{"id":1126,"date":"2024-11-09T09:03:39","date_gmt":"2024-11-09T09:03:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/?p=1126"},"modified":"2025-09-08T16:30:31","modified_gmt":"2025-09-08T16:30:31","slug":"footprinting-smtp-imap-pop3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/index.php\/2024\/11\/09\/footprinting-smtp-imap-pop3\/","title":{"rendered":"Footprinting &#8211; SMTP \/ IMAP \/ POP3"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"vce-row-container\" data-vce-boxed-width=\"true\"><div class=\"vce-row vce-row--col-gap-30 vce-row-equal-height vce-row-content--top\" id=\"el-6e6c1d7e\" data-vce-do-apply=\"all el-6e6c1d7e\"><div class=\"vce-row-content\" data-vce-element-content=\"true\"><div class=\"vce-col vce-col--md-auto vce-col--xs-1 vce-col--xs-last vce-col--xs-first vce-col--sm-last vce-col--sm-first vce-col--md-last vce-col--lg-last vce-col--xl-last vce-col--md-first vce-col--lg-first vce-col--xl-first\" id=\"el-0ded4576\"><div class=\"vce-col-inner\" data-vce-do-apply=\"border margin background  el-0ded4576\"><div class=\"vce-col-content\" data-vce-element-content=\"true\" data-vce-do-apply=\"padding el-0ded4576\"><div class=\"vce-text-block\"><div class=\"vce-text-block-wrapper vce\" id=\"el-a437af55\" data-vce-do-apply=\"all el-a437af55\"><h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #00ff00;\">(Insights from HTB Academy)<\/span><\/strong><\/h3><p>&nbsp;<\/p><p><strong>SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) remains a key protocol for sending emails and continues to be widely used across the internet today. Despite advancements in email systems, security measures, and communication technologies, SMTP is still the backbone of email transmission.<\/strong><\/p><p><strong>SMTP, IMAP, and POP3 are key protocols in the email ecosystem, each serving a distinct role. SMTP is responsible for sending emails from the client to the server or between servers. IMAP and POP3, on the other hand, are used for retrieving emails.<\/strong><\/p><p><strong>As email threats evolve, it is crucial to understand the vulnerabilities of SMTP and related protocols like IMAP and POP3. Whether you're a cybersecurity professional, an email system administrator, or someone passionate about email technologies, grasping how SMTP works is essential.<\/strong><\/p><p><strong>For a simplified explanation of these protocols, check out the reading link below for an easy-to-understand overview.<\/strong><\/p><p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/mailtrap.io\/blog\/smtp\/\">https:\/\/mailtrap.io\/blog\/smtp\/<\/a><\/strong><\/p><p><strong>I recently worked on an exercise from HTB (HackTheBox) where I explored footprinting SMTP servers. Here's a quick overview:<\/strong><\/p><p><span style=\"color: #00ff00;\"><strong>Ports :<\/strong><\/span><\/p><p><strong>&nbsp;SMTP: <span style=\"color: #00ff00;\">25<\/span> (unencrypted), <span style=\"color: #00ff00;\">587<\/span> (STARTTLS),<span style=\"color: #00ff00;\"> 465<\/span> (SMTPS)<\/strong><\/p><p><strong>&nbsp;IMAP: <span style=\"color: #00ff00;\">143<\/span> (unencrypted), <span style=\"color: #00ff00;\">993<\/span> (SSL\/TLS)<\/strong><\/p><p><strong>&nbsp;POP3: <span style=\"color: #00ff00;\">110<\/span> (unencrypted),<span style=\"color: #00ff00;\"> 995<\/span> (SSL\/TLS)<\/strong><\/p><p>In this lab, we are tasked with enumerating the SMTP service, capturing the banner, and identifying valid usernames on the system.<\/p><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vce-text-block\"><div class=\"vce-text-block-wrapper vce\" id=\"el-b5e18144\" data-vce-do-apply=\"all el-b5e18144\"><p><span style=\"color: #3366ff;\">Task 1:&nbsp; Find the username that exists on the system<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"color: #00ff00; font-size: 14pt;\">smtp-user-enum -M VRFY -U footprinting-wordlist.txt&nbsp; -t 10.129.87.166 -v -w20<\/span><\/p><ul><li><span style=\"color: #00ff00;\">-M VRFY:<\/span> Tells smtp-user-enum to use the VRFY command, which checks if a given email address or username exists on the server.<\/li><li><span style=\"color: #00ff00;\">-U footprinting-wordlist.txt:<\/span> Specifies the wordlist file (footprinting-wordlist.txt), which contains potential usernames to check against the SMTP server.<\/li><li><span style=\"color: #00ff00;\">-t 10.129.87.166:<\/span> Points to the target SMTP server (in this case, 10.129.87.166).<\/li><li><span style=\"color: #00ff00;\">-v:<\/span> Enables verbose output, which shows detailed progress of the command.<\/li><li><span style=\"color: #00ff00;\">-w 20:<\/span> Specifies the number of worker threads (20 in this case), which speeds up the enumeration process by running multiple checks simultaneously.