Computer question.
- Thread starter gris
- Start date
:censor:I get ALOT of spam
Ok
I have several more pieces to the puzzle - but not yet the whole thing....
First - re your query about receiving junk mail - according to this article simply visiting a website will NOT reveal your email address to anyone. (read it three minutes ago - and can't remember why). In terms of hiding your ISP address online it appears that you have to use a proxy server... (BTW - if you check the homepage - they give you your IP address - and an approx location...)
So I don't really know where that leaves you in terms of your question... it sounds like you have to go to some effort to hide your IP address online - but it doesn't seem like it is necessary.
However - for people like me - who are planning to play hooky from work and sit on a desert island instead... I learnt that
i) IP address from where you send your email is readily available. Eg - I use apple mail - and if I go into the view>message>long headers it reveals all of the IP info
ii) a "simple" application such as Network Tracer allows you to do the following:
- Identifying the owners and/or hosts of websites and domain names
- Tracking down the source of unwanted email
- Identifying and tracing the host in an obscured URL.
- Interpreting your website access logs
- Tracing suspicious connections reported by your firewall or port monitor
- Finding what others can learn from your IP address
- Checking out chat partners
Well I am glad that I switched to gmail - who seem not to reveal that info... yet to be confirmed about the other providers....
Thanks for posting gris - it has set me off on an illuminating jag...
I have several more pieces to the puzzle - but not yet the whole thing....
First - re your query about receiving junk mail - according to this article simply visiting a website will NOT reveal your email address to anyone. (read it three minutes ago - and can't remember why). In terms of hiding your ISP address online it appears that you have to use a proxy server... (BTW - if you check the homepage - they give you your IP address - and an approx location...)
So I don't really know where that leaves you in terms of your question... it sounds like you have to go to some effort to hide your IP address online - but it doesn't seem like it is necessary.
However - for people like me - who are planning to play hooky from work and sit on a desert island instead... I learnt that
i) IP address from where you send your email is readily available. Eg - I use apple mail - and if I go into the view>message>long headers it reveals all of the IP info
ii) a "simple" application such as Network Tracer allows you to do the following:
- Identifying the owners and/or hosts of websites and domain names
- Tracking down the source of unwanted email
- Identifying and tracing the host in an obscured URL.
- Interpreting your website access logs
- Tracing suspicious connections reported by your firewall or port monitor
- Finding what others can learn from your IP address
- Checking out chat partners
Well I am glad that I switched to gmail - who seem not to reveal that info... yet to be confirmed about the other providers....
Thanks for posting gris - it has set me off on an illuminating jag...
The "headers" of emails you receive will be visible or not depending on how you have your email program configured.
The best way to keep your own IP address out of your email is to use a webmail program like yahoo, etc. instead of a "desktop" program that actually lives on your computer, like Eudora or Outlook. To keep your IP address out of those, you would have to do stuff specifically designed for that.
What you might consider doing is seizing an available nerd and ask him/her to configure your computer to have the level of security and privacy you want.
There are programs, and things you can do so that your IP address will be different, you could, for example, make it look like you were in Sweden or Indonesia, or even a different place every time, but that might slow down your connection speed, so ask your nerd.
The best way to keep your own IP address out of your email is to use a webmail program like yahoo, etc. instead of a "desktop" program that actually lives on your computer, like Eudora or Outlook. To keep your IP address out of those, you would have to do stuff specifically designed for that.
What you might consider doing is seizing an available nerd and ask him/her to configure your computer to have the level of security and privacy you want.
There are programs, and things you can do so that your IP address will be different, you could, for example, make it look like you were in Sweden or Indonesia, or even a different place every time, but that might slow down your connection speed, so ask your nerd.
My 'available nerd' is the help directory/google etc...
Oh now - I feel a wasted afternoon coming up....
Thanks for the tip...
Oh now - I feel a wasted afternoon coming up....
Thanks for the tip...
That is incorrect. Your computer can have any IP address assigned, dependent on what network you are connected to. The numbers range from 0.0.0.0 to 255.255.255.255. Often internet service providers will assign a static / non-changing IP address to your computer when you are connected, it only changes once every few weeks. Some other service providers (like AOL) have a lot of subscribers share the same IP addresses via proxies.
IP addresses have nothing to do with the amount of spam you receive.
There is many ways spammers can obtain your email address, but IPs certainly aren't one of them.
P.S. If you ever forwarded a mass-forward ("help Baby Brian, he's got cancer", "send this msg to 10 of your friends for luck in love", etc.) to your entire address book, you have most likely helped out some sleazeball spammer to gather hundreds of email addresses by the time the initial email bounces back to him.
There is many ways spammers can obtain your email address, but IPs certainly aren't one of them.
P.S. If you ever forwarded a mass-forward ("help Baby Brian, he's got cancer", "send this msg to 10 of your friends for luck in love", etc.) to your entire address book, you have most likely helped out some sleazeball spammer to gather hundreds of email addresses by the time the initial email bounces back to him.
Since we are dispensing useful computer tips, in case there is anyone who needs to read this:
Never, ever, EVER open an "attachment" or file of any kind that comes with an email, even though it may look like the email comes from someone you know.
If you get an email like that, email the person you know - DON'T reply to the email that has the file, just click "compose" or "new email" and email them that way, and ask them if they sent you a file, and if they did, will they please hit "reply" and send it to you again.
That way, you can be sure that you are getting the picture of Cousin Aisha in her prom dress and not a file from a stranger that can hurt your computer.
Because let's say Cousin Aisha doesn't know this safety tip, and so when she got an email that looked like it was from kindly old Mrs Chang at her dentist's office, she opened it, and she opened the file. But the email did not really come from Mrs. Chang. And the file was really a program, and went into Cousin Aisha's Outlook address book, and sent emails with copies of the harmful file to everybody there, including you!
And then it might go on to do some other bad things to her computer, including messing it up so bad that you ended up calling her on the phone to ask if she sent you a file because she never replied to your email because her computer had to go to a Place to get fixed.
So, to be on the safe side, do not open email attachments.
Never, ever, EVER open an "attachment" or file of any kind that comes with an email, even though it may look like the email comes from someone you know.
If you get an email like that, email the person you know - DON'T reply to the email that has the file, just click "compose" or "new email" and email them that way, and ask them if they sent you a file, and if they did, will they please hit "reply" and send it to you again.
That way, you can be sure that you are getting the picture of Cousin Aisha in her prom dress and not a file from a stranger that can hurt your computer.
Because let's say Cousin Aisha doesn't know this safety tip, and so when she got an email that looked like it was from kindly old Mrs Chang at her dentist's office, she opened it, and she opened the file. But the email did not really come from Mrs. Chang. And the file was really a program, and went into Cousin Aisha's Outlook address book, and sent emails with copies of the harmful file to everybody there, including you!
And then it might go on to do some other bad things to her computer, including messing it up so bad that you ended up calling her on the phone to ask if she sent you a file because she never replied to your email because her computer had to go to a Place to get fixed.
So, to be on the safe side, do not open email attachments.