📧 Email Header Analysis investigation training
🔍 Process: Extract Full Headers → Analyze “Received” Lines → Trace Spoofing or Origin
🔐 What is Email Header Analysis?
Email header analysis is a forensic technique used by cyber security professionals and investigators to trace the origin of an email, identify spoofing or phishing attempts, and understand the route the email took through various mail servers. Unlike the email body, which shows the content, the header contains metadata—like sender IPs, timestamps, email clients, and server records.
🛠️ Step-by-Step Process
1️⃣ Extract Full Email Headers
Before any analysis begins, you must access the full header of the suspicious email. This can typically be done by:
- Gmail: Click on “More” → “Show Original”
- Outlook: Open email → File → Properties → “Internet headers”
- Yahoo: Click on “More” → “View raw message”
💡 Note: Don’t confuse “headers” with “email subject lines”. Headers include fields like Received, From, To, Return-Path, Message-ID, etc.
2️⃣ Analyze “Received” Lines
The “Received” lines tell the path the email took through mail servers. These are added by each server the email passes through and are listed in reverse order (the topmost is the last server).
✅ Key points to look for:
- First “Received” line (bottom-most) is usually the origin IP of the sender.
- Check timestamps for any inconsistencies or gaps.
- Look for internal vs. external servers to detect anomalies.
- Compare the originating IP with the one claimed in the “From” address.
Example:
Received: from unknown ([185.144.82.111])
by mail.example.com with SMTP;
Mon, 10 Jun 2024 12:23:41 +0000
👉 The IP 185.144.82.111 might be the real sender. Use tools like IP2Location, Whois, or GeoIP Lookup to identify its origin.
3️⃣ Trace Spoofing or Fake Origin
Now identify if the sender spoofed the email address or domain.
🔍 Check:
- Return-Path: Does it match the “From” address?
- SPF (Sender Policy Framework), DKIM, and DMARC results (found in headers).
spf=fail,dkim=fail, ordmarc=failare red flags.
- Message-ID domain vs. actual sender domain.
- Any signs of a compromised legitimate account (discrepancy in routing).
Spoofing Indicators:
- Sender appears as
[email protected]but SPF fails. - IP address traced to an unrelated region or known malicious server.
- No DKIM signature present.
🔧 Tools for Email Header Analysis
| Tool Name | Function |
|---|---|
| MXToolbox | Header parsing & blacklist check |
| Google Toolbox – Messageheader | Visualizes email route |
| IPvoid/IP2Location | Checks IP details |
| EmailRep.io | Verifies email reputation |
| Header Analyzer by Microsoft | Detailed Microsoft-based analysis |
🧠 Practical Use Cases
- 🎣 Phishing Detection: Fake emails pretending to be from banks or tech companies.
- 🛡️ Incident Response: Identifying entry point of malicious emails in organization.
- 🕵️ Tracking Cyber Criminals: Finding real IPs even if spoofed identities are used.
📝 Final Notes
Email header analysis is a crucial skill in cyber crime investigation and digital forensics. While headers can be manipulated, combining header analysis with IP tracing, authentication checks (SPF/DKIM), and behavioral patterns gives investigators a powerful toolkit for revealing the true origin and intent of suspicious emails.
📚 Want to practice real header analysis? Collect spam or phishing emails and analyze them with the above steps. You’ll uncover surprising patterns and gain forensic insight.
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