<\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vce-single-image-container vce-single-image--align-left\"><div class=\"vce vce-single-image-wrapper\" id=\"el-436f6995\" data-vce-do-apply=\"all el-436f6995\"><figure><div class=\"vce-single-image-figure-inner\" style=\"width: 623px;\"><div class=\"vce-single-image-inner vce-single-image--absolute\" style=\"width: 100%; padding-bottom: 61.6372%;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"vce-single-image\"  width=\"623\" height=\"384\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/smtp1-e1730792106355-320x197.png 320w, https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/smtp1-e1730792106355-480x296.png 480w, https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/smtp1-e1730792106355-623x384.png 623w\" src=\"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/smtp1-e1730792106355-623x384.png\" data-img-src=\"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/smtp1-e1730792106355.png\" data-attachment-id=\"1131\"  alt=\"\" title=\"smtp1\" \/><\/div><\/div><figcaption hidden=\"\"><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vce-single-image-container vce-single-image--align-left\"><div class=\"vce vce-single-image-wrapper\" id=\"el-1160c188\" data-vce-do-apply=\"all el-1160c188\"><figure><div class=\"vce-single-image-figure-inner\" style=\"width: 624px;\"><div class=\"vce-single-image-inner vce-single-image--absolute\" style=\"width: 100%; padding-bottom: 45.8333%;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"vce-single-image\"  width=\"624\" height=\"286\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/smtp2-320x147.png 320w, https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/smtp2-480x220.png 480w, https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/smtp2-624x286.png 624w\" src=\"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/smtp2-624x286.png\" data-img-src=\"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/smtp2.png\" data-attachment-id=\"1132\"  alt=\"\" title=\"smtp2\" \/><\/div><\/div><figcaption hidden=\"\"><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vce-text-block\"><div class=\"vce-text-block-wrapper vce\" id=\"el-c0838501\" data-vce-do-apply=\"all el-c0838501\"><p><span style=\"color: #3366ff;\">Task 2: Enumerate the SMTP service and submit the banner<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"color: #00ff00;\">nmap -p 25 --script banner 10.129.221.184<\/span><\/p><ul><li><span style=\"color: #00ff00;\">-p 25:<\/span> This flag specifies that Nmap should scan port 25, which is the default port for SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol).<\/li><li><span style=\"color: #00ff00;\">--script banner:<\/span> The banner script tells Nmap to attempt to retrieve a service banner from the target system. A banner typically includes information such as the version of the service running on the specified port (in this case, SMTP).<\/li><li><span style=\"color: #00ff00;\">10.129.221.184:<\/span> This is the target IP address you\u2019re scanning. Replace it with the appropriate IP address of the system you are testing.<\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vce-single-image-container vce-single-image--align-left\"><div class=\"vce vce-single-image-wrapper\" id=\"el-fe8ad451\" data-vce-do-apply=\"all el-fe8ad451\"><figure><div class=\"vce-single-image-figure-inner\" style=\"width: 624px;\"><div class=\"vce-single-image-inner vce-single-image--absolute\" style=\"width: 100%; padding-bottom: 32.8526%;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"vce-single-image\"  width=\"624\" height=\"205\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/smtp3-e1730792797113-320x105.png 320w, https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/smtp3-e1730792797113-480x158.png 480w, https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/smtp3-e1730792797113-624x205.png 624w\" src=\"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/smtp3-e1730792797113-624x205.png\" data-img-src=\"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/smtp3-e1730792797113.png\" data-attachment-id=\"1138\"  alt=\"\" title=\"smtp3\" \/><\/div><\/div><figcaption hidden=\"\"><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vce vce-separator-container vce-separator--align-center vce-separator--style-solid\" id=\"el-9bc712a5\" data-vce-do-apply=\"margin el-9bc712a5\"><div class=\"vce-separator vce-separator--color-bfc0c1 vce-separator--width-60 vce-separator--thickness-1\" data-vce-do-apply=\"border padding background  el-9bc712a5\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vce-text-block\"><div class=\"vce-text-block-wrapper vce\" id=\"el-0f45a5be\" data-vce-do-apply=\"all el-0f45a5be\"><h1 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #00ff00; font-size: 16pt;\">IMAP \/ POP3<\/span><\/h1><p>&nbsp;<\/p><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vce-text-block\"><div class=\"vce-text-block-wrapper vce\" id=\"el-0adc3a83\" data-vce-do-apply=\"all el-0adc3a83\"><p><span style=\"color: #3366ff;\">Task 3: &nbsp;Try to &nbsp;enumerate &amp; access the emails on the IMAP server.