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How does The Bat! block tracking pixels?, This claim is right at the front page "Best Secure Email Client"
 
How does The Bat! actually blocks malicious code and tracking pixels? Does anyone know? I am trying the current version (might update) and frankly I find no possibility to control which images are loaded when reading mail, neither find a possibility to block anti-tracking code by blacklisting or anything like that. Am I to take this statement at face value?

G
 
One thing that I know - all emails in the spam folders without images. And in preferences you can disable images for all emails or choose "automatically" to download.

I do prefer too - not download any images from unknown envoy, but AFAIK there is no such feature.
Модератор. Не являюсь сотрудником RitLabs (I'm not an employee of Ritlabs). https://belrus.biz/vendors/ritlabs.html
 
> One thing that I know - all emails in the spam folders without images.
Confirmed. That is very good. I never knew that!

With the loading of images I am confused. The claim “The Bat! blocks malicious code and ...” seems only valid if one doesn't use the HTML viewer. After you give HTML view a preference over plain text mode in the preferences the images are loaded. Even if I apply the option 'Get message header and textual parts' only on the Folder Properties level, this does not give me any protection against images, for the images are still loaded inside the HTML, even worse, while testing this option my anti-virus went of a dozen of times.

MAJOR EDIT: Took me several hours to find it, but there it is: this advanced looking "Image Download Manager" under Menu->Tools.
Edited: gk1er5 - 06 November 2020 23:32:57
 
I'm at loss. In the new 9.2.5 no trace of the Image Download Manager that I found in version 7.4.16. That would allow the blocking content from unknown sources.
Edited: gk1er5 - 06 November 2020 23:33:25
 
I found a post on the Image Download Manager from April 2020 Images no longer downloading

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Options | Preferences | Viewer/Editor | HTML Viewer | Download Embedded Images..
It is already set to "Always".  The drop down has 3 choices:  Always, Never and Configured (Reject Unknown).

If you select 'Configured' the Image Download Manager would be activate. In version 9.2.5 no option 'Configured (Reject Unknown)'.

Will it return?? I am sceptical whether the claim "The Bat! blocks malicious code and tracking pixels ..." holds if the Reject Unknown option for external media content is removed.
Edited: gk1er5 - 06 November 2020 23:37:08
 
Very little response here, unfortunately. Several of the active administrators and moderators are active TBBETA members, so the silence here is a little unsettling.

Anyway, to sum up what I believe is the current situation:
  1. The Image Download Manager is currently not available, for it does not work on the new Chromium HTML engine. The option to set the HTML Viewer - Download Embedded Images option to "Always" is something I would not recommend. Again in my understanding the claim "The Bat! blocks malicious code and tracking pixels ..." is not accurate.
  2. The Image Download Manager is due for an overhaul: Stefan Tanurkov via TBBETA
  3. I haven't found an indication when the Image Download Manager is reintroduced, from what I see the new dark interface (probably very cool!) has a higher priority
I misunderstood the formulation of 'Get Message header and Textual Parts' in the Folder Properties (the IMAP 'Download preferences'). I believed the Textual Parts meant no images. Maybe it is better to restate this to something like 'email body is downloaded, attachments are not'?

The implementation "all emails in the spam folders are without images." adds greatly to safety. Can I suggest offering the user the ability to define any folder as such a type of spam folder? I have email accounts with a spam folder defined by The Bat! and a spam folder created by my Provider. The spam recognition of my Provider works rather good, but that spam folder is not protected by this implementation "all emails in the spam folders are without images.". It should be.

I explore the new version, for imo business today requires HTML formatted email by default. So I welcome the new Chromium HTML engine, but to lower the shields? Without an indication for how long? I wouldn't update if my testing hadn't broken the GMAIL login of my version 7!

The Bat! is way overpriced anyway, and now I don't even know if my purchase will be valid for the version in which this Image Download Manager is restored...
 
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The Bat! and a spam folder created by my Provider. The spam recognition of my Provider works rather good, but that spam folder is not protected by this implementation "all emails in the spam folders are without images.". It should be.
Do filter rule to send all emails from your provider spam folder to TB! spam folder.
Next I do recommend to buy antispam plugin for TB! and do setup (send all spam from any boxes to one main spam folder, setup whitelist, etc). I do use by many years this plugin - http://antispamsniper.com/thebat_plugin.html

Sad, but true -  Right now in 9.2 TB! There is no options about downloading images. Write to support your wish.
Модератор. Не являюсь сотрудником RitLabs (I'm not an employee of Ritlabs). https://belrus.biz/vendors/ritlabs.html
 
Just for info....  the HTML viewer offers an option to manually download images and that lets the user decide for each incoming message. This has been available since 9.2.5.  
 
Hi George!
I have the antispam plugin for TB! installed.
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Do filter rule to send all emails from your provider spam folder to TB! spam folder.
I am not clever enough for this. The antispam plugin for TB! allows you to set a destination folder, but that moves the files on server level. That way I cannot set the TB! spam folder as destination. The antispam plugin creates a new spam folder on the server, and since I am on IMAP, the server then puts them right back in the server spam folder, creating a loop between the two mechanisms.

Filtering wasn't obvious to me, and unfortunately I can't get that to work, for I don't seen an option filtering on messages in a subfolder. Am I missing something?.

