[SC-Help] Re: Thunderbird and base 64 spam

[Brian (SnSR)]

hercules wrote:
> Hmm, I must correct this... I don't think I've explained this well enough.
> 
> It would be better for thunderbird to export the base64 decoded text 
> with the embedded email addresses.
> It would make it easier to report the spam back...
> 
> 1. Thunderbird decodes the base64 7bit ascii data and displays it as a 
> regular text message while viewing it in the message pane.

That's so we don't have to manually decode the base64 :)

> 2. When you hit the control U to view the source, Thunderbird will not 
> allow the user to view the text or message portion of the source. The 
> message portion of the source data is base64 and hides the text portion 
> of the spam message.

That's because it's showing you the source, which may be base64.

> 3. Normally base64 is for binary data.  Thunderbird is being used to 
> hide the text portion of the data, in this case the text body of email 
> and embedded email addresses.
> 

Thunderbird isn't being 'used' to hide anything. It's performing its 
functions properly.

I just realized what you might be trying to say. It probably has to do 
with a certain porn spammer that encodes email addresses in the links.

I've started including the following message in my LARTs so the 
redirection of the links can be followed without reporting my email 
address back to the server.

The links include my encoded email address, which is reported back to 
the serverlogs at dns-forward.com - I've seen them.

Please use the encoder at http://howardk.moonfall.com/encemail.html for 
encoding your own address and substituting it for mine if you need to 
follow the link.

Encoding a tagged email address into this link will help you to see more 
of the domains used by this spam gang ;)