Secure e-mail handling using a compartmented operating system

• US 20020124052A1
• Filed: 02/15/2002
• Published: 09/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Chu, Alex, Griffin, Jonathan, Dalton, Christopher I., Brown, Richard
• Application Number:
  US10/075,444
• Publication Number:
  US 20020124052A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/51 at application loading time, e.g. accepting, rejecting, starting or inhibiting executable software based on integrity or source reliability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/566 Dynamic detection, i.e. detection performed at run-time, e.g. emulation, suspicious activities
• 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 63/102 Entity profiles

Abstract

An e-mail handling system stores e-mails 30 in separate compartments 241, 242. Highest risk e-mails are stored in individual compartments 242, while lower risk e-mails are stored together in one compartment 241 grouped according to any suitable characteristic such as the recipient or sender. An e-mail agent 27 examines each incoming e-mail according to a security policy. Stored e-mails are accessed by a combination of first and second browsers. The first browser 28 has cross compartment access to navigate the stored e-mails 30, while the second browser 29 is provided in the same compartment as a particular stored e-mail with access only to read within that compartment, 241, 242.

Claims

1. An e-mail handling method, comprising the step of:

storing an e-mail in a compartment of a compartmented operating system.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising storing an e-mail in a compartment with other e-mails.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the e-mail is stored in an individual compartment.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising assessing the e-mail according to a security policy.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising determining a security status for the e-mail.

6. The method of claim 5, comprising applying a security tag to the e-mail denoting the security status.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising determining a security status for the e-mail, and storing the e-mail either in an individual compartment or in a compartment for containing plural e-mails, according to the determined security status.

8. An e-mail handling apparatus, comprising:

an e-mail agent for storing an e-mail in a compartment of a compartmented operating system.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the e-mail agent stores the e-mail in a compartment with other e-mails.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the e-mail agent stores the e-mail in an individual compartment.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the e-mail agent applies a security tag denoting a security status of the e-mail.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the e-mail agent determines a security status of the e-mail and stores the e-mail either in a compartment with other e-mails or in an individual compartment according to the determined security status.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the step (a) comprises navigating to the stored e-mail using a first browser.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the first browser is provided outside the compartment where the e-mail is stored.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first browser is able only to navigate to e-mails across compartments.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the step (b) comprises providing a second browser within the compartment where the e-mail is stored.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the second browser is given permission to read an e-mail within the compartment.

19. The method of claim 13, comprising the step (c) of applying a security status to the stored e-mail.

20. The method of claim 19, comprising the step (d) of moving the e-mail to a new compartment consistent with the applied security status.

13. An e-mail handling method comprising the steps of:

(a) navigating to an e-mail stored in a compartment; and

(b) opening the e-mail within the compartment.

21. An e-mail handling apparatus, comprising:

a compartment of a compartmented operating system for storing an e-mail;

a first browser provided outside the compartment for navigating to the e-mail; and

a second browser provided within the compartment for accessing the e-mail.

22. The e-mail handling apparatus of claim 21, wherein the second browser is spawned by the first browser in response to navigating to the stored e-mail.

23. The e-mail handling apparatus of claim 21, wherein the first browser is only able to navigate to e-mails across compartments.

24. The e-mail handling apparatus of claim 21, wherein the second browser is only able to access the e-mail within the compartment.

25. The e-mail handling apparatus of claim 24, wherein the second browser is denied access outside the compartment.

26. The e-mail handling apparatus of claim 21, wherein the e-mail is one of many stored in the same compartment.

27. The e-mail handling apparatus of claim 21, wherein the e-mail is one of many each stored in an individual compartment.