$ Genuine USD$500 reward for *legal* Outlook 2003 / Outlook-Express ''hack''

[$ Reward]

= third revised repost - see notes at end =

Outlook Express and Outlook 2003 both now block <IMG SRC="http://..."> tags
inside HMTL emails (for privacy, to block "address verifiers"). They also
block a few other things - eg:-
style="background-imageurl:http://whatever...)"

I'll pay $500 (via PayPal or any reputable escrow service: your choice) to
the 1st person to find any way of devising an email that can make either of
these 2 programs "phone home" when an email is opened.

A) Outlook Express (with service pak two)
B) Outlook 2003 (with all current office updates applied)

It must be automatic (no action required by the recipient).

"phone home" means the recipient email program must originate, or cause to
originate, TCP or UDP traffic of any kind, on any port, to a server (which
must be specified by the sender).

Maybe there's an HTML tag that is immune to IE's
"restricted zone" (https:// could be? - TCP traffic ?

Maybe there's a header which Outlook2003 will use to attempt
do something (eg: resolve the domain of an email address to
an MX record (UDP traffic) or check some kind of signature
or hash in a header? It's got built-in junk-mail filtering
for example - does it look anything up when running its
filters?)

Maybe there's a protocol that it doesn't block?
telnet:// gopher:// mshtml:// ?????://

Maybe there's a MIME type that it parses automatically?
text/calendar ? application/powerpoint ? ???/???

Maybe you've got a better idea than my lame suggestions?!
If you're right, it's worth $500...

This is *not* related to bulk emailling, viruses, hacks, privacy invasions,
and does not violate any known laws anywhere in the world. If you're
pathologically incapable of understanding that sentence, do yourself a favor
and push the "del" key - I won't be reading any abuse anyone posts, and I
frankly couldn't care less if you automatically think all strangers are
liars.

My real email address: (e-mail address removed) - is also on this posting: so
that I can distinguish between you and the spammers, please put the number
500 someplace in your subject if you need to contact me. Check this thread
or ask me before starting - if I've posted a message saying it's done, the
cash has been paid out already :-(

All *constructive* questions, comments, hints, pointers, etc are welcomed -
reply to me or the group.

This is not impossible - I personally devised my own Outlook2003 solution
with some extreme lateral thinking: I doubt anyone else will copy my idea,
but I'll still pay out if by chance someone else finds this too.

Good luck, and if you sort it out - thanks in advance!!!

Note 1: This is a revised repost - search google groups for "legal hack" if
you want to see my old Nov2003 or May2004 postings.

Note 2: My Usenet server doesn't allow crossposting, so this is multiposted
to a few different relevant groups.

 

[I live on Outlook]

= third revised repost - see notes at end =

Outlook Express and Outlook 2003 both now block <IMG SRC="http://..."> tags
inside HMTL emails (for privacy, to block "address verifiers"). They also
block a few other things - eg:-
style="background-imageurl:http://whatever...)"

Probably for good reason.

I'll pay $500 (via PayPal or any reputable escrow service: your choice) to
the 1st person to find any way of devising an email that can make either of
these 2 programs "phone home" when an email is opened.

So users don't know that their privacy has been violated.

A) Outlook Express (with service pak two)
B) Outlook 2003 (with all current office updates applied)

It must be automatic (no action required by the recipient).

No opt-out? Is this legal? What is your business? harvesting legit
email addresses to sell to spammers?

"phone home" means the recipient email program must originate, or cause to
originate, TCP or UDP traffic of any kind, on any port, to a server (which
must be specified by the sender).

Maybe you've got a better idea than my lame suggestions?!
If you're right, it's worth $500...

And how much do you expect to make on this while further degrading the
useability of email and the Internet in general.

This is *not* related to bulk emailling, viruses, hacks, privacy invasions,
and does not violate any known laws anywhere in the world. If you're

Yeah. Why else would you need this capability? Or it is a "trade
secret?"

pathologically incapable of understanding that sentence, do yourself a favor

Au contraire. I do understand your intentions.

and push the "del" key - I won't be reading any abuse anyone posts, and I
frankly couldn't care less if you automatically think all strangers are
liars.

All *constructive* questions, comments, hints, pointers, etc are welcomed -
reply to me or the group.

Yeah. Find an honest way to make a living.