Nowadays, emails are one of the most basic forms of discussion. While appropriate and important, emails can sometimes be an origin of concern, specifically when dealing with phishing, cyber threats, or spam. In such conditions, tracing the IP address from which an email was sent can be beneficial. This procedure can help you discover the geographical location of the sender, recognize if an email is possibly harmful, or even help law enforcement in investigating cybercrimes. This blog will walk you through the steps to How to Trace an IP Address From an Email Explained the things included, and highlight essential things.
Knowing the Common things of IP Addresses and Email Headers
Before delving into the tracing method, it is essential to know a few main concepts:
IP Address – An IP address is a unique line of numbers divided by periods that recognizes every computer using the Internet Protocol to talk over a network. Each device connected to the internet has its unique IP address, which can give information about the device’s location.
Email Headers – Email headers have metadata about the email, involving details about the sender, the way the email took to come to the recipient, and sometimes the IP address of the sender. Headers include information like the “To,” “Subject,” “From,” and other components that are not particularly seeable in the standard view of an email.
Why Trace an IP Address?
Tracing an IP address from an email can be beneficial for many reasons:
Recognizing the Sender’s Location – While it would not give you a proper address, it can aid in pinpointing the basic geographic area, like a city or state.
Finding Spam or Phishing – Through tracing the IP address, you can find out if an email claiming to be from a reliable source is generated from an unexpected location.
Explore Cybercrimes – Law enforcement may use IP tracing to track down the origin of unlawful activities managed through email.
Steps For How to Trace an IP Address From an Email Explained
Here is a step-by-step process on How to Trace an IP Address From an Email Explained:
Step 1: Go to the Email Header
The first step is to go to the email’s full header information. The process for looking at the header differs depending on your email client. Here are details for some popular email services:
Gmail
- Go to the email you want to trace.
- Click on the three dots near the Reply button.
- Choose “Show original” from the dropdown menu.
- A new tab will open showing the full email header.
Outlook
- Open the email.
- Click on “File” and then choose “Properties.”
- In the “Internet headers” part, you will find the email header details.
Yahoo Mail
- Open the email.
- Click on the three dots in the top-right edge of the email.
- Choose “View raw message.”
Apple Mail
- Open the email you want to view.
- Click on “View” in the top menu.
- Choose “Message” and then “All Headers.”
Step 2: Find out the IP Address in the Header
Once you have acquired the email header, you are required to find the IP address. This can be a bit difficult, as headers have a lot of information. Look for the “Received” part, which shows the way the email took as it arrived in your inbox. Every mail server that the email passed via adds its own “Received” line to the header. The IP address is generally found in the last “Received” line, which particularly shows the IP address of the sending server or the sender’s device. It is frequently listed next to “Received from” and is in a format like “123.45.67.89.”
Step 3: Verify the IP Address
Not all IP addresses in the email header do not have to be functional for tracing the sender. Sometimes, the IP address belongs to a middle server rather than the real sender. The IP address closest to the bottom of the header is specifically the most applicable. Moreover, if the sender used an unnamed email service or a VPN, the IP address you got might belong to the service provider rather than the sender.
Step 4: Use an IP Lookup Tool
After recognizing the IP address, you can use an IP lookup tool to get more information about it. There are many free tools available online for this process.
Step 5: Inspect the Information
Once you have the IP address and its connected location details, you can inspect it to decide the legal use of the email. For example, if you get an email claiming to be from your bank but the IP address traces back to another country where your bank does not operate, it could be a danger for you.
Conclusion
By the steps given in this blog, you can enter an email’s header, find out the IP address, and use it to collect information about the sender. However, it is important to approach this procedure with caution, understanding its restrictions, and respecting legal and social boundaries.
FAQs
- What information can people get from an IP address?
The information someone can get with your IP address is your basic geographic location, mainly your city or postal code.
- Can people get your IP address by opening an email?
Yes, people can get your IP address by opening an email and also the Operating System that you use and your location from your email.
- How to get information from an IP address?
A WHOIS lookup tool enables you to check the contact details connected with an IP address. For a safe, trusted way to look up an IP address, you can use the IP lookup tool.
- How to check a real email sender?
Check the message headers to explore the message’s real sender. Message headers are the component that comes before the body of a message.