<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vce-text-block\"><div class=\"vce-text-block-wrapper vce\" id=\"el-c81628ab\" data-vce-do-apply=\"all el-c81628ab\"><ol><li>Scan for Services using Nmap<p><span style=\"color: #00ff00;\">sudo nmap 10.129.221.184 -sV -p110,143,993,995 -sC<\/span><\/p><\/li><\/ol><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vce-single-image-container vce-single-image--align-left\"><div class=\"vce vce-single-image-wrapper\" id=\"el-d7c0af61\" data-vce-do-apply=\"all el-d7c0af61\"><figure><div class=\"vce-single-image-figure-inner\" style=\"width: 973px;\"><div class=\"vce-single-image-inner vce-single-image--absolute\" style=\"width: 100%; padding-bottom: 59.4039%;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"vce-single-image\"  width=\"973\" height=\"578\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/imap1-320x190.jpg 320w, https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/imap1-480x285.jpg 480w, https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/imap1-800x475.jpg 800w, https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/imap1-973x578.jpg 973w\" src=\"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/imap1-973x578.jpg\" data-img-src=\"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/imap1.jpg\" data-attachment-id=\"1142\"  alt=\"\" title=\"imap1\" \/><\/div><\/div><figcaption hidden=\"\"><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vce-text-block\"><div class=\"vce-text-block-wrapper vce\" id=\"el-51b8a42e\" data-vce-do-apply=\"all el-51b8a42e\"><p><span style=\"color: #00ff00;\">2.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span> Try to connect to the IMAP Server<\/p><p>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<span style=\"color: #00ff00;\">openssl s_client -connect 10.129.221.184:993<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vce-single-image-container vce-single-image--align-left\"><div class=\"vce vce-single-image-wrapper\" id=\"el-50c7d720\" data-vce-do-apply=\"all el-50c7d720\"><figure><div class=\"vce-single-image-figure-inner\" style=\"width: 975px;\"><div class=\"vce-single-image-inner vce-single-image--absolute\" style=\"width: 100%; padding-bottom: 39.0769%;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"vce-single-image\"  width=\"975\" height=\"381\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/imap2-3-320x125.png 320w, https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/imap2-3-480x188.png 480w, https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/imap2-3-800x313.png 800w, https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/imap2-3-975x381.png 975w\" src=\"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/imap2-3-975x381.png\" data-img-src=\"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/imap2-3.png\" data-attachment-id=\"1147\"  alt=\"\" title=\"imap2\" \/><\/div><\/div><figcaption hidden=\"\"><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vce-text-block\"><div class=\"vce-text-block-wrapper vce\" id=\"el-d5217b59\" data-vce-do-apply=\"all el-d5217b59\"><p>3. Log in to the server using the account found in the earlier smtp-user-enum scan: Username: robin, Password: robin.<\/p><p><span style=\"color: #00ff00;\">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; a001 LOGIN robin robin<\/span><\/p><ul><li>a001: This is the tag for the request. It is used to identify the particular command in the response from the server.<\/li><li>LOGIN: This is the IMAP command to authenticate the user.<\/li><li>robin: The first occurrence of \"robin\" is the username.<\/li><li>robin: The second occurrence is the password.<\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vce-raw-html\"><div class=\"vce-raw-html-wrapper\" id=\"el-0db69a6d\" data-vce-do-apply=\"all el-0db69a6d\"><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1499161372675368\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block\" data-ad-format=\"fluid\" data-ad-layout-key=\"-c2+73+2h-1m-4u\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1499161372675368\" data-ad-slot=\"8728040126\"><\/ins>\n<script>\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vce-text-block\"><div class=\"vce-text-block-wrapper vce\" id=\"el-f4cd6447\" data-vce-do-apply=\"all el-f4cd6447\"><p>4. List Mailboxes:<\/p><p><span style=\"color: #00ff00;\">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;a002 LIST \"\" \"*\"<\/span><\/p><ul><li><strong>LIST<\/strong>: This is the IMAP command to list mailboxes. It tells the server to return a list of mailboxes available for the authenticated user.