How they can track you with the pixel technique and email
When browsing the Internet, our data can be compromised in
many ways. We can be victims of attacks, theft of information with false
programs, fraud of all kinds ... In this item, we will talk about something
relatively common that affects users when using email. We are going to explain
the pixel tracking technique by email.
Data tracking via pixels by mail
Receiving spam emails is very common. Promotional emails often reach all of us and end up in our spam folder. Sometimes these are just annoying ads, but other times they can be a real danger and hackers can use them to infiltrate malware or steal information.
In this sense, cybercriminals make extensive use of the pixel tracking method. Basically, these are tiny images, just one pixel, capable of receiving personal data, knowing if we have opened an email, etc. This is used by attackers to create our profile and even spam us or even list us for phishing attacks. and the like.
The tracking or tracking pixel can go unnoticed by the user. We open the email and we don't really see if there is such a small image. It is not something as obvious as a large file, a link in the text, etc.
The images are also usually transparent. So we are faced
with a small 1px file inserted into an email and it usually uses JPG, GIF or
PNG format. These are the three most common image formats.
How the tracking pixel works
How does the tracking pixel work? After the sender of this email has inserted it into the header or footer, when the user opens this email, it automatically sends information through this pixel. In principle, you know if you have opened it or not.
Through this, they can find out how many people opened an email in a marketing campaign, as well as obtain more personal data such as the email provider we use, if there is indeed an active user behind that account, our name, etc. our IP address is, and so we know where we are.
Now, in addition to serving as a method of obtaining information for marketing or even sending spam, it also serves cybercriminals to obtain data. You can collect information from the network to which we are connected, know our data to send more personalized phishing attacks, etc.
However, we should note that more and more email providers are using techniques to block these pixels. They did not open automatically with email access, making it difficult for attackers to send information.
We must always recognize fake emails before falling for traps like the one we see with pixels. It is important to know if we are faced with an email that could steal our data or serve as an entry point for attackers.
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