backdating e-mails

[Popinjay]

is this possible? and how!

[jason_t]

No.

[NLSoldier]

haha do you have an assignment or something thats overdue that you were supposed to email?

[Catch of the Day]

It's nigh impossible...Just mannufacture a plausible 'story' about the network server being down, or your computer crashing.
If this is for an assignment, just be creative...

Catch-

[PoBoy321]

I suppose you could try resetting the BIOS clock on the e-mail server. But of course, that would require you to physically go to the server, shut it down, restart it, access the BIOS, change the time, send the e-mail, go back and then reset the BIOS clock.

Otherwise, no.

[jason_t]

[ QUOTE ]
I suppose you could try resetting the BIOS clock on the e-mail server. But of course, that would require you to physically go to the server, shut it down, restart it, access the BIOS, change the time, send the e-mail, go back and then reset the BIOS clock.

Otherwise, no.

[/ QUOTE ]

This doesn't work. Every server that the email passes through during delivery on the internet will mark it with the servers own timestamp. That's why it is impossible.

[PoBoy321]

Well then, could you change the BIOS times on both the sending server and receiving server?

Maybe you could just make a time machine. Go ask John Titor, I hear he'll hook you up.

[jason_t]

[ QUOTE ]
Well then, could you change the BIOS times on both the sending server and receiving server?

Maybe you could just make a time machine. Go ask John Titor, I hear he'll hook you up.

[/ QUOTE ]

There are intermediate servers that handle the message. It just can't be done.

[PoBoy321]

OK, now obviously, he doesn't have a chance of backdating an e-mail, so I'm just curious. If it's sent through multiple servers, and each has a different timestamp, which one does the final e-mail message come out with?

[jason_t]

[ QUOTE ]
OK, now obviously, he doesn't have a chance of backdating an e-mail, so I'm just curious. If it's sent through multiple servers, and each has a different timestamp, which one does the final e-mail message come out with?

[/ QUOTE ]

The one that you see in your mail client is the one from the sending server. But anyone suspicious that the email timestamp has been forged can check all the other servers timestamps in the email header.

[Pinga]

The date you see comes from the original person sending the mail. It can be falsified.

Hovever, each processor adds it's own 'received' line to your mail. Someone can see the date mismatch. Here is a test, I set my clock back 2 days:

Subject: test
From: x <x@adelphia.net>
Date: Wed, 04 May 2005 06:21:49 -0400
To: pinga@adelphia.net
Received: from [192.168.x.x] (really [67.21.x.x]) by mta9.adelphia.net (...) with ESMTP id <...>; Fri, 6 May 2005 06:21:49 -0400
Message-ID:

A good forgery would have a 'received' line added saying it was received soon after the false date.

For the OP, the most believable thing is to send your email to a bad address. Doctor up the rejection message. Forward this to the proper person saying "I goofed up your address when I sent this".