Comments for Why are some pictures blocked in email, and how do I stop that?

Comment from Ziggie on 2008-08-29

2008-08-29T19:30:55Z

Leo, ever since you started responding in the original comments, I don't see your responses in the comment RSS feeds.

Not a big deal, I guess, but I miss seeing your responses...

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A comment on: Why are some pictures blocked in email, and how do I stop that?

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Comment from Roger on 2008-08-29

2008-08-29T12:58:06Z

Another issue is that many newsletters and other subscribed materail opens within the email. The images have to be unblocked to read the issue; this sort of defeats the entire blocking of images, doesn't it?

Not really. That's why most email programs will often let you configure them to automatically display images from email addresses in your address book (i.e. people you trust), or keep a separate white-list of addresses that you've said are ok to display images.

-Leo

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Comment from Eugene Lee on 2008-08-26

2008-08-26T14:40:34Z

The Real Deal with Pictures and E Mail and attachments:

Think...........The Pictures ARE the(E) Mail. It's hateful to need to punch up something else to get a look.

Example from two days ago:

Option A

My son sends a picture of my Grandson playing baseball. It comes up instantly when I open the E Mail (Outlook Express). Dates and info are readable alongside the photo. Nice.

Option B

If the picture is an attachment, I need to double click the attachment which then can be opened in some other program....I use Adobe and Windows Fax and Picture viewer. OK, it works but tedious.
And notes or titles for the photos cannot be viewed with the photos. Awkward.

I hope that you are still reading.

Security with Outlook Express:

My settings cause the only the E Mail Headers to be display, no preview pane. I can eyeball scan the list and eliminate Spam or things I just don't want, based on the sender name and Subject.

Anyway, my question, I hope you are still reading, is whether setting OE to put up titles only, does this avoid Spam and Virus type issues ??

Thank you Leo, I am a faithful reader.
I will gratefully open whatever you send.

Gene Lee, aka Tennisyoda

It depends on how absolutely positive you are that you will always be 100% right in determining which messages are legitimate from the information you allow to be shown. If you're certain you can be perfect, then without a preview pane you can allow images to be displayed by default when you open only those messages you know are legitimate.
My concern is the ability to be perfect. Heck, I've come close to falling for a phishing scam - they're getting very good. And that's after looking at the body of the message, not just the "from" and subject lines you see in the message listing.
There are two risks:
1) Malicious images included with the email (as attachments, or even those in the message body) could, potentially, exploit vulnerabilities on unpatched systems, or exploit newly discovered vulnerabilities. This is probably the less frequent case.
2) Images that appear within the email, but are hosted elsewhere (i.e. the image is not carried with the email, but referenced from a web site) when displayed acts as a beacon that the sender can use to know that the email was opened. Spammers use this to validate email addresses, and thereafter send more spam to known legitimate addresses. This is extremely common.
Ultimately it's up to you of course, but the extra click, the extra tedium is for your protection.
And it's how I operate myself - gladly.
-Leo

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Comment from Jill J Simandl on 2008-08-26

2008-08-26T14:20:44Z

I make jewlery and I would like a easy program for pictures. I tried photo shop but I need to keep them organized. Something I can catalog them in. Can you help me. The easyer the better.Pictures can be like 1 inch by 1 inch so it could even be a spread sheet. Please help.
Thank you

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A comment on: Why are some pictures blocked in email, and how do I stop that?

Tech Questions? Get Answers! - Ask Leo! ... by Leo Notenboom
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