link inside the message before it reaches your inbox, including the unsubscribe link.

That’s how you end up opening your email and realizing you were removed from your own company newsletters, internal updates, or workflows without ever touching anything.

If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. More and more businesses are seeing the same thing happen. Let’s see why security bots can unsubscribe you and what you can do to avoid it.

Why Bots Unsubscribe You Automatically

Many companies use security tools that “sandbox” incoming emails. This means the system opens the message in a safe environment before it reaches the user.

During this check, the tool may:

• Open the email
• Click every link to test it
• Follow redirects and tracking parameters
• Check the reputation of URLs and domains
• Decide if the message is safe

If the scanner clicks the unsubscribe link and the sender doesn’t use a confirmation step, the system records that automated click as a real unsubscribe request. Everything happens before the email reaches the inbox.

Why Microsoft Tools Trigger This More Often

Microsoft environments, such as Exchange Online Protection and Defender for Office 365, apply multiple layers of link and content scanning.

These systems often use:

• SafeLinks rewriting
• Pre-delivery URL scanning
• Time-of-click link checks
• Policy-based sandboxing

In stricter corporate setups, these layers test every link in the email during the security scan. Unsubscribe links are treated like any other URL, so the system may click them before the user receives the message. Organizations often combine these security layers with other measures to maintain AI security, ensuring automated scans don’t cause unintended actions.

This is why many organizations that rely on Microsoft security tools notice users being removed from internal lists even though they never interacted with the email.

What to Do if a Bot Unsubscribes You

If you discover that you were removed from a list without taking any action, the fix is straightforward. You only need a quick update inside your ESP and a minor adjustment from your IT team to prevent it from happening again.

Step#1. Re-subscribe the user

Start by asking your Moosend admin to restore your subscription. They can do this in two ways:

• Change your status from Unsubscribed to Active
• Or send a new opt-in request for a clean re-subscription

This is done directly inside your profile in the recipients database.

Step#2. Inform your IT/Security team

Share the details of the unsubscribe event with IT, including:

• The exact timestamp
• Any logs or information available from your ESP

This helps them confirm that the action was triggered by automated scanning.

Also, allowlisting prevents the security system from clicking or testing these links during scanning, significantly reducing the risk of future false unsubscribes.

You can ask IT to allowlist the following:

Moosend Sending IP Ranges

• 45.143.132.0/24
• 45.143.133.0/24
• 45.143.134.0/24
• 45.143.135.0/24

Also allowlist:

• Your sending domain(s)
• The Moosend tracking domain
• The unsubscribe domain
• CDN image domains (you can detect those in the URL/path of any image)

This helps prevent the security engine from “testing” live links.

How to Prevent This from Happening Again

You can follow two steps to significantly reduce false unsubscribes. These work even in strict corporate environments and are easy to implement.

Enable double opt-out

Moosend allows you to activate a double opt-out process. This adds a confirmation screen after someone clicks the unsubscribe link.

Instead of immediately removing the contact, the system displays a message such as: “Are you sure you want to unsubscribe?”

Most automated scanners do not complete multi-step actions. So, adding this extra click stops most bot-triggered unsubscribes.

Keep in mind that this method blocks almost all cases (98%), but not every possible one. Some aggressive security systems process the List-Unsubscribe header at the top of the email, bypassing the link in the message. This is rare but still possible.

Ask IT to allowlist your ESP

For a long-term fix, ask your IT or Security team to allowlist your ESP’s sending infrastructure and tracking domains.
Once trusted sources are allow-listed, the security engine no longer clicks or tests your links during the scanning phase.

This protects unsubscribe links, tracking URLs, and any redirect paths from being triggered automatically. It is the most reliable solution for companies that use advanced security layers, especially those based on Microsoft or Barracuda.

Together, these two steps prevent almost all false unsubscribes and ensure internal and external emails reach the right people without interruption.

A Small Fix for a Big Headache

False unsubscribes are a side effect of stronger security, not a mistake on your part. Once you understand why it happens, the fix is simple.

A few adjustments between Marketing and IT are enough to keep your internal and external communications intact. With the right setup, your email program stays protected and your messages reach the people who need them.