<\/li><li><strong>\"\"<\/strong>: The first parameter is the \"reference name.\" It is typically used for hierarchical mailbox structures. An empty string (<code>\"\"<\/code>) here means the command is not restricted to any specific hierarchy.<\/li><li><strong>\"*\"<\/strong>: The second parameter is the \"mailbox pattern.\" The asterisk (<code>*<\/code>) is a wildcard character, meaning \"match all mailboxes.\"<\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vce-text-block\"><div class=\"vce-text-block-wrapper vce\" id=\"el-31006f79\" data-vce-do-apply=\"all el-31006f79\"><p>5.&nbsp; Select the Mailbox<\/p><p>&nbsp; &nbsp;<span style=\"color: #00ff00;\"> &nbsp;a004 SELECT \"DEV.DEPARTMENT.INT\"<\/span><\/p><ul><li><strong>SELECT<\/strong>: The <code>SELECT<\/code> command is used to select a mailbox (folder) for operations like fetching, searching, or modifying messages within that mailbox. Once a mailbox is selected, other IMAP operations are performed in the context of that mailbox.<\/li><li><strong>\"DEV.DEPARTMENT.INT\"<\/strong>: This is the name of the mailbox to be selected. The mailbox is specified using its full name. In this case, the mailbox is a nested folder structure, likely representing a hierarchy of folders under <code>DEV.DEPARTMENT.INT<\/code>.<\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vce-text-block\"><div class=\"vce-text-block-wrapper vce\" id=\"el-6d16cbfb\" data-vce-do-apply=\"all el-6d16cbfb\"><p>6.&nbsp;Search for Emails<\/p><p><span style=\"color: #ffff00;\">&nbsp; &nbsp;<span style=\"color: #00ff00;\"> a006 SEARCH ALL<\/span><\/span><\/p><ul><li><strong>SEARCH<\/strong>: This command is used to search for messages that match certain criteria. In this case, there is no specific criterion, so it will search for all messages.<\/li><li><strong>ALL<\/strong>: This is the search criterion. When the <code>ALL<\/code> keyword is used, it instructs the server to return all messages in the selected mailbox.<\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vce-text-block\"><div class=\"vce-text-block-wrapper vce\" id=\"el-d3076efd\" data-vce-do-apply=\"all el-d3076efd\"><p>7.&nbsp;a007 FETCH 1 (RFC822)<\/p><p><span style=\"color: #00ff00;\">&nbsp; &nbsp; a007 FETCH 1 (RFC822)<\/span><\/p><ul><li><strong>FETCH<\/strong>: This command is used to retrieve specific message data from the mail server.<\/li><li><strong>1<\/strong>: This specifies the message ID or UID (in this case, message number 1). The message ID is used to select which message to retrieve.<\/li><li><strong>(RFC822)<\/strong>: This indicates that the server should return the message in the format defined by the RFC 822 standard, which is the email message format used for headers and body content.<\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vce-text-block\"><div class=\"vce-text-block-wrapper vce\" id=\"el-f044843e\" data-vce-do-apply=\"all el-f044843e\"><p><span style=\"color: #00ff00;\"><em>*Please refer to the image below, which illustrates the steps commands from 3 to 7<\/em><\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vce-single-image-container vce-single-image--align-left\"><div class=\"vce vce-single-image-wrapper\" id=\"el-89652a18\" data-vce-do-apply=\"all el-89652a18\"><figure><div class=\"vce-single-image-figure-inner\" style=\"width: 975px;\"><div class=\"vce-single-image-inner vce-single-image--absolute\" style=\"width: 100%; padding-bottom: 30.4615%;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"vce-single-image\"  width=\"975\" height=\"297\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/imap-320x97.jpg 320w, https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/imap-480x146.jpg 480w, https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/imap-800x244.jpg 800w, https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/imap-975x297.jpg 975w\" src=\"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/imap-975x297.jpg\" data-img-src=\"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/imap.jpg\" data-attachment-id=\"1153\"  alt=\"\" title=\"imap\" \/><\/div><\/div><figcaption hidden=\"\"><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vce-text-block\"><div class=\"vce-text-block-wrapper vce\" id=\"el-4b242bb8\" data-vce-do-apply=\"all el-4b242bb8\"><p><span style=\"color: #00ff00;\">*** Email retrieve from the server ***<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vce-single-image-container vce-single-image--align-left\"><div class=\"vce vce-single-image-wrapper\" id=\"el-cf87858d\" data-vce-do-apply=\"all el-cf87858d\"><figure><div class=\"vce-single-image-figure-inner\" style=\"width: 975px;\"><div class=\"vce-single-image-inner vce-single-image--absolute\" style=\"width: 100%; padding-bottom: 