In the following email header, where did the email first originate from?

The correct answer is C. Simon1.state.ok.gov.us. Email headers are read bottom-up to trace origin: the first 'Received:' header added (the bottommost one) represents the originating mail server - the one that first injected the message into the SMTP chain. Each subsequent mail server prepends its own 'Received:' header as the…

Submitted by carlos_mx· Apr 18, 2026Network Forensics

Question

Exhibit

Options

ASomedomain.com
BSmtp1.somedomain.com
CSimon1.state.ok.gov.us
DDavid1.state.ok.gov.us

How the community answered

(40 responses)

A
10% (4)
B
3% (1)
C
83% (33)
D
5% (2)

Explanation

Email headers are read bottom-up to trace origin: the first 'Received:' header added (the bottommost one) represents the originating mail server - the one that first injected the message into the SMTP chain. Each subsequent mail server prepends its own 'Received:' header as the message is relayed. Simon1.state.ok.gov.us appears as the bottom-most Received entry, meaning it was the first server to handle the email, making it the true point of origin.

Topics

#Email Header Analysis#Network Forensics#Email Tracing#SMTP Protocol

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