WTV ARCHIVES: MAIL TRICKS
Updated 12-1-99
This page, © 1999 ulTRAX@webtv.net.

NOTE: Tricks are presented chronologically... newest at bottom. Obsolete Tricks have Red Titles. The exception: all BOUNCE Methods, including the new § Bounce, are together.


META MAIL BOUNCE BLOCK: submitted by speed-exp
 Speed writes: "This was a pretty effective way to block an attempted bounced post or mail. Using a META tag written like this: META: http="refresh" content="0; By not defining an URL, the original page would just keep refreshing, and blocking the forward action. There was a way around it, but you had to be fast. You could also use JS to block the forwarding Mail action. I don't think either of these methods were or are well known."
NOSEND OVERRIDE:
Often there were HPs (or even WTV pages) that used the NOSEND Display Tag. One way around it was to manually open the SEND Panel using JS in the GoTo window.
javscript:window.open("Client:OpenSendPanel")
EZ MAIL BOUNCE: ?/Winter 98.
There once was a war between those who wanted to keep their Sig code secrets, and others wanting to see how something was done. I have no idea who discovered this trick. It simply allowed one to get another's mail/post code by including an open <plaintext> command at the end of their sig... and simply going to "forward" that letter. It was not necesssary to actually mail it... all the code would be visible at that point. This trick again works after the fall 98 FUNK upgrade. There is an expanded section on it here.
BLOCKING CODE READERS: Winter 98
There were several approaches used to block others from reading one's Sig code. The first approach simply blocked the use of a <plaintext> command by including in one's HTML Sig code. Soon people found there were other codes, such as <listing> and <xmp> that could be used. To block those codes, additional </listing> and commands had to be added.
None of the above code were of any use if one "bounced" a post, letting a remote mailserver disable the HTML code.
A second approach to blocking Code Readers was aimed at preventing posts from being bounced in the first place. WTV's DISPLAY TAGS such as NOSEND and NOOPTIONS prevented most (but not all) people from being able to bounce posts. These, at times annoying, DISPLAY TAGS no longer worked after the Summer 98 Upgrade... at least in mail. They still work in WTV pages.
MAIL2NEWS:
This is hardly a trick, just the well known method to post to NGs from mail. While this method has certainly been abused, it was of great benefit in the days before C&P to those who had mail files they wished to post. Unfortunately, this method is not always reliable.

mail2news-YYMMDD-alt.discuss.webtv.hacking@anon.lcs.mit.edu

Note: you must put the current date in the "YYMMDD" section... say, February 14 1999 = 990214. If you wish to cross-post, be sure to add a + sign between each NG name.

SET UP MAIL FORM: anonyman/May '98
This code must have been a variation of another code going around at the time. It set up a mailto form even though the original URL was for wtv-news.

<a: href="wtv-news:news?browse=alt.discuss.anonyman@webtv.net_">visit alt.discuss.anonyman@webtv.net</html>
NOSEND/NOSAVE OVER-RIDE: mattman69/Summer 98
This trick can be used to "send" to another (or yourself) those WTV pages using the "display nosend" tag.
1: While on the page you want send, go directly to a regular webpage that ordinarily could be sent.
2: While there, hit "send". The Send Panel will come up.
3: Then hit "send" twice in rapid succession.
4: Immediately hit "back". The Send Panel should come up on the page you want to save.
5: Choose and address and hit "Return".

This same method could be used to save those wtv pages that had the nosave display tag using the save panel rather than the send panel.


BOUNCING LETTERS
There are three main ways to bounce a post or letter. Which you use depends on what you wish to accomplish. Below I outline both methods and have bounced a short sample letter using both methods to illustrate what both does.


EZ MAIL BOUNCE 2: ?/November 99
This Bounce method is a variation of the old method. 1: Forward the letter or Post.
2: Hit Return TWICE.
3: In the Text Body of your letter type ATL+Z to get § (actually any ALT + alt character may work.)
4: Delete everything from the Subject Line.
5: C&P the § and the space below it to the Subject line of YOUR post.
6: Mail it to yourself. Results should be identical as with the old method below.