16.3077%;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"vce-single-image\"  width=\"975\" height=\"159\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/imap7-e1731478396160-320x52.png 320w, https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/imap7-e1731478396160-480x78.png 480w, https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/imap7-e1731478396160-800x130.png 800w, https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/imap7-e1731478396160-975x159.png 975w\" src=\"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/imap7-e1731478396160-975x159.png\" data-img-src=\"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/imap7-e1731478396160.png\" data-attachment-id=\"1154\"  alt=\"\" title=\"imap7\" \/><\/div><\/div><figcaption hidden=\"\"><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vce-text-block\"><div class=\"vce-text-block-wrapper vce\" id=\"el-7dd44182\" data-vce-do-apply=\"all el-7dd44182\"><p><span style=\"color: #00ff00;\">\ud83d\udddd\ufe0f Key lessons learned and concepts on SMTP, IMAP, and POP3:<\/span><\/p><p>First, we covered the basics and the ports used by the SMTP ,IMAP &amp; POP3.&nbsp; Second, the importance of configuring strong passwords cannot be overstated as this lab demonstrated that the same username and password. Finally, we must consider how to protect systems against enumeration and scanning techniques. See the links below for guidance on securing Postfix.\"<\/p><p><a href=\"https:\/\/security-24-7.com\/hardening-guide-for-postfix-2-x\">https:\/\/security-24-7.com\/hardening-guide-for-postfix-2-x<\/a><\/p><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ninjaone.com\/blog\/email-server-security-best-practices\">https:\/\/www.ninjaone.com\/blog\/email-server-security-best-practices<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vce-text-block\"><div class=\"vce-text-block-wrapper vce\" id=\"el-36c6c64e\" data-vce-do-apply=\"all el-36c6c64e\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vce vce-separator-container vce-separator--align-center vce-separator--style-solid\" id=\"el-1e35574c\" data-vce-do-apply=\"margin el-1e35574c\"><div class=\"vce-separator vce-separator--color-bfc0c1 vce-separator--width-60 vce-separator--thickness-1\" data-vce-do-apply=\"border padding background  el-1e35574c\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vce-text-block\"><div class=\"vce-text-block-wrapper vce\" id=\"el-da9c39cd\" data-vce-do-apply=\"all el-da9c39cd\"><p style=\"text-align: center;\">Want to learn more and gain hands-on experience? Sign up with HTB Academy by clicking the link below<\/p><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vce-button--style-basic-container vce-button--style-basic-container--align-center\"><span class=\"vce-button--style-basic-wrapper vce\" id=\"el-d43882df\" data-vce-do-apply=\"margin el-d43882df\"><a class=\"vce-button vce-button--style-basic vce-button--style-basic--border-rounded vce-button--style-basic--size-medium vce-button--style-basic--color-b-138-198-10--fff\" href=\"https:\/\/hacktheboxltd.sjv.io\/19DPP6\" title=\"\" data-vce-do-apply=\"padding border background  el-d43882df\">JOIN NOW<\/a><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>(Insights from HTB Academy)&nbsp;SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) remains a key protocol for sending emails and continues to be widely used across the internet today. Despite advancements in email systems, security measures, and communication technologies, SMTP is still the backbone of email transmission.SMTP, IMAP, and POP3 are key protocols in the email ecosystem, each serving [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2022,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-container-style":"default","site-container-layout":"default","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-transparent-header":"default","prose-style":"enable","disable-article-header":"default","disable-site-header":"default","disable-site-footer":"default","disable-content-area-spacing":"default","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1126","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-footprinting"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1126","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1126"}],"version-history":[{"count":32,"href":"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1126\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2071,"href":"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1126\/revisions\/2071"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2022"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1126"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1126"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1126"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}