RE: Email webbugs

["Hicks, John" <JHicks () JUSTICE GC CA>]

My apologies for not taking a harder look @ my test email ... somehow there
bug got 'hidden' in Hotmail's advertising and I missed the code as i
expected it in the actual email :)

<META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html;charset=iso-8859-1">
<font size=+1><PRE>


_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at
http&#58;//explorer.msn.com/intl.asp

</PRE>
<img
src=http://164.124.123.208/read/999126780-fec93e60f0dda1fb.3fefa7703944a297/
john_hicks () hotmail com confirm postel to width=0 height=0>
</BODY>
</HTML>

John Hicks

-----Original Message-----
From: James Robbins [mailto:robbins.7 () osu edu]
Sent: Friday, August 31, 2001 1:58 PM
To: John Hicks
Cc: vuln-dev () securityfocus com
Subject: Re: Email webbugs


As I understand it, the tracking is done via web bugs.  I think
they insert a web bug in your email before sending it on.  Then,
when it is read by the end user on a html enabled mail reader,
the web bug sends the IP and MAC addresses back to confirm.to
who, in turn, sends the info back to you.

At 12:18 PM 8/31/01, John Hicks wrote:
> Unfortunately, this is not a 'web bug'. If you point your
>
> browser to http://confirm.to, you will see that it's a
>
> Korean company providing detailed email tracking as
>
> a corporate service.  You can track 30 email
>
> addresses for frrr, or pay $10USD for 600!!!  I have
>
> forwarded this information to EPIC.
>
>
>
> John
>
> >
>
> > There is an interesting use of webbugs made by
>
> one outfit.  If you
>
> > append .confirm.to to the end of the address you
>
> send a mail to
>
> > it will be sent to the original address (without
>
> the .confirm.to).  When
>
> > a person reads the mail on an html mail reader it
>
> replies to .confirm.to.
>
> > They, in turn, send you an email specifying the
>
> time, IP address and
>
> > MAC address of the machine on which the mail
>
> was read.
>
> > --
>
> > James A. Robbins
>
> > Network Engineer
>
> > The Ohio State University
>
> > Chemistry Department
>
> >
>
> >
>
> >

-- 
James A. Robbins
Network Engineer
The Ohio State University
Chemistry Department