Method and system for image verification to prevent messaging abuse

• US 20040199597A1
• Filed: 04/02/2004
• Published: 10/07/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Yoshimoto, Steven K., Zhu, Jing, Libbey, Miles, Fenkel, Len
• Granted Patent: US 7,856,477 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/207
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/566 Dynamic detection, i.e. detection performed at run-time, e.g. emulation, suspicious activities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking

Abstract

The invention is directed to a system and method for determining if a “spam” message is originating from a messaging account by challenging a particular client'"'"'s outbound email usage with a test that requires verification of content that is easily understood by a human being, not an automated computer program such as those used by “spammers.” If a limit on the number of recipients for outbound messages has been exceeded, a test is presented the next time a client attempts to send a message. The client must successfully answer the test within a relatively short period of time or else the ability to send messages will be disabled. Once disabled, the client can reinstate the ability to send messages by contacting a representative of the message system out of band, e.g., a telephone call to confirm legitimate outbound email use.

Claims

1. A method for managing outbound message usage, comprising:

determining a count of each recipient for each outbound message associated with a client;

if the count of each recipient is at least equal to a limit over at least one period of time, providing a visual challenge to the client; and

if the provided visual challenge is unresolved, disabling the client'"'"'s outbound message usage until the visual challenge is resolved.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising if at least one outbound message associated with the client is indicative of spam for at least one recipient, providing the visual challenge to the client.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the visual challenge further comprises an auditory challenge, and wherein until at least one of the visual challenge and the auditory challenge is resolved, disabling the client'"'"'s outbound message usage.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the visual challenge includes at least one Captcha test.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the auditory challenge includes at least one sound clip that is filtered to distort the playing of the sound clip for the auditory challenge.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining another count for each attempt to resolve the visual challenge; and

if the other count for each attempt is at least equal to another limit, disabling the client'"'"'s outbound message usage.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising if the provided visual challenge is unresolved over a predetermined period of time, disabling the client'"'"'s outbound message usage.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising if the visual challenge is resolved, resetting the count for each recipient of each outbound message associated with the client.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein a type of the message includes at least one type of email, blog, message board, Short Message Service (SMS), Multi-Media Message Service (MMS), and instant messaging (IM).

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising if the client'"'"'s outbound message usage is disabled, providing instructions for an out of band communication by the client for re-enabling the client'"'"'s outbound message usage.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising employing a recipient count statement to determine the count for each recipient for each outbound message associated with the client, wherein the recipient count statement determines at least one of a current hour recipient count, a current daily recipient count, and a total recipient count.

12. A client for enabling management of outbound message usage, comprising:

a memory for storing instructions; and

a processor for enabling the processing of instructions to perform actions, including;

enabling a determination of a count of each recipient for each outbound message associated with the client;

if the count of each recipient is at least equal to a limit over at least one period of time, enabling a visual challenge to be provided to the client; and

if the provided visual challenge is unresolved, enabling a disablement of the client'"'"'s outbound message usage until the visual challenge is resolved.

13. The client of claim 12, wherein the actions further comprise if at least one outbound message associated with the client is indicative of spam for at least one recipient, enabling the visual challenge to be provided to the client.

14. The client of claim 12, wherein the visual challenge further comprises an auditory challenge, and wherein until at least one of the visual challenge and the auditory challenge is resolved, disabling the client'"'"'s outbound message usage.

15. The client of claim 12, wherein the actions further comprise:

enabling a determination of another count for each attempt to resolve the visual challenge; and

if the other count for each attempt is at least equal to another limit, enabling a disablement of the client'"'"'s outbound message usage.

16. The client of claim 12, wherein the actions further comprise if the provided visual challenge is unresolved over a predetermined period of time, enabling a disablement of the client'"'"'s outbound message usage.

17. The client of claim 12, wherein the actions further comprise if the visual challenge is resolved, enabling a resetting of the count for each recipient of each outbound message associated with the client.

18. The client of claim 12, wherein a type of the message includes at least one type of email, blog, message board, Short Message Service (SMS), Multi-Media Message Service (MMS), and instant messaging (IM).

19. The client of claim 12, wherein the actions further comprise if the client'"'"'s outbound message usage is disabled, providing instructions for an out of band communication by the client for re-enabling the client'"'"'s outbound message usage.

20. The client of claim 12, wherein the actions further comprise enabling a recipient count statement to determine the count for each recipient for each outbound message associated with the client, wherein the recipient count statement determines at least one of a current hour recipient count, a current daily recipient count, and a total recipient count.

21. A server for enabling management of outbound message usage, comprising:

a memory for storing instructions; and

a processor for enabling the processing of instructions to perform actions, including;

enabling a determination of a count of each recipient for each outbound message associated with a client;

if the count of each recipient is at least equal to a limit over at least one period of time, enabling a visual challenge to be provided to the client; and

if the provided visual challenge is unresolved, enabling a disablement of the client'"'"'s outbound message usage until the visual challenge is resolved.

22. The server of claim 21, wherein the actions further comprise if at least one outbound message associated with the client is indicative of spam for at least one recipient, enabling the visual challenge to be provided to the client.

23. The server of claim 21, wherein the visual challenge further comprises an auditory challenge, and wherein until at least one of the visual challenge and the auditory challenge is resolved, disabling the client'"'"'s outbound message usage.

24. The server of claim 21, wherein the actions further comprise:

enabling a determination of another count for each attempt to resolve the visual challenge; and

if the other count for each attempt is at least equal to another limit, enabling a disablement of the client'"'"'s outbound message usage.

25. The server of claim 21, wherein the actions further comprise if the provided visual challenge is unresolved over a predetermined period of time, enabling a disablement of the client'"'"'s outbound message usage.

26. The server of claim 21, wherein the actions further comprise if the visual challenge is resolved, enabling a resetting of the count for each recipient of each outbound message associated with the client.

27. The server of claim 21, wherein a type of the message includes at least one type of email, blog, message board, Short Message Service (SMS), Multi-Media Message Service (MMS), and instant messaging (IM).

28. The server of claim 21, wherein the actions further comprise if the client'"'"'s outbound message usage is disabled, providing instructions for an out of band communication by the client for re-enabling the client'"'"'s outbound message usage.

29. The server of claim 21, wherein the actions further comprise enabling a recipient count statement to determine the count for each recipient for each outbound message associated with the client, wherein the recipient count statement determines at least one of a current hour recipient count, a current daily recipient count, and a total recipient count.

30. A carrier wave signal that includes instructions for performing actions for the management of outbound message usage, the actions comprising:

enabling a determination of a count of each recipient for each outbound message associated with a client;

if the count of each recipient is at least equal to a limit over at least one period of time, enabling a visual challenge to be provided to the client; and

if the provided visual challenge is unresolved, enabling a disablement of the client'"'"'s outbound message usage until the visual challenge is resolved.