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Write to support your wish.
I actually wrote to Sales, asking if they can guarantee the introduction of an Image Download solution within the lifespan of the upgrade I am now buying (The Google mishap forces me to upgrade now)


Hi David!
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Just for info....  the HTML viewer offers an option to manually download images and that lets the user decide for each incoming message. This has been available since 9.2.5.
Yes, we are all aware of that, but I believe we can agree, and that include RITLABS, that the choice 'all' or 'none' is not good enough. It needs security levels. I really hope whitelisting is part of the solution developed, that should work with an 'block from unknown sources' option.
Edited: gk1er5 - 08 November 2020 16:41:44
 
I was say about spam folder on your hdd, without storing on imap server. Main spam folder for store all the spam from all boxes. That's how I do on my side.
Модератор. Не являюсь сотрудником RitLabs (I'm not an employee of Ritlabs). https://belrus.biz/vendors/ritlabs.html
 
Up. Support says few minutes ago that RitLabs plan to return such feature into TB! There is no any exact dates.
Модератор. Не являюсь сотрудником RitLabs (I'm not an employee of Ritlabs). https://belrus.biz/vendors/ritlabs.html
 
Quote
gk1er5 wrote:
How does The Bat! actually blocks malicious code and tracking pixels?

The HTML renderer in The Bat does not execute scripts.

If you allow The Bat to download external images, any such image can be used for tracking purposes. In that sense, there's nothing special about tracking pixels.

Hopefully once the transition to Chromium has been completed, the download manager will be reintroduced to offer you much more control over which images will be downloaded, and which ones will not. For now, if you want to load external images but not all of them, maybe you can use firewall software to restrict The Bat's internet access to certain allowed hosts.
I volunteer as a moderator to help keep the forum tidy. I do not work for Ritlabs SRL.
 
The image download manager is very important in order not to show the spammers that the mail has been viewed. In addition, you could only display the pictures if the sender was classified as known and reputable. I don't want to show a spammer that I have viewed his email.
The image download manager is a very important security tool and must be reinstalled.
That the HTML renderer does not execute any scripts is of course very good.
 
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Daniel van Rooijen wrote:
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If you allow The Bat to download external images, any such image can be used for tracking purposes. In that sense, there's nothing special about tracking pixels.
Would it not be possible to just block download of images that consist of just a single pixel?
 
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Nick Iredale wrote:
Would it not be possible to just block download of images that consist of just a single pixel?

No. To determine its pixel dimensions, you'd have to download and analyze the image file and that would give the owner of the server all the information that you were trying to keep from him. Besides, 1-pixel images can also be used for legitimate purposes.
I volunteer as a moderator to help keep the forum tidy. I do not work for Ritlabs SRL.
 
I erased my original message, for within two weeks a functional image download manager became implemented in version 9

With no news about an image download manager for the new version 10 I expressed strong disappointment of the image download manager silently removed from The Bat! some time ago, without being rebuild.
Edited: gk1er5 - 05 August 2021 23:27:10 (Image Download Manager in TB within 2 weeks after my expression of disappointment)
 
You are 100% right! Don't forget to write this directly to support by a ticket.
Модератор. Не являюсь сотрудником RitLabs (I'm not an employee of Ritlabs). https://belrus.biz/vendors/ritlabs.html
 
For those still with us, the just-released version v9.4.3 is said to include a new download manager:

https://www.ritlabs.com/en/products/thebat/revision-history/7633/
I volunteer as a moderator to help keep the forum tidy. I do not work for Ritlabs SRL.
 
Thanks Daniel, for sharing this information. It is functional!

If it does not appear to be functional, please review if under Options - Preferences - Viewer/Editor - HTML viewer the Download external media is set to 'Only explicitly allowed by rules'

:-)
 
I was say about spam folder on your hdd, without storing on imap server. Main spam folder for store all the spam from all boxes. That's how I  am doing it. techzpod mobdro download
Edited: cartlon flores - 02 April 2022 15:07:20
 
I got emails that look like this. Any way to block the red squares or just have them transparent?

https://i.imgur.com/qsigoBQ.png

Thunderbird renders the same email like this.  Much easier on the eyes.

https://i.imgur.com/oX2TteA.png

I don't recall v8 with the red squares like that.
 
Go to Options | Preferences and look under Viewer/Editor | HTML Viewer. Have you set 'Download External Media' to Manually?
I volunteer as a moderator to help keep the forum tidy. I do not work for Ritlabs SRL.
 
Yes, that's all disabled (no downloads of external media).

https://i.imgur.com/RlqMKAW.png
 
OK, so the red thumbnails are not downloaded from elsewhere. From the Thunderbird screenshot, it looks like they did not come included with (attached to) the message either, so there's probably something in the HTML source that cause The Bat's HTML-component to display them like that. Does this happen with a lot of mails or just those from this sender? I have no further suggestions at this time, maybe you should ask the developers if they have any (use the Support menu above).
I volunteer as a moderator to help keep the forum tidy. I do not work for Ritlabs SRL.
 
This happens with all senders that have html code for external assets (ie tracking).


How does your TB display such messages?  Or do you have it set to download all images?

Post a screen shot or imgurl image.  Thanks!
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