Secure sent message identifier

• US 10,666,590 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2013
• Issued: 05/26/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Inventors: Dubie, Jack, Roeder, Michael, Kabbes, Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): Srivastava, Vivek
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kunwar, Binod J
• Application Number:
  US14/139,805
• Publication Number:
  US 20150113077A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,346 Days
• Field of Search: 709206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/216 Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/12 Applying verification of the received information cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for data integrity or data verification H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/126 the source of the received data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3239 involving non-keyed hash functions, e.g. modification detection codes [MDCs], MD5, SHA or RIPEMD

Abstract

A message management service allows a user to access and manage messages from various message services. The user can access the message management service using a message management client application executing on a client device and can draft messages using the message management client application and send the messages through the different message services. The message management service can add information to messages sent using the message management client application that can be used to identify and organize the messages. A secure sent-message identifier can be added to messages sent by the message management service to reliably indicate that the messages were sent by the message management service.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a request, at a server of a message management service, to send a message drafted in a client application executing on a client device, wherein the request includes a copy of the message;

Concatenating an item of message-specific information and a private key;

generating, by the server, a sent-message identifier for the copy of the message, wherein the sent-message identifier indicates that the message was sent using the message management service, and wherein the sent-message identifier includes a cryptographic hash value generated using the concatenated data corresponding to the message management service as input to a hash function that generates the hash value, wherein the item of message-specific information includes at least a portion of the copy of the message content;

adding, by the server, the sent-message identifier to the copy of the message;

sending, by the server, the copy of the message, including the sent-message identifier, to a message provider to be sent to one or more recipients;

generating, by the server, a thread identifier for the message;

adding the thread identifier to the message before sending the message to the message provider;

after the message has been sent by the message provider, retrieving the message, by the message management service, from the message provider;

analyzing the message to determine a thread identifier and the sent-message identifier;

generating a second sent-message identifier for the message, wherein the second sent-message identifier for the message includes a hash value generated using the item of message-specific information and the private key; and

determining whether the thread identifier is valid by comparing the sent-message identifier to the second sent-message identifier, wherein the thread identifier is valid if the sent-message identifier matches the second sent-message identifier.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the message is an email message.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the hash value is generated using a secure hash algorithm.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the item of message-specific information and the private key are concatenated and used as an input to the secure hash algorithm.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the item of message-specific information includes an account identifier.

6. A server system, comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more memory devices including instructions stored thereon which, when executed, cause the one or more processors to execute operations including;

receiving a request, at a message management service, to send a message drafted in a client application executing on a client device, wherein the request includes a copy of the message;

concatenating an item of message-specific information and a private key;

generating a sent-message identifier for the copy of the message, wherein the sent-message identifier includes a hash value generated based on the concatenated data as input to a hash function that generates the hash value, wherein the item of message-specific information includes at least a portion of the copy of the message content;

adding the sent-message identifier to the copy of the message;

sending the copy of the message, including the sent-message identifier, to a message provider to be sent to one or more recipients;

generating a thread identifier for the message;

adding the thread identifier to the message before sending the message to the message provider;

after the message has been sent by the message provider, retrieving the message, by the message management service, from the message provider;

analyzing the message to determine a thread identifier and the sent-message identifier;

generating a second sent-message identifier for the message, wherein the second sent-message identifier for the message includes a hash value generated using the item of message-specific information and the private key; and

determining whether the thread identifier is valid by comparing the sent-message identifier to the second sent-message identifier, wherein the thread identifier is valid if the sent-message identifier matches the second sent-message identifier.

7. The server system of claim 6, wherein the sent-message identifier is a secure identifier based on an item of message specific information and a private key of the message management service.

8. The server system of claim 7, wherein the item of message-specific information and the private key are concatenated and used as an input to a secure hash algorithm to generate the sent-message identifier.

9. The server system of claim 8, wherein the item of message-specific information includes an account identifier.

10. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising one or more sequences of instructions, which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations, comprising:

receiving a request, at a server of a message management service, to send a message drafted in a client application executing on a client device, wherein the request includes a copy of the message;

concatenating an item of message-specific information and a private key;

generating, by the server, a sent-message identifier for the copy of the message, wherein the sent-message identifier indicates that the message was sent using the message management service, and wherein the sent-message identifier includes a cryptographic hash value generated using the concatenated data corresponding to the message management service as input to a hash function that generates the hash value, wherein the item of message-specific information includes at least a portion of the copy of the message content;

adding, by the server, the sent-message identifier to the copy of the message;

sending, by the server, the copy of the message, including the sent-message identifier, to a message provider to be sent to one or more recipients;

generating, by the server, a thread identifier for the message;

adding the thread identifier to the message before sending the message to the message provider;

after the message has been sent by the message provider, retrieving the message, by the message management service, from the message provider;

analyzing the message to determine a thread identifier and the sent-message identifier;

generating a second sent-message identifier for the message, wherein the second sent-message identifier for the message includes a hash value generated using the item of message-specific information and the private key; and

determining whether the thread identifier is valid by comparing the sent-message identifier to the second sent-message identifier, wherein the thread identifier is valid if the sent-message identifier matches the second sent-message identifier.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the message is an email message.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the hash value is generated using a secure hash algorithm.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the item of message-specific information and the private key are concatenated and used as an input to the secure hash algorithm.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the item of message-specific information includes an account identifier.