How to Interpret E-Mail Headers

When should you report a computer violation to StopIt?

Full headers can provide information about who sent a message, from what service provider, and the path the message took to get to you. It is important to include the full headers (rather than just the default display header) with any e-mail message forwarded to the StopIT address (abuse@gmu.edu). The following illustrates the difference between the default display header and the full header.

• Default display header
  
  Subject: Topic of Message is inserted here
  Date: Wed, 02 Jul 2003 14:06:06 -0400
  From: Someuser@domain.name
  Reply-To: recipient@domain.name <recipient@domain.name>
  To: recipient@domain.name


• Full header
  
  Return-path: <service@paypal.com>
  Received: from mail01.gmu.edu (mail01 [129.174.0.111])
  by mserver2.gmu.edu (iPlanet Messaging Server 5.2 Patch 1 (built Aug 19 2002))
  with ESMTP id <0HGJ0029SSKOPB@mserver2.gmu.edu> for username@ims-ms-daemon
  (ORCPT username@mail.gmu.edu); Sun, 15 Jun 2003 20:12:24 -0400 (EDT)
  Received: from portal.gmu.edu (portalmemo.gmu.edu [129.174.0.118])
  by mail01.gmu.edu (iPlanet Messaging Server 5.2 Patch 1 (built Aug 19 2002))
  with ESMTP id <0HGJ00279SKNWP@mail01.gmu.edu> for username@mail.gmu.edu
  (ORCPT username@mail.gmu.edu); Sun, 15 Jun 2003 20:12:23 -0400 (EDT)
  Received: from mx-c.gmu.edu (mx-c.gmu.edu [129.174.0.121])
  by portal.gmu.edu (8.8.8/8.8.8) with SMTP id UAA06931 for <username@gmu.edu>;
  Sun, 15 Jun 2003 20:12:23 -0400 (EDT)
  Received: from ool-44c283ec.dyn.optonline.net(68.194.131.236)
  by mx-c.gmu.edu via csmap         id 4939; Sun, 15 Jun 2003 20:09:53 -0400 (EDT)
  Date: Sun, 15 Jun 2003 23:18:54 +0000
  From: Service <service@paypal.com>
  Subject: Paypal Security Measures
  In-reply-to: <HI5C7EACB3EDLG22@gmu.edu>
  To: Username <username@gmu.edu>
  Message-id: <2501IJ266AGJKAHE@paypal.com>
  MIME-version: 1.0
  Content-type: text/html; charset=Windows-1251
  Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT
  References: <HI5C7EACB3EDLG22@gmu.edu>