Instant messengers have always dominated when it comes to informal correspondence with family and friends. But when it comes to business, email still reigns supreme. Easy access tocontemporary Android smartphonesand tablets means you can receive them anytime.
It’s also likely that you havemultiple email clientsinstalled. But have you ever wondered who sent you a particular email? Perhaps you’re on the fence about that one email you received and want to verify it. Or maybe you want to try your hand at open source intelligence.
Whatever the case, we give you some pointers on how to find the sender’s IP address and then trace it back to its source.
How to find the IP address via a header
Every email you send or receive contains a header. This includes relevant information about the message, such as the time it was received and the sender’s email address. But to find the sender’s IP address, you’ll need to access a more detailed part of the header.
This varies from client to client. Some let you view it from the app, while others need you to use the web version. For example, Gmail requires you to access the web version of the email, while Protonmail lets you access either. We’ll look at some of the more popular email clients for this.
Protonmail
In all cases, you’re looking for the firstReceivedline and the IP address contained within it. Most email services follow the same pattern for accessing the header. Follow this pattern, and you’ll find the header regardless of which email service you use.
If you followed the steps outlined above, supposedly, you have access to the sender’s IP address. How do you trace its location?
How to find the origin of an IP address?
When you have the header information, you’ll need a third-party service to decipher it.
Paste the copied IP address into the latter, and it displays relevant information, including the origin country and approximate location.
In the example above, the service accurately determined the source of the IP address based on an email received from Google.
Tracing an IP address is not as straightforward as it seems
While it’s not difficult to trace someone’s IP address, it’s subject to many variables. For example, if your target is using a VPN to mask their location, most methods won’t work.
