Webhooks

[Chris Chapman]

Having just watched the absolutely cringe-worthy video on webhooks.org, this is indeed what is going on. The service (such as mailchimp) tracks all the response information - bounces, opens, etc. Then it sends an http(s) post to your script on your server for various events. You set different URLs to receive post content for these events.

Chris Chapman
chapman at simplesrv.com


> On Jun 16, 2015, at 11:05 AM, Chris Chapman <chapman at simplesrv.com> wrote:
> 
> Hi Jerry - 
> 
> Without loading some sort of content from a webserver containing identifying information, such as a UUID, I don’t see how any other way web hooks could be implemented. Looking at the mailchimp api, it seems they are handling the web bug functionality internally in their application THEN transmitting the data to your script on a server somewhere. So essentially it’s the same thing, they are just acting as a middleman.
> 
> Now for tracking bounces, usually the return email is set to something like emailAddress+bounces at domain.com <mailto:emailAddress+bounces at domain.com> or uuid+bounces at domain.com <mailto:uuid+bounces at domain.com>.  These go into a bounces mailbox which is processed.  I assume this is how mailchimp handles it as well. Maybe not a mailbox per se but a process which accepts return mail headers.
> 
> Hope this helps.
> 
> Chris Chapman
> chapman at simplesrv.com <mailto:chapman at simplesrv.com>
> 
> 
>> On Jun 16, 2015, at 10:33 AM, Jerry Benton <jerry.benton at mailborder.com <mailto:jerry.benton at mailborder.com>> wrote:
>> 
>> What you are describing is a web bug, which is already covered in MailScanner. I am interested in webhooks, which appear to be a slightly different animal than a web bug, but at the same time almost identical in behavior. 
>> 
>> 
>> Jerry Benton
>> www.mailborder.com <http://www.mailborder.com/>
>> 
>> 
>> 
>>> On Jun 16, 2015, at 11:12 AM, Chris Chapman <chapman at simplesrv.com> wrote:
>>> 
>>> Normally, to implement a web hook to track if an email has been read, there is an embedded image in the email. The src url for that image contains a UUID (to anonymize the user). That URL points to a script on a server that does a database insert based on the UUID and returns headers which return an image file.
>>> 
>>> As for filtering, someone else will have to answer that.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Chris Chapman
>>> chapman at simplesrv.com
>>> 
>>> 
>>>> On Jun 16, 2015, at 10:09 AM, Jerry Benton <jerry.benton at mailborder.com> wrote:
>>>> 
>>>> I am interested in:
>>>> 
>>>> - how the mechanics of it work with the different techniques commonly in use
>>>> - identifying, removing or disarming via MailScanner
>>>> 
>>>> -
>>>> Jerry Benton
>>>> www.mailborder.com
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>>> On Jun 16, 2015, at 11:07 AM, Chris Chapman <chapman at simplesrv.com> wrote:
>>>>> 
>>>>> Are you asking how to implement them or how to remove them via MailScanner?
>>>>> 
>>>>> Chris Chapman
>>>>> chapman at simplesrv.com
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>>> On Jun 16, 2015, at 10:05 AM, Jerry Benton <jerry.benton at mailborder.com> wrote:
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Yes, for tracking. I am interested in how places like Mailchimp insert them and how these web hooks are reporting email reads, deletes, etc. Opening an email by default does not activate a web link in the email, but with web hooks that is somehow happening.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> -
>>>>>> Jerry Benton
>>>>>> www.mailborder.com
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> On Jun 16, 2015, at 10:59 AM, Remco Barendse <mailscanner at barendse.to> wrote:
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> You mean the tracking url's?
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> All web traffic is routed through a proxy here (no exceptions), i am using block lists to block the webhooks on proxy level and i regularly check the logs adding new domains to my block list.
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> On Mon, 15 Jun 2015, Jerry Benton wrote:
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> Has anyone tested or dealt with webhooks and MailScanner? There are some obvious privacy concerns with having them in email.
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> -
>>>>>>>> Jerry Benton
>>>>>>>> www.mailborder.com
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
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>>>>>> 
>>>>>> 
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>>>>> 
>>>>> 
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