EZ MAIL BOUNCE: SuperSaint, Joe Keith, and Paul Ericson/Summer 98
As part of the Fall 99 server-side "upgrade", WNI disabled this method. Word is that in certain circumstances, the headers were revealing subsriber and user IDs and even for the first time the box's SSID#!!
This method (the Spam fighter's choice) may reveal the mail headers, but may not be helpful with all HTML code. It will reveal WTV URLs but often give you HTML "escaped characters", that is where a space between words is represented by "%20". This method is also not useful in getting the HTML code involving the letter itself.
1: Forward the letter or Post.
2: In the Text Body of your letter type ATL+Z to get § (actually any ALT + alt character may work.)
3: Hit return.
4: C&P the § and the space below it to the Subject line of YOUR post.
5 Mail it to yourself. You'll get something like this:

EXAMPLE
Message From: ulTRAX</B>@webtv.net (///\ ulTRÅX \\\/) Date: Tue, Feb 2, 1999, 9:31pm To: ulTRAX</B>@webtv.net Subject: § BOUNCE Message-ID: <16192-36B7B4F1-939@mailtod-171.iap.bryant.webtv.net> Content-Disposition: Inline Content-Type: Multipart/Mixed; Boundary=WebTV-Mail</B>-31440208-522 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7Bit MIME-Version: 1.0 (WebTV) --WebTV-Mail</B>-31440208-522 Content-Type: Text/Plain; Charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: Quoted-Printable =A7 --WebTV-Mail</B>-31440208-522 Content-Description: signature Content-Disposition: Inline Content-Type: Text/HTML; Charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7Bit <html><a href="http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2148062,00.html">WTV is Watching!!</a><br> --WebTV-Mail</B>-31440208-522 Content-Disposition: Inline Content-Type: Message/RFC822 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7Bit Received: from mailsorter-103-1.iap.bryant.webtv.net (209.240.198.104) by       postoffice-172.iap.bryant.webtv.net; Tue, 2 Feb 1999 18:27:59 -0800       (PST) Return-Path: <ulTRAX@webtv.net> Received: from mailtod-171.iap.bryant.webtv.net (mailtod-171.iap.bryant.webtv.net [209.240.199.81]) by mailsorter-103-1.iap.bryant.webtv.net (8.8.8/ms.gso.01Apr98) with ESMTP id SAA05829; Tue, 2 Feb 1999 18:27:59 -0800 (PST) Received: (from production@localhost) by mailtod-171.iap.bryant.webtv.net (8.8.8/mt.gso.26Feb98)       id SAA23006; Tue, 2 Feb 1999 18:27:59 -0800 (PST) X-WebTV-Signature: 1 ETAsAhRGJ2wkzelDKYgU6b+8Lts/FstFagIUe23PniuElD6LT9dioKf7EGlDneo= From: ulTRAX</B>@webtv.net (=?ISO-8859-1?Q?///=5C=5C_ulTR=C5X_=5C=5C=5C=5C=5C=5C/?=) Date: Tue, 2 Feb 1999 21:27:58 -0500 (EST) To: ulTRAX</B>@webtv.net (=?ISO-8859-1?Q?///=5C_ulTR=C5X_=5C=5C=5C/?=) Subject: TEST   [[[SUBJECT AREA]]] Message-ID: <16199-36B7B42E-280@mailtod-171.iap.bryant.webtv.net> In-Reply-To: ulTRAX</B>@webtv.net (=?ISO-8859-1?Q?///=5C=5C_ulTR=C5X_=5C=5C=5C=5C=5C=5C/?=)'s message of Tue, 2 Feb 1999 21:06:11 -0500 (EST) Content-Disposition: Inline Content-Type: Multipart/Mixed; Boundary=WebTV-Mail</B>-1329528755-147 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7Bit MIME-Version: 1.0 (WebTV) --WebTV-Mail</B>-1329528755-147 Content-Type: Text/HTML; Charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7Bit <html>[[[TEXT BODY AREA]]] <a href="wtv-flashrom:/willie">Willie</a><br> <a href="wtv-home:/home">Home</a><br> </html> --WebTV-Mail</B>-1329528755-147 Content-Description: signature Content-Disposition: Inline Content-Type: Text/HTML; Charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7Bit <html>[[[SIG AREA]]]<a href="http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2148062,00.html">WTV is Watching!!</a><br><a href="wtv-flashrom:/willie">Willie</a></html> --WebTV-Mail</B>-1329528755-147-- --WebTV-Mail</B>-31440208-522--


EZ BOUNCE METHOD 2:
This method once worked before the Summer 98 Upgrade.... and has seemed to have made a reapperance since the November 98 FUNK upgrade. If you want the HTML code for the entire letter itself... without the "HTML escaped characters" this method is preferable. Keep in mind this method will not reveal WTV codes.... except as "x-wtv-dummy-bad-link".
Simply put an "xmp" at the end of your sig. If you have none, be sure to include the tag. Then mail the letter to yourself.

