This guide explains how email extractors work and why canada phone number data your email address is targeted, how to secure your inbox, what to do if your email address is compromised, and how Proton Mail keeps you safe.
How an email extractor works
Also known as an email scraper or email grabber, an email extractor scans websites, forums, or social media profiles using crawlers or bots, which navigate through links to find and extract email addresses. These tools rely on patterns to identify valid addresses, often involving regular expressions to match the email format, such as [email protected] . Once an email address is found, it's added to a list. This information can then be sold on gray markets and used within sales teams or phishing campaigns.
Why your email address is valuable
When your email is harvested by an extractor, your inbox may flood with unwanted promotional emails, making it difficult to manage legitimate messages. Plus, cybercriminals may send fraudulent emails to steal personal or financial information. Malicious actors can use your email address to impersonate you or launch attacks on your contacts.
How to protect your inbox from an email extractor
Here's what you can do to keep your email safe from extractors:
Avoid publicly displaying your email address
Think twice before posting your email address publicly. If you need to share contact information, consider alternatives like private messaging or secure forms. If you must display your email, obfuscate it by writing as name [at] domain [dot] com to confuse bots.