Can email spammers disguise the origin of their messages?

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SUMMARY

Email spammers can indeed alter email headers, making it difficult to trace the origin of their messages back to the internet service provider (ISP) and mail server. Reputable ISPs may face temporary blocks due to spam complaints, as indicated by Yahoo's guidelines. Other email providers, including Google, implement measures such as Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance (DMARC) to combat email spoofing and forging. The ongoing battle between cyber attackers and defenders highlights the persistent challenges in preventing email fraud.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of email header structure and analysis
  • Familiarity with DMARC implementation and configuration
  • Knowledge of email spoofing and forging concepts
  • Awareness of ISP policies regarding spam complaints
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the implementation of DMARC in email systems
  • Learn about email header analysis tools and techniques
  • Explore anti-spam measures used by various email providers
  • Study the legal implications of email spoofing and cyber fraud
USEFUL FOR

This discussion is beneficial for cybersecurity professionals, email system administrators, and anyone involved in combating email spam and fraud.

Stephen Tashi
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TL;DR
Can email spammers alter email headers to forge the ISP originating their spam messages?
Can email spammers alter email headers so that we can't find out which internet service provider and mail server originates their messages?

Sometimes emails sent from a reputable ISP get temporarily blocked by some servers due to complaints about spam originating from the ISP. The sender is referred to https://help.yahoo.com/kb/postmaster/SLN3434.html?guccounter=1

Do email providers other than Yahoo do such blocking? Have spammers devised ways to get around such blocking?
 
Computer science news on Phys.org
https://gbhackers.com/email-header-analysis/
https://support.google.com/mail/answer/50200?hl=en
Google gmail seems to define spoofing email as dealing with mail falsely appearing to come from you. For incoming email, they call it forging:

https://support.google.com/a/answer/2466580?hl=en
Gmail supports Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance (DMARC) as a way to prevent this type of spam.

The war between cyber attackers and cyber defenders is endless. Compare it with the war to stop money theft and fraud. Thousands of years of human experience has not produced a foolproof way of preventing that.
 

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