Interceptor for non-subscribed bulk electronic messages

• US 20050033810A1
• Filed: 08/07/2003
• Published: 02/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trend Micro Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Malcolm, Jerry Walter
• Granted Patent: US 7,433,924 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking

Abstract

Bulk mail subscriptions by including a bulk mail class indicator and a sender identifier key value in the header portion of an electronic message. Messages which are properly identified as bulk class and include an approved sender identifier value are passed directly to the intended recipient. Messages which are properly identified as bulk class but which do not contain an approved sender identifier value are rejected or intercepted. Messages which do no indicate themselves to be bulk class, but which are determined to have characteristics of bulk mail are rejected or intercepted, as well.

Claims

1. A method of intercepting unwanted electronic bulk mail messages comprising the steps of:

examining a header portion of a messaged destined to an intended recipient to determine if the message is identified as bulk class messaging;

responsive to said header portion indicating the message is bulk class, forwarding the message to said intended recipient if said header is determined to contain an approved sender identifier value;

responsive to said header portion indicating the message is bulk class, intercepting the message if said header is determined not to contain an approved sender identifier value;

responsive to said header portion having no indication of said message being bulk class, analyzing said message to determine if it has bulk message characteristics, and intercepting the message if it has bulk message characteristics.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said step of examining a header portion of a message comprises examining a Simple Mail Transfer Protocol message header.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said step of forwarding the message to said intended recipient if said header is determined to contain an approved sender identifier value further comprises checking a whitelist for said intended recipient.

4. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said step of intercepting the message comprises deleting the message.

5. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said step of intercepting the message comprises storing the message in a low priority folder.

6. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said step of analyzing said message to determine if it has bulk message characteristics comprises a step selected from the group of detecting an excessive number of recipients contained in the message recipient list, detecting objectionable content in the message, detecting instructions in the message regarding how to unsubscribe, detecting text within the message which is highly similar to message content for other recipients, and detecting a plurality of messages sent within a brief period of time from the same sender.

7. A computer readable medium encoded with software for intercepting unwanted electronic bulk mail messages, said software performing steps comprising:

examining a header portion of a messaged destined to an intended recipient to determine if the message is identified as bulk class messaging;

responsive to said header portion indicating the message is bulk class, forwarding the message to said intended recipient if said header is determined to contain an approved sender identifier value;

responsive to said header portion indicating the message is bulk class, intercepting the message if said header is determined not to contain an approved sender identifier value;

responsive to said header portion having no indication of said message being bulk class, analyzing said message to determine if it has bulk message characteristics, and intercepting the message if it has bulk message characteristics.

8. The computer readable medium as set forth in claim 7 wherein said software for examining a header portion of a message comprises software for examining a Simple Mail Transfer Protocol message header.

9. The computer readable medium as set forth in claim 7 wherein said software for forwarding the message to said intended recipient if said header is determined to contain an approved sender identifier value further comprises software for checking a whitelist for said intended recipient.

10. The computer readable medium as set forth in claim 7 wherein said software for intercepting the message comprises software for deleting the message.

11. The computer readable medium as set forth in claim 7 wherein said software for intercepting the message comprises software for storing the message in a low priority folder.

12. The computer readable medium as set forth in claim 7 wherein said software for analyzing said message to determine if it has bulk message characteristics comprises software for perform a step selected from the group of detecting an excessive number of recipients contained in the message recipient list, detecting objectionable content in the message, detecting instructions in the message regarding how to unsubscribe, detecting text within the message which is highly similar to message content for other recipients, and detecting a plurality of messages sent within a brief period of time from the same sender.

13. A system for intercepting unwanted electronic bulk mail messages comprising:

an inbound message examiner configured to examine a header portion of a messaged destined to an intended recipient to determine if the message is identified as bulk class messaging;

a message passer configured to, responsive to said header portion indicating the message is bulk class, forward the message to said intended recipient if said header is determined to contain an approved sender identifier value;

a bulk analyzer configured to determine if a message is likely to be a bulk mail message based upon one or more criteria for bulk mail characteristics; and

a message interceptor configured to intercept the message if said header is determined not to contain an approved sender identifier value if the message header indicates the message is bulk class, to invoke said bulk analyzer on said message to determine if it has bulk message characteristics but the message header does not indicate the message is bulk class, and to intercept the message if the message is determined to bulk message characteristics by said bulk analyzer.

14. The system as set forth in claim 13 wherein said inbound message examiner and said bulk analyzer are configured to analyze Simple Mail Transfer Protocol messages.

15. The system as set forth in claim 13 wherein said message passer is configured to check a whitelist for said intended recipient.

16. The system as set forth in claim 13 wherein said message interceptor is configured to delete the message.

17. The system as set forth in claim 13 wherein said message interceptor is configured to store the message in a low priority folder.

18. The system as set forth in claim 13 wherein said bulk analyzer is configured to perform an analysis selected from the group of detecting an excessive number of recipients contained in the message recipient list, detecting objectionable content in the message, detecting instructions in the message regarding how to unsubscribe, detecting text within the message which is highly similar to message content for other recipients, and detecting a plurality of messages sent within a brief period of time from the same sender.