|
Overview
SMTP is the protocol by which Internet mail is sent. SMTP
servers use this protocol to communicate with other servers
or mail clients. However, by telneting directly to a mail
server and manually speaking SMTP, one can easily send mail
from any address specified - meaning that mail can be sent
from fake addresses while the sender's real address is
untraceable.
RFC
821
SIMPLE MAIL TRANSFER PROTOCOL (SMTP)
Jonathan B. Postel
August 1982
The objective of Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) is to
transfer mail reliably and efficiently.
What
do I need ?
All that you need is a generic telnet client. Local echo
should be turned on so you can see what you type. Also, it
is important to note that SMTP servers do not handle
backspaces, so you must type everything correctly.
How do
I Start?
Telnet to port 25 of your target SMTP server (more on SMTP
servers selection below). The server should respond with a
generic welcome message. You will type HELO domain.name. Use
any domain name you wish as most servers do not check the
name against the IP you are telneting from. Type MAIL FROM:
<from@wherever.com>. This is where the message will appear
to be from. Next, type RCPT TO: <to@wherever.com>. This
specifies who will receive the message. Type DATA and type
the body of your message. To send the message, enter a line
with only a period. Type QUIT to disconnect.
Sample Session - Bold text is user input:
220 OK
HELO faker.com
250 Hello faker.com (faker.com), pleased to meet you
MAIL FROM:<satan@hell.org>
250 <satan@hell.org>... Sender ok
RCPT TO:<info@astalavista.com>
250 <info@astalavista.com>... Recipient ok
DATA
354 Enter mail, end with "." on a line by itself
from:satan
subject:Lamer
This is the body of my message.
.
250 Mail accepted
QUIT
221 OK
Note
When the SMTP Server is using q-mail (find out by typing
HELP when connected) you have to type the charset and mime
info:
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain;
charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Can my
mail be traced?
Yes, This is traceable by any sysadmin ... don't harass
people this way.
If the person receiving the mail uses a shell like elm
he/she will not see the telltale fake message warning
"Apparently-To:(name)" even if not, most people wouldn't
know what it means anyway. Make sure you use a four part
address somebody@part1.pt2.pt3.pt4 so as to make it look
more believable and cover any add-ons the mail routine might
try. Put a realistic mail header in the mail message to
throw people off even more. If there are To: and Date: lines
then the program probably won't add them on.
Also try to telnet to the site where the recipient has his
account. This works better if you know how to fool it.
What
SMTP servers can I use?
An easy (but hit-or-miss) way to find random SMTP servers
is to look at web addresses on Yahoo! or another search
engine. Universities and government agencies are always good
choices. Find a URL and telnet to port 25. If you get a
response, you have located an available server. 95% of
servers will accept your mail. The others will not allow
external mail forwarding for security reasons. Always test
the server first.
What
about message subjects?
The subject, date, to, etc. are part of the DATA area.
After the DATA command, start with date and continue is the
fashion illustrated by the example code below. Make sure
there are no mistakes, because the first mistake will cause
the data to appear in the body of the message, not header.
It is interesting, because these fields take precedence over
the MAIL FROM: and RCPT TO: when displaying. A message can
be routed to a person even though the message itself appears
to be addressed to someone else. The key is to type VERY
carefully.
Hyperlinks
http://www.sendfakemail.com/
http://www.faqs.org/rfcs/rfc821.html
View this Article in Spanish
by Ivan Schmid |