Re: Mail tracking
On Wed, 2008-05-21, Tom wrote: Thursday, May 22, 2008, 1:39:58 AM, you wrote: To my knowledge this will only work with HTML mails that load contents from the web. If you stick to plain text or avoid loading content not delivered with the mail, this cannot happen. Please CMIIW. Does reading html emails within TB already constitute this issue or would you have to do more to load content? I believe that TB v3, that you seem to be using, will *not* load content. However, I believe that TB v4 is able to load such content. This is why I am not about to upgrade! The primary reason I started using TB was the fact that I could download and read ANY email without worrying about Trojans, viruses or web tracking bugs. -- Bill McQuillan [EMAIL PROTECTED] Using The Bat! 2.11 on Windows XP 5.1 build 2600-Service Pack 2 Current version is 4.0.24.0 | 'Using TBUDL' information: http://www.silverstones.com/thebat/TBUDLInfo.html
Re: Mail tracking
Thursday, May 22, 2008, 3:36:01 PM, you wrote: Tom @ 2008-5-21 9:59:42 PM Mail tracking mid:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To my knowledge this will only work with HTML mails that load contents from the web. If you stick to plain text or avoid loading content not delivered with the mail, this cannot happen. Please CMIIW. Does reading html emails within TB already constitute this issue or would you have to do more to load content? Since you are using version 4 (or so), you cannot load external images unless you open the attached HTML file. So, unless you open the HTML file, you are safe*. In version 4, there is the Download URL Manager. You can use it to select which images are loaded. With a little inspection, you can usually figure out which image has the tracking code attached. * No absolute guarantees. But, I'd put money on it. Either way, that is good enough for me and another reason for using TB. Thanks everyone for clearing this up. -- Tom using TheBat! 3.99.29 on XP Current version is 4.0.24.0 | 'Using TBUDL' information: http://www.silverstones.com/thebat/TBUDLInfo.html
Re[2]: Mail tracking
Hello Bill, Thursday, May 22, 2008, 11:38:48 AM, you wrote: I believe that TB v3, that you seem to be using, will *not* load content. However, I believe that TB v4 is able to load such content. This is why I am not about to upgrade! The primary reason I started using TB was the fact that I could download and read ANY email without worrying about Trojans, viruses or web tracking bugs. But TB4 will load such party from websites only if told to do so not by default so it's as safe as TB 3 unless one decides to make it less so. -- Best regards, Mean Current version is 4.0.24.0 | 'Using TBUDL' information: http://www.silverstones.com/thebat/TBUDLInfo.html
Re: Mail tracking
Hello, On Wednesday, May 21, 2008, you wrote: RO Another method would be to view everything as plain text only. Another advantage of plain-text viewing is that you can see the real url of links within a mail. In an html message there might be a simple looking link such as: www.somecompany.com, which seems quite anonymous. But looking at the message source it might actually point to www.somecompany.com/+lots_of_highly_identifiable_information, or worse; there's no reason that the link would even be for the domain that somecompany.com. No such trickery in plain text. That said, I'm very glad to see HTML support in TheBat, as there are more and more (legitimate) people (i.e. money paying clients) that insist on some level of HTML capability. And, let's face it, it can look quite nice if it's used with restraint. Not every HTML e-mail is 43MBytes, kaleidoscopically coloured, with 11 different font sizes (including the inevitable comic sans) and has a few 5MB cat photos embedded for good luck ;-) -- Nick | [EMAIL PROTECTED] Current version is 4.0.24.0 | 'Using TBUDL' information: http://www.silverstones.com/thebat/TBUDLInfo.html
Re: Mail tracking
Hello Mean, On Thu, 22 May 2008 14:44:29 +0530 GMT (22/05/2008, 16:14 +0700 GMT), Mean Drake wrote: I believe that TB v3, that you seem to be using, will *not* load content. However, I believe that TB v4 is able to load such content. This is why I am not about to upgrade! The primary reason I started using TB was the fact that I could download and read ANY email without worrying about Trojans, viruses or web tracking bugs. MD But TB4 will load such party from websites only if told to do so MD not by default so it's as safe as TB 3 unless one decides to make MD it less so. Correct. I also often find URLs in the Download Manager that are suspicious (for example, containing the word tracker in the URL) and are not mere JPG files. I choose not to download them. I don't know whether there is an option in TB!4 to download all regardless, but if someone uses that, it's their conscious effort and to their own peril. TB! cannot be blamed in any case. -- Cheers, Thomas. In an office: WOULD THE PERSON WHO TOOK THE STEP LADDER YESTERDAY PLEASE BRING IT BACK OR FURTHER STEPS WILL BE TAKEN. http://thomas.fernandez.hat-gar-keine-homepage.de/ Message reply created with The Bat! 4.0.24.11 under Windows XP 5.1 Build 2600 Service Pack 2 Current version is 4.0.24.0 | 'Using TBUDL' information: http://www.silverstones.com/thebat/TBUDLInfo.html
Mail tracking
