Just How did Spammers get my email address? You wonder!
We all hate spam emails and sometimes it just becomes so annoying when you are having a busy day and you keep getting unwanted emails in your inbox. You didn’t give your email address to any spammer. How then did they get it? Spammers use so many techniques to harvest and find about your email address and then spam you when they do.
Below are some of the ways how spammers get email addresses without you having to give it to them knowingly.
- Virus or Malware on your Computer.
Your computer could be infected with a virus or a malware that sees every button you press on your computer or it could be reading everything that you are doing on the Internet. Though this method, spammers are able to obtain your email address, passwords and other confidential information.
- Your Workmate PC ’s has Virus or Malware
If your computer is Virus and Malware free, another Computer or workstation on the network you are sharing could be infected with a virus or malware that is stealing email addresses and other information passing through your network.
- Your Website is vulnerable
It’s also possible for spammers to get your email address through your website. You website could have a security vulnerable script running which allows a hacker too access information of you hosting account, your email address included.
- One of the Servers you email passed through has packet sniffing software
Just like how physical postal mail can pass through more than one carrier before it reaches you. That’s how email also works. Emails are relayed from server to server before reaching their intended recipient, one of the servers your email passed through could have packet sniffing software installed on which can allow someone to steal your email address and ny other information that passes through that server.
- Email Address Guessing
Since your domain name is public, some spammers simply try to guess valid email addresses by prefix common addresses attached to your domain. For example, I know most people use info@domainname.com a spammer can try to send emails to that email address and if you respond to them, they will know the email is active and they will keep sending you spam emails.
That’s all for today, Watch out for my next article