Ping: Brian Cryer (some extra history)

David Brooks

2021-08-03 11:52:26 UTC

I was always 'wondering' - even way back then!!

=

(This is a resurrection of a past query - to which no satisfactory
reply was received)
Can you help me to better understand Header information? When I
first came 'here' I had no knowledge of message 'Properties' at
all. I'm still a little 'in the dark'. I've tended, like I'm
confident most visitors do, to accept the 'Nick' of someone posting
to represent who they really are - *especially* if a well know
'helper' is involved.
I've also learned that an IP address is attributable to each and
every computer so I'm a little confused when I compare the header
information I show below. The poster seems to have two different IP
addresses 71.173.71.14 and also 24.115.13.114. Perhaps there is a
very simple reason for this.
I had hoped that someone would comment so that I might better
understand. Maybe simply say that one item was posted from home and
the other from a different computer at work.
However as 'PA Bear' has now blatantly lied about my history (I've
never been banned by any ISP) I now wonder if there is ...
a) someone masquerading as Robear Dyer or
b) something of the dark about him.
Comments welcomed (especially any from Peter Foldes - he *knows* it
can be done!)
Dave

<snipped>
Response by Shenan Stanley
http://www.google.com/search?q=how+to+read+email+headers
http://www.emailaddressmanager.com/tips/header.html
http://www.virtualchase.com/researchskills/quality_emailheader.html
http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=29436
Second, anyone can post from multiple IP addresses. Don't overthink.
If
someone was to use a laptop - they could post from possibly dozens (or
more)
different IP addresses throughout a normal day just by act of

travelling

and
using free internet access. If someone was a computer technician and
did
not work from a single location - again - very plausible they would

post

from various IPs. Even if they worked from a single location - it is
possible they could post from multiple IP addresses in a single day
(perhaps
they have two or more different ISPs, perhaps they just released their
internet assigned IP and grabbed a new one or used a different

computer

and
they get multiple IPs from my ISP, etc.) Are there more complicated
ways to
do it? Sure. Many times people travel and still post from the

same IP

because they remote into a central machine and do their work over a

secure connection that way - leaving all their data and such in the
secured/locked down physical location.
Third - you should know that anyone can be anyone, anywhere. It's

just

easier to be anyone here than it is face-to-face. It takes little
effort,
really. Someone changes their reply-to and posting name - they are

now

seen
as someone else at a casual glance. If the header exists and is
accurate
(and actually goes back as far as the original poster - it may not
depending
on the news server they used, etc) - then that is one way of

determining

more accurately that a person is the same person they have always

been;

however - as stated before - getting another IP address (even on the
same
machine) is a fairly easy process these days - so that is no guarantee
either.
Most of this you already know in a manner of speaking - because we all
know
you have several accounts you post from (you have said this yourself -
or
*have you*? Could we ever be sure?) - even in these newsgroups. I

have

seen you change names. No matter what, ~BD~ and BoaterDave are not

the

same
name - even if they are meant to be and are the same person behind the
curtain.
http://forums.techarena.in/security-home-users/1053152.htm
(BoaterDave, ~BD~ and imbeady2)

http://groups.google.com/group/microsoft.public.security.homeusers/br...

In that example alone - out of your (assumption on my part - although
you
state it is you in there somewhere with all the names) 20+r so

responses

in
that conversation, I count at least seven different 'google groups
profiles'

http://groups.google.com/groups/profile?enc_user=P1RbSBkAAACeRwrN9o3y...

Not quite as active - but still active profile (BoaterDave)

http://groups.google.com/groups/profile?enc_user=LEyReRgAAAB4ZB5JZSpj...

And the "imbeady2" 'nick' shows a different address each time - likely
because of how it was synchronized with the main post from a web

forum.

If you were to check out the headers on just your own messages - the
"NNTP-Posting-Host:" changes several times. It's all dependent on how
you
post, from where, etc.
Hope that helps explain a little better what is going on.
- Headers can give you more details about the path a message took and
more.
- Headers can give you very little actual information about the person
sending the message *if* that person is capable (of some computer

savvy

and/or just moving from place to place.)
- Therefore "nicks" (short for nickname) mean very little in an open
anonymous forum. Anyone can be anybody at surface level. If someone
chooses to take on the nick of someone who also uses multiple
computers/IPS
(moves around a lot) - it can be even more difficult to tell (although
if
one minute a post is leading back to Texas and the next - China...
Well -
no - it could still be just savvy - because a simple explanation could
be a
friend/business partner/business in one or the other and remote
desktop.)
--
Shenan Stanley
MS-MVP
--
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
Reference:-

http://groups.google.com/group/microsoft.public.security/browse_thread/thread/ffbb6754a5f49af4/830a821f9803f673?hl=en&q=Peter+Foldes&lnk=nl&
It seems as if I failed to thank you for your very helpful post, Shenan.
The information was very helpful. I duly apologise for not saying so before!
I trust life is treating you kindly! :)
--
Dave (in Devon)