Reply To: Email security tip

Choc, perhaps some background information will help understand. Some web pages are ready-made files sent to your browser upon request and some are created anew for each visit. The latter is called a dynamic web page.

The pages on this site are obviously dynamic, since a change on a user is reflected even in old, closed threads, and your pre-moderated posts are seen only to you. That means that the server writes out the page every time you visit.

Many times the page gets additional information from you, and based on that it gives you different content. When you submit any form your browser requests a page and sends along the information you just filled out. Sometimes that information is added to the URL as ?firstname=Moishe&lastname=Kapoya.

Not only can web pages be dynamic but pictures can be, too. Many times the picture’s source is a page that creates the picture based on the “?…”

So if I want to verify which emails that I sent to are real I add a picture reference in the email that has extra information, other than just the filename. That information will be a code that is unique for your email. In that case the server, upon getting tht picture request, registers your email and proceeds to send (unsuspecting) you the picture.