Experts warn clicking "unsubscribe" on that boring email could actually be a security risk - here's why

Date:
Fri, 13 Jun 2025 18:37:00 +0000

Description:
What if the "unsubscribe" button was a trick to check if the email is active?

FULL STORY ======================================================================Research ers are warning about the "unsubscribe here" button in spam emails They can
be used to redirect victims to malicious pages There are other ways to get
rid of spam, so users should be on their guard

If you've received a spam email with an unsubscribe here button at the
bottom, dont press it - it could do more harm than good.

This is according to TK Keanini, CTO of DNSFilter, who recently revealed pressing such a button sends the recipient away from the safety of the email client and into the open internet, where potentially malicious landing pages are lurking.

In fact, Keanini claims that one in every 644 clicks can lead to a malicious website. How to unsubscribe, then?

Even if clicking the button doesnt lead directly to a phishing page, other, more subtle, risks, are lurking as well.

Keanini says that hackers would often place that button just to see who
clicks - which would also help them determine which email addresses are
active and thus worth targeting further.

The general rule of thumb seems to be - if you dont trust the company that sent the email, dont trust the unsubscribe process, either.

So, whats the alternative? The alternative is to unsubscribe through the
email client itself, rather than through the emails body.

Most email clients have list-unsubscribe headers, which appear as built-in buttons and thus dont include source code, Toms Guide explained. If your
email header doesnt contain a link, you can reply on your spam filters, or
try blacklisting the sender instead, the publication further explained.

Those who dont have these options can use disposable email addresses when signing up for different services. Most email service providers allow users
to create throwaway email addresses, as well. For example, Gmail has a
feature called plus addressing or Gmail aliases, which allow users to modify their address by adding a + and a tag before the @gmail.com address.

That way, the email address used during registration could be yourname+shopping@gmail.com. Messages will still arrive in the inbox, but
they can be easily tracked or filtered.

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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/pro/security/experts-warn-clicking-unsubscribe-on-th at-boring-email-could-actually-be-a-security-risk-heres-why


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