> if you run a full domain you can use emails as one-use affairs
or, if you use a service that lets you generate aliases, like gmail's "+", or a service like mailinator.
The problem is that the attack vector of email addresses is they are sometimes used as a username, and therefore contains more information than what is strictly required (for the purpose of a username). Leaking the "real" email address not only leads to spam, but allows a more dedicated attacker to use that email address as a starting point on a different site, or hack the email address altogether.
And with sites increasingly blocking disposable email addresses like mailinator, or disallowing email aliases, the problem can only get worse.
Yep, I do the same. I typically use <sitename>@sites.<domain>.<whatever> for website logins (stored in my password manager, so I don't need to think about it to login), so that if my password ever leaks, I know where it was leaked from.
and so if you set up your email filters right, you can find out who is doing this sort sort of "hacking" to get your real email address. What you do afterwards is up to you.
I have not find a way to send email from Gmail, using either the web interface of their SMTP server, from a custom username (left side of @ symbol). I have a custom domain using Google Apps, but to send mail I use a third party SMTP server to customize the username portion of the From field.
I've never had an issue using a different email for support, I always mention that I own the domain or email suffix and they can verify that if they want to (though nobody has so far).
I'd forgotten about the gmail trick. You're certainly right about that. Though I will say one thing: I've not been hiding my email this past decade and—as far as I know—it has not bit me.
or, if you use a service that lets you generate aliases, like gmail's "+", or a service like mailinator.
The problem is that the attack vector of email addresses is they are sometimes used as a username, and therefore contains more information than what is strictly required (for the purpose of a username). Leaking the "real" email address not only leads to spam, but allows a more dedicated attacker to use that email address as a starting point on a different site, or hack the email address altogether.
And with sites increasingly blocking disposable email addresses like mailinator, or disallowing email aliases, the problem can only get worse.