EMail Harvesting

a client of mine told me that he uses a website that manages mailing lists to keep track of clients All subscribed in his case, But the possibility for this website to promote spam borthered me.

I went to the website looked at the start page and then left. End of story.

To my utter discomfort I received a message from the website in my mailbox addressed to me without me confirming clicking or anythinging on the site.

I have done some reading about this and have realised that a website can do a couple of things to get your browser to divulge a email address.

I use Firefox and IE and for interest sake I visisted the page in firefox to see if I get another mail from them.



All of this is only relevant to me as I would love to know how to prevent this from happening?


Some background:
My local mail server uses 3 blacklists and I have just added spamcop as a 4th.
I use spailator to filter rubbish - but I feel outlook 2003's junk filter is better as it.
I have a IPcop firewall and url filter to try and block ickky pages and adds.

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All subscribed in his case, But the possibility for this website to promote spam borthered me.

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Then you don't have a trustable friend - he just lied to you...... Kick his azz when you see him next.

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Originally posted here by Redsalamander
I went to the website looked at the start page and then left. End of story.

To my utter discomfort I received a message from the website in my mailbox addressed to me without me confirming clicking or anythinging on the site.

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Just wondering how your E-Mail address was used if you just visited the site? Did you subscribe? How would they have it unless you gave it to them?

:)

Thats what bothers me I dont give my mail address out.

from what I read a website can either reques a login to a annonymous ftp and that will cause some browsers to provide it with your address and the other way is possibly some javascript that collects it somehow.

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How would they have it unless you gave it to them?

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I'd guess at a script or ActiveX that crosses the boundary between the internet zone and the local/trusted zone that reads the, predictable, location of the outlook express configuration.... But thats a WAG, (Wild Assed Guess).... ;)

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Originally posted here by Tiger Shark
I'd guess at a script or ActiveX that crosses the boundary between the internet zone and the local/trusted zone that reads the, predictable, location of the outlook express configuration.... But thats a WAG, (Wild Assed Guess).... ;)

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Yes it is a WAG, not impossible but improbable. Would the ActiveX not be prompted? Unless the browser is not set up to prompt, which I would assume anyone worth their salt would have in effect. As far as the script, it would more than likely require a little more interaction within the site. More than just a cursory glance.

Although I could very well be wrong.

:D

Woot! Only took me 4.5 years to become a senior! hahah :cool:

I played with some Javascript about four years ago trying to do something similar. As I remember it always asked to confirm sending the e-mail. At the time I did not have control over the server, which, as I recall, was the main stumbling block.

Just curious: was there anything left in your sent folder?

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Woot! Only took me 5 years to become a senior! hahah

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And only FOUR years to add it up wrong :D

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Originally posted here by foxyloxley
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And only FOUR years to add it up wrong :D

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hahahah your right!!!! :p

Ya Bastad!!! I changed it to more be more accurate in the portrayal of my time here. ;)

as you said, he uses that site to keep track of his mailing lists. he probably has a mailing list of suppliers that he put you on. he doesn't care that they use the stored addys to spam with...as long as it makes HIS life easier in some way.