As catamorphism said, they often use HTML. A very common trick is to embed an image tag inside the email. When your email reader downloads the image, the server at the other end figures out which email contained the request. There are other tricks similar to this, and they usually require downloading something when you click on the email.
Some email readers give you no choice as to whether you get HTML email, or plain-text email. But some will, and will also give you the option of not showing any images until you choose for each separate email to see the images. I only use Netscape Communicator on Linux for reading email. It has an option for "Do not load remote images in Emails and Newsgroups." (emphasis mine) And I never download and read email on my Windows box because Linux is more secure. (Linux will not automatically run programs found inside emails. I'd have to choose to save the attachment as an executable, and then go to a shell window to run it. Furthermore, when I run, it only has my account's limited privileges, so it can'd do much damage. I very rarely run anything when I login as root.
Once your email gets stuck inside the spammer's database, it can be hard to remove it. One trick is to delete your email account for a day. All the emails bounce back to the sender, and the spammer's server automatically removes your email address from the database. Then you restore your email account just like it was before. I'd suggest telling your friends that you are disabling your email for a day or two before you do this.
That should help keep you safe from malicious emails, and spam-free.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2006-03-24 04:50 am (UTC)Some email readers give you no choice as to whether you get HTML email, or plain-text email. But some will, and will also give you the option of not showing any images until you choose for each separate email to see the images. I only use Netscape Communicator on Linux for reading email. It has an option for "Do not load remote images in Emails and Newsgroups." (emphasis mine) And I never download and read email on my Windows box because Linux is more secure. (Linux will not automatically run programs found inside emails. I'd have to choose to save the attachment as an executable, and then go to a shell window to run it. Furthermore, when I run, it only has my account's limited privileges, so it can'd do much damage. I very rarely run anything when I login as root.
Once your email gets stuck inside the spammer's database, it can be hard to remove it. One trick is to delete your email account for a day. All the emails bounce back to the sender, and the spammer's server automatically removes your email address from the database. Then you restore your email account just like it was before. I'd suggest telling your friends that you are disabling your email for a day or two before you do this.
That should help keep you safe from malicious emails, and spam-free.