Spam and email.

[Pex]

Sites that automatically put your address on a mailing list for spam only get your default email set up on that machine right? what if its webmail?

 

[DeviousTrap]

Huh? A site can get your email address without you typing it in?

 

[Pex]

yes.

 

[DeviousTrap]

Originally posted by: Pex
yes.

And how would this work, without you agreeing to download a ActiveX control or something similar?

 

[Pex]

Originally posted by: DeviousTrap

Originally posted by: Pex
yes.

And how would this work, without you agreeing to download a ActiveX control or something similar?

errrrr i dont know how it works but it does.

 

[SagaLore]

Originally posted by: Pex

Originally posted by: DeviousTrap

Originally posted by: Pex
yes.

And how would this work, without you agreeing to download a ActiveX control or something similar?

errrrr i dont know how it works but it does.

If you visit a site via a link from another site, that site records what page you came from. It's called a referal. If you get spam in your mailbox, whether or not you click any of the links in it, if there is an image that needs to be loaded, then that content is being requested from a site which then can record (and verify) your email address.

Sites can also record some basic information from your machine. What OS, what version of IE, and yes whatever your logon username and domain/workgroup is. From that you could possibly derive an email address. If your logon account is using an msn passport (email address), it may be recording that as well.

 

[Pex]

which email does it take if you have multiple addresses on one machine?

 

[rh71]

Originally posted by: Pex
which email does it take if you have multiple addresses on one machine?

I don't think you're understanding how referrals work. If you click a link to go to a site.. your email (whatever you were checking) will be verified... or some sneakier spam will put images inside the email itself and when it loads the image, that address is verified. Are you thinking it reads your outlook/express emails otherwise ? Where did you get the idea it does that ?

 

[Ness]

Originally posted by: Pex
which email does it take if you have multiple addresses on one machine?

I can't record addresses from say, Outlook or Eudora... but if you downloaded a program that would... it would take all of them, most likely.

According to Sagalore in the above post (to kinda paraphrase) your email addres can be taken from credentials passed about your ISP, using information you use to log into sites, or by sites passing your email address in a URL referral link.. which if it is in there, you'll be able to see it.

 

[Teliasen]

I dont get spam... that I know of.

 

[DeviousTrap]

Originally posted by: SagaLore

Originally posted by: Pex

Originally posted by: DeviousTrap

Originally posted by: Pex
yes.

And how would this work, without you agreeing to download a ActiveX control or something similar?

errrrr i dont know how it works but it does.

If you visit a site via a link from another site, that site records what page you came from. It's called a referal. If you get spam in your mailbox, whether or not you click any of the links in it, if there is an image that needs to be loaded, then that content is being requested from a site which then can record (and verify) your email address.

Sites can also record some basic information from your machine. What OS, what version of IE, and yes whatever your logon username and domain/workgroup is. From that you could possibly derive an email address. If your logon account is using an msn passport (email address), it may be recording that as well.

That is completly understandable. From the OPs post I though he meant that he could visit www.stealmyemail.com and as soon as he opened the page it would get his email address that he has accessed from his computer.

 

[Pex]

yea i thought it a website could somehow gather your outlook email addresses and spam them. thanks for the enlightenment.

 

[Pepsi90919]

it's actually spam harvesters that spider the web much like search engine robots do.