Protecting content from third party using client-side security protection

• US 10,044,763 B2
• Filed: 08/07/2017
• Issued: 08/07/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Banti, Edward T., Byrum, Frank, Carvalho Neto, Mayerber L., Knibb, James R., Biswas, Palash, Barnes, Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): Shayanfar, Ali
• Application Number:
  US15/670,537
• Publication Number:
  US 20170359386A1
• Time in Patent Office: 365 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6263 during internet communication, e.g. revealing personal data from cookies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0263 Rule management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0435 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply symmetric encryption, i.e. same key used for encryption and decryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for symmetric key encryption H04L9/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/06 for supporting key management in a packet data network cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key management H04L9/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227

Abstract

Architecture that employs encryption and storage of encryption keys to protect trusted client message content from an untrusted third-party hosted service. Each trusted user machine is configured to optionally apply security to messages. Rules determine when automatic protection is applied and the level of protection to apply. The trusted client automatically downloads the rules (or rules policies) from a trusted rules service and caches the rules locally. During composition, the rules analyze the message and automatically apply security template(s) to the message. The security template(s) encrypt the body of the message, but not the headers or subject. The untrusted message service processes the header and delivers the message to the correct recipient. The hosted service cannot view the contents of the message body, and only intended recipients of the protected message can view the message body. Offline protection is supported, and the user can override protection by the rules.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

at least one processor; and

memory coupled to the at least one processor, the memory comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, performs a method comprising;

analyzing a message using one or more rules used to generate security for the message, wherein analyzing the message comprises;

evaluating input of the message using the one or more rules, wherein the one or more rules comprise one or more predicates;

applying the one or more rules to the message;

monitoring for changes to the input of the message; and

when changes to the input are detected, reevaluating the input;

applying the security to the message, wherein applying the security comprises;

providing a notification to a sender of the message that the security has been triggered;

providing an option to disable the triggered security;

determining whether the option has been selected; and

when the option is determined to be selected, preventing the triggered security from being applied to the message; and

sending the message to a recipient using an untrusted message service.

2. The system of claim 1, the method further comprising:

receiving the one or more rules from a rules component associated with the untrusted message service; and

composing the message to be sent to the recipient.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the one or more rules comprise at least one of a predicate defining sender and recipient constraints, an action and configuration information, and wherein the rules component is polled for updates to the one or more rules.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the message is composed using a secure computing device located at a trusted location;

and the untrusted message service is located at an untrusted location.

5. The system of claim 1, the method further comprising determining the untrusted message service is being used to transmit the message to the recipient.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the security prevents a body portion of the message from being exposed at the untrusted message service.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the security further allows exposure of a header portion and a subject portion of the message at the untrusted message service.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the recipient is able to access the message using an encryption key shared by the sender of the message and the recipient.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the input corresponds to a set of recipients, and one or more recipients in the set of recipients is associated with different levels of the security.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein a level of the security applied to the message is based on the one or more recipients associated with the highest security level.

11. A method comprising:

analyzing, by a trusted computing device, a message using one or more rules used to generate security for the message, wherein analyzing the message comprises;

evaluating input of the message using the one or more rules,

wherein the one or more rules comprise one or more predicates;

applying the one or more rules to the message;

monitoring for changes to the input of the message; and

when changes to the input are detected, reevaluating the input;

applying the security to the message, wherein applying the security comprises;

providing a notification to a sender of the message that the security has been triggered;

providing an option to disable the triggered security;

determining whether the option has been selected; and

when the option is determined to be selected, preventing the triggered security from being applied to the message; and

sending the message to a recipient using an untrusted message service.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving, by the trusted computing device, the one or more rules from a rules component associated with the untrusted message service;

caching the rules on the trusted computing device; and

composing the message to be sent to the recipient.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the analyzing of the message is performed during an offline state of the trusted computing device using the cached rules.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising periodically polling the rules component to download new or updated rules to the trusted computing device.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the security comprises allowing exposure of a header portion and a subject portion of the message at the untrusted message service and preventing exposure of a body portion of the message at the untrusted message service.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the security further comprises storing, at a trusted location, an encryption key used to access the message.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the security enables exposure of the header portion and the subject portion of the message to the recipient using the encryption key.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein a level of the security applied to the message in based at least on the input.

19. A messaging system comprising:

a computing device using an untrusted message service for transmitting a message;

a rules component associated with the untrusted message service, wherein the rules component is configured to analyze the message using one or more rules, wherein analyzing the message comprises;

evaluating input of the message using the one or more rules,

wherein the one or more rules comprise one or more predicates;

applying the one or more rules to the message;

monitoring for changes to the input of the message; and

when changes to the input are detected, reevaluating the input; and

a security component associated with the computing device, wherein the security component is configured to apply security to the message based on the one or more rules, wherein applying the security comprises;

providing a notification to a sender of the message that the security has been triggered;

providing an option to disable the triggered security;

determining whether the option has been selected; and

when the option is determined to be selected, preventing the triggered security from being applied to the message.