Understanding and Deciphering the IP Address Behind Email Campaigns

The process of identifying the real IP address that originates an email, especially within various email campaign platforms like ActiveCampaign, involves more than just simple inspection. While email headers can provide crucial information, they can also be deceptive. This article delves into the methods and tools available to determine the authentic IP address behind email campaigns, as well as the challenges and limitations in doing so.

Deciphering Email Headers: Your First Clue

Email headers are like the postmark on a physical letter. They reveal details about how the email was sent, which can include important information such as the sender's IP address. However, it's critical to understand that not all the information in headers is trustworthy. The original sender's IP address may be obscured or faked, making it difficult to pinpoint the true source of the email.

Trusting Email Servers: A Reliable Information Source

When an email reaches a trustworthy email server, additional headers are automatically added, ensuring the data remains accurate. These headers include details such as the IP address from which the email was received. Looking at the full headers of an email, starting with the “Received:” headers, can provide a more reliable picture. For instance, in Gmail’s web client, you can view these detailed headers by opening a spam email, clicking the three stacked dots, and selecting “Show original.”

Common Challenges and Limitations

While email headers can offer valuable insights, they often include a mix of original and automated information. Smaller, untrustworthy SMTP servers might have sent the email, potentially hiding the true source behind layers of routing. Therefore, while you can be reasonably confident about the IP address of at least the recipient's SMTP server, identifying the actual sender's IP address can be much more challenging.

Here's what the IP address might look like:

Example IP Address: 192.168.1.25

What can you do with this information? While an IP address can be useful for certain investigations, its value is often limited without proper context or additional information. Understanding the IP address can help in verifying the authenticity of emails and identifying potential spam or phishing attempts.

Navigating with Email Clients: Finding Full Headers

The process of viewing full email headers can vary depending on the email client. Here’s a quick guide for Gmail users:

Open a spam email in your Gmail inbox. Click on the three stacked dots located at the right side of the email. Select “Show original” from the contextual menu.

For other email clients, such as Thunderbird, Outlook, or Apple Mail, the process is similar but slightly different. Typically, you’ll find an option to view the raw message or show original source.

Fake Headers and Deception

Spammers and malicious actors can manipulate the headers to obscure the true source of an email. These fake headers can make it challenging to trace the origin. As such, relying solely on headers can be risky. Always consider additional checks and verification methods alongside header analysis.

Conclusion

While the IP address of an email sender can be crucial, it's essential to understand the limitations and potential deceptions involved. By combining header analysis with other verification methods and using trustworthy email servers, you can enhance the accuracy of your investigations. Understanding these mechanisms is essential in today's digital world, where phishing, spam, and malicious emails are increasingly common.