During an incident response, you view the complete header of a suspicious email to determine where it originated. Which header line should you examine first to learn the IP address of the host that initially injected the message into the SMTP delivery chain?
The "Message-ID:" header field
The "Subject:" header line
The earliest (bottom-most) "Received:" header entry
Each mail transfer agent (MTA) that handles a message prepends its own "Received:" line to the top of the header. Therefore, the earliest or bottom-most "Received:" entry was written by the first server that accepted the message and normally records the client's IP address. Examining this line is the standard first step in email footprinting when you need to identify the sender's true source. Other headers are less reliable: "Subject:" holds user-supplied text, "Message-ID:" is generated by the sender's MUA and need not contain an IP, and "DKIM-Signature:" provides integrity for specific header fields but does not necessarily list the originating IP.
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What is the purpose of the 'Received:' header in an email?
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What role do MTAs play in the SMTP delivery chain?
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How does the 'DKIM-Signature' header ensure email integrity?
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What is an MTA in email headers?
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Why is the earliest 'Received:' header in an email important?
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What is the role of the DKIM-Signature header in an email?
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