Highwinds inserts a long encrypted text string into the "path" field of every post's info header, and this encrypted text string was rumored to contain the poster's user-ID and possibly IP address. Since this text string was the same for every post made on a particular account, it was one way of tracking a nym-shifting Highwinds poster.
Since Highwinds encrypted-string information is in the "path" field, there is no way for a newsreader --or a (sp)forgery tool like NewsMaestro-- to strip it out.
It seems that recently Highwinds changed this slightly, and now appears to use a much shorter text string. I don't know of any other pay-providers that also do this.
Most providers will place an X-Trace header into the headers:
NNTP-Posting-Date: Fri, 06 May 2011 11:32:44 -0500
Date: Fri, 06 May 2011 11:32:44 -0500
From: Salad <
[email protected]>
Organization: VeggieMarg
User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.7.2) Gecko/20040804 Netscape/7.2 (ax)
X-Accept-Language: en-us, en
MIME-Version: 1.0
Newsgroups: soc.culture.african.american,alt.politics.obama,alt.survival,soc.support.fat-acceptance
Subject: Re: Oakland to send emergency looters to Japan.
References: <
[email protected]> <
[email protected]> <
[email protected]> <
[email protected]> <
[email protected]> <
[email protected]> <
[email protected]> <
[email protected]> <
[email protected]> <
[email protected]>
In-Reply-To: <
[email protected]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Message-ID: <
[email protected]>
Lines: 229
X-Usenet-Provider: http://www.giganews.com
NNTP-Posting-Host: 174.20.161.229
X-Trace: sv3-6WSNEzyz9HR/GLcOeu5e8y9pjNJeknQLcnTW8qtQRapgoLkk3JRDIIkzLhEGwsrCPRoQpen2XgBxR5z!oCh6T0MCAcIBYbcaCY6f8MEQEt+hCTtR17zF1FWx08IZl4t6RGBVPrNvQQ1LHsQ1bJh9rTV+u5+F!bxlZBs5/FXYZmPum/LVlMfHkxyzoZfx1nDBPYTSSvg==
X-Abuse-and-DMCA-Info: Please be sure to forward a copy of ALL headers
X-Abuse-and-DMCA-Info: Otherwise we will be unable to process your complaint properly
X-Postfilter: 1.3.40
X-Original-Bytes: 9886
Newsgroups: alt.abortion,alt.atheism,soc.support.fat-acceptance,tx.politics
Subject: Re: Obese people less sexually satisfied
References: <
[email protected]>
Reply-To:
[email protected]
Organization: Sonic.net, Inc.
X-Newsreader: trn 4.0-test76 (Apr 2, 2001)
From:
[email protected] (Ray Fischer)
Originator:
[email protected] (Ray Fischer)
Date: 05 May 2011 05:29:38 GMT
Lines: 10
Message-ID: <
[email protected]>
NNTP-Posting-Date: 05 May 2011 05:29:38 GMT
NNTP-Posting-Host: ed707dc6.news.sonic.net
X-Trace: DXC=iTeNTj6Q0X^aI3=dSMd[ZVm4K\QM1CV^P1OYf0H`?;XQfFPFn_5Yi9]:oF=1i9HD6TWEZYkTn1SU^bX9H=NH?Y:]
X-Complaints-To:
[email protected]
From:
[email protected] (N.E.R.Ds)
Sender:
[email protected]
Newsgroups: alt.binaries.e-book,alt.binaries.e-book.flood
Subject: New eBooks 02 June 2011 - [033/233] - "Cooper McKenzie - [Club Esoteria 06] - His Beck and Call Girl [Siren Allure] (prc).rar" 139k yEnc (1/1)
Organization: N.E.R.Ds
Reply-To:
[email protected]
Followup-To: N.E.R.Ds
X-Newsposter: YENC-POWER-POST-A&A-v11b (Modified POWER-POST www.CosmicWolf.com)
Date: 08 Jun 2011 11:21:38 GMT
Lines: 1139
Message-ID: <
[email protected]>
NNTP-Posting-Host: 01752294.news.astraweb.com
X-Trace: DXC=]aGbH@\b>NVlf2[8b49d@PL?0kYOcDh@ZR_A;UjN@1eYFY`X_Y8OYWRDfFNQVaeXVS7kS=J_Y^LZZ>Y?fL5lLP]T_m<1A0bc:iR?I\J:F>Kj9]