Hello Everyone, I stumbled across this thread at Wilders http://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?p=1245802#post1245802 dealing with the issue of some emails having secret coding included to report back to the sender not only when the email was delivered or read but even how long the email was open and more. Does anybody know if this would work on TB or would TB block this automatically? I know that I configure TB to ignore the typical receipt confirmation or ask for permission before sending but this type of tracking is quite devious and hidden. -- Best regards, Tom using TheBat! 3.99.29 on XP Current version is 4.0.24.0 | 'Using TBUDL' information: http://www.silverstones.com/thebat/TBUDLInfo.html
Re: Mail tracking
Hi Tom, on Wed, 21 May 2008 22:26:34 +1000GMT (21.05.2008, 14:26 +0200GMT here), you wrote: T I stumbled across this thread at Wilders T http://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?p=1245802#post1245802 T dealing with the issue of some emails having secret coding included to T report back to the sender not only when the email was delivered or T read but even how long the email was open and more. To my knowledge this will only work with HTML mails that load contents from the web. If you stick to plain text or avoid loading content not delivered with the mail, this cannot happen. Please CMIIW. -- Cheers Peter Sixty-two thousand four hundred repetitions make one truth. Aldous Huxley, Brave New World, 1932 Current version is 4.0.24.0 | 'Using TBUDL' information: http://www.silverstones.com/thebat/TBUDLInfo.html
Re: Mail tracking
Hallo Tom, On Wed, 21 May 2008 22:26:34 +1000GMT (21-5-2008, 14:26 +0200, where I live), you wrote: T I stumbled across this thread at Wilders T http://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?p=1245802#post1245802 T dealing with the issue of some emails having secret coding included to T report back to the sender not only when the email was delivered or T read but even how long the email was open and more. It will work with TB, depending on your security consciousness. Basically it works by displaying an image that's stored somewhere on the net. This example is stored at mailtracking.com, but there are more of this kind. When you view an HTML message in TB the Download URL Manager will pop up. When viewing the URLs in the message it's rather easy to see whether some tracking image is included or not. Generally they've got odd names, the file name may even include your address, as it's used to track your access. The real images in the message usually are stored on the same server, whereas the tracking imag is stored on a different server or at least a different directory on that server. So when you're looking critically to the URLs, it's fairly easy to recognize them and tell the download manager to block those servers. Another method would be to view everything as plain text only. -- Groetjes, Roelof WINDOWS is to computing what Etch-a-Sketch is to art. http://www.voormijalleen.nl/ The Bat! 4.0.24.11 Windows Vista 6.0 Build 6000 3 pop3 accounts OTFE enabled P4 3GHz 2 GB RAM pgphWvu2oI0Gh.pgp Description: PGP signature Current version is 4.0.24.0 | 'Using TBUDL' information: http://www.silverstones.com/thebat/TBUDLInfo.html
Re: Mail tracking
Thursday, May 22, 2008, 1:39:58 AM, you wrote: Hi Tom, on Wed, 21 May 2008 22:26:34 +1000GMT (21.05.2008, 14:26 +0200GMT here), you wrote: T I stumbled across this thread at Wilders T http://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?p=1245802#post1245802 T dealing with the issue of some emails having secret coding included to T report back to the sender not only when the email was delivered or T read but even how long the email was open and more. To my knowledge this will only work with HTML mails that load contents from the web. If you stick to plain text or avoid loading content not delivered with the mail, this cannot happen. Please CMIIW. Does reading html emails within TB already constitute this issue or would you have to do more to load content? -- Tom using TheBat! 3.99.29 on XP Current version is 4.0.24.0 | 'Using TBUDL' information: http://www.silverstones.com/thebat/TBUDLInfo.html
Re: Mail tracking
Tom @ 2008-5-21 9:59:42 PM Mail tracking mid:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To my knowledge this will only work with HTML mails that load contents from the web. If you stick to plain text or avoid loading content not delivered with the mail, this cannot happen. Please CMIIW. Does reading html emails within TB already constitute this issue or would you have to do more to load content? Since you are using version 4 (or so), you cannot load external images unless you open the attached HTML file. So, unless you open the HTML file, you are safe*. In version 4, there is the Download URL Manager. You can use it to select which images are loaded. With a little inspection, you can usually figure out which image has the tracking code attached. * No absolute guarantees. But, I'd put money on it. -- Christopher Using The Bat! v4.0.24 on Windows Vista 6.0 Build 6000. Accessing POP3 and IMAP4 mailboxs. Is reading in the bathroom considered multitasking? pgpIczzqiQRt5.pgp Description: PGP signature Current version is 4.0.24.0 | 'Using TBUDL' information: http://www.silverstones.com/thebat/TBUDLInfo.html
