Re: Is Advice to Open Suspect Emails Risky?

Dave Cohen wrote:
Dick K wrote:
Brian Cryer wrote:
"Dick K" <not@xxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:TfCdnbYf8fZoo4HUnZ2dnUVZ8oSdnZ2d@xxxxxxxxx
A website run by the trade association for the UK payments
industry solicits copies of phishing emails.The site says:

"Forwarding your suspect email: Open the suspect email, click
the forward button, and send it to the following email
address: ...."

Surely this procedure would, at least, risk confirming to the
phisherman that one's own email address really exists?
Apart from that and as far as I know, one would be OK provided
one didn't open any attachment. I'm curious to know whether
in fact other known risks attach to opening a suspect email?
Clearly the answer depends on the software environment -
for the sake of argument let's say Outlook Express, with
default settings, under up-to-date Windows XP with anti-virus
and firewall software in place.

Many modern email clients block access to images until you okay them, which would block the sender from having any way of knowing that you'd opened the email (to forward it). Don't know whether outlook express does as I've not used it for many many years.

Forward as an attachment would be better anyway, because it preserves the email headers which would allow the source of the email to be traced.

Thanks, but please see my reply to Wolf Kirchmeir. I
was trying to ask a general question - what are the
potential risks associated with simply opening a suspect
email? I cited web-beacons and attachments with malicious
payloads, though mentioning the the latter was a mistake
because they themselves have to be opened to become
hazardous. I was curious to know whether there were
other "drive by" dangers one might expose one's system
to by merely opening a suspect email in a not uncommon
environment?

I think it's safe if you open as text. Hotmail by default will not display graphics or open attachments unless from 'safe' senders.
Dave Cohen

Thanks. As far as I know you are correct.

--

Dick K
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Is Advice to Open Suspect Emails Risky?
    ... "Forwarding your suspect email: ... in fact other known risks attach to opening a suspect email? ... Hotmail by default will not display graphics or open attachments unless from 'safe' senders. ...
    (alt.comp.anti-virus)
  • Re: Is Advice to Open Suspect Emails Risky?
    ... "Forwarding your suspect email: ... in fact other known risks attach to opening a suspect email? ... Many modern email clients block access to images until you okay them, which would block the sender from having any way of knowing that you'd opened the email. ...
    (alt.comp.anti-virus)
  • Re: Is Advice to Open Suspect Emails Risky?
    ... "Forwarding your suspect email: ... in fact other known risks attach to opening a suspect email? ... Many modern email clients block access to images until you okay them, which would block the sender from having any way of knowing that you'd opened the email. ...
    (alt.comp.anti-virus)