EXAMPLE
Message From: ulTRAX</B>@webtv.net (///\ ulTRÅX \\\/) Date: Tue, Feb 2, 1999, 9:30pm To: ulTRAX</B>@webtv.net Subject: XMP BOUNCE WTV is Watching!! <p> <hr><br> <table cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0> <tr> <td valign=top !nowrap> From: <td> <td> <a href="mailto:ulTRAX@webtv.net">ulTRAX</B>@webtv.net</a> (///\\ ulTRÅX \\\\\\/) <tr> <td valign=top !nowrap> Date: <td><td> Tue, Feb 2, 1999, 9:27pm<font size=-1> </font> <tr> <td valign=top !nowrap> To: <td> <td> <a href="mailto:ulTRAX@webtv.net">ulTRAX</B>@webtv.net</a> (///\ ulTRÅX \\\/) <tr> <td valign=top !nowrap> Subject: <td> <td> TEST [[[SUBJECT AREA]]] </table> <p> [[[TEXT BODY AREA]]] <a href=x-wtv-dummy-bad-link:>Willie</a><br> <a href=x-wtv-dummy-bad-link:>Home</a><br> <p> [[[SIG AREA]]]<a href="http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2148062,00.html">WTV is Watching!!</a><br><a href=x-wtv-dummy-bad-link:>Willie</a> <p> </table> </BODY></html>

EZ BOUNCE METHOD 3: ?/June 99
When forwarding a letter or post add this code to the body of your letter:

<html><form><textarea width=1000 growable>
It will create a editable form containing the code of your sig and the forwarded letter. Being able to move the cursor to any point simplifies C&P but this method does not reveal mail headers.
MAIL ORIGINS:
Often you may get a letter that you suspect is a fake. How can you tell? It's best to bounce it using the ALT method outlined above. The letter below was seemingly sent from DEMO. If true that would be an accomplishment since WTV cut off DEMO's mail service in the Summer of 98. Here is the code. Note that it's true origins are not from a WTV mail server but from piper.hamline.edu. This letter is obviously from an idiot using a Fake Mailer.

Content-Disposition: Inline Content-Type: Message/RFC822 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7Bit Received: from mailsorter-101.iap.bryant.webtv.net (209.240.198.91) by       postoffice-172.iap.bryant.webtv.net; Thu, 4 Feb 1999 16:14:43 -0800       (PST) Return-Path: Received: from hamline.edu (piper.hamline.edu [138.192.2.101]) by       mailsorter-101.iap.bryant.webtv.net (8.8.8/ms.graham.14Aug97) with       ESMTP id QAA04850; Thu, 4 Feb 1999 16:14:42 -0800 (PST) Received: from www (www.hamline.edu [138.192.2.117]) by hamline.edu (8.8.8/8.8.8)       with SMTP id SAA23683 for <@piper.hamline.edu:Ultrax@webtv.net>;       Thu, 4 Feb 1999 18:14:44 -0600 (CST) Received: by www (940816.SGI.8.6.9/930416.SGI) for Ultrax@webtv.net id       SAA03275; Thu, 4 Feb 1999 18:10:06 -0600 Date: Thu, 4 Feb 1999 18:10:06 -0600 Message-Id: <199902050010.SAA03275@www> To: Ultrax@webtv.net
From: Demo@webtv.net
X-Sender: piper.hamline.edu Hey Ultrax its me XXXXX so u guys think i'm dumb? Notice that i'm sending e-mail to you guys and have no problem
--WebTV-Mail-83718777-439--

MAILTO LETTER SETUP CODE: ?/Summer98
This code can be use to not just access one's "write a letter" page, but have it preaddressed and with something in the subject area. Great alternative to prevent fraud in NG voting.

mailto:advotes@vote.munitions.com?subject=vote%20yes%20alt.discuss.webtv.hacking



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