System and method for secure message processing

• US 20060021038A1
• Filed: 07/07/2005
• Published: 01/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Adams, Neil P., Brown, Michael S., Brown, Michael K., Kirkup, Michael G., Little, Herbert A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,607,334 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/22
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263

Abstract

Systems and methods for secure e-mail message processing. A device is configured to receive a secure electronic message. The message may then be processed to determine whether the sender'"'"'s address provided in the message is indicative of the sender'"'"'s address provided in a sender'"'"'s security-related certificate. A message'"'"'s recipient can be notified based upon the determination.

Claims

1. A method for secure message processing, comprising:

receiving a secure electronic message;

determining whether the sender'"'"'s address provided in the message is indicative of the sender'"'"'s address provided in a sender'"'"'s security-related certificate; and

notifying the message recipient based upon whether the sender'"'"'s address provided in the message is indicative of the sender'"'"'s address provided in the certificate.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the sender'"'"'s security-related certificate is the sender'"'"'s public-key certificate.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining step and said notifying step are used to detect an e-mail impersonation attack.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the notification is one or more visual, audio or tactile indications that are provided with the display of the electronic message to the message recipient.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of providing the message recipient with information regarding whether the sender'"'"'s address provided in the message is indicative of the sender'"'"'s address provided in the certificate, wherein the information is provided to the message recipient if the recipient activates a visual indication.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the information comprises one or more of the following:

sender'"'"'s address in the electronic message, sender'"'"'s address in the public-key certificate, or sender'"'"'s public-key certificate and sender'"'"'s name.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of forwarding the electronic message to the recipient.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic message has a digital signature, wherein the digital signature is encrypted with a sender'"'"'s private key, said method further comprising:

determining whether the sender'"'"'s address in the electronic message is indicative of the sender'"'"'s address in the sender'"'"'s public-key certificate; and

notifying the recipient of the electronic message if the addresses do not match.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the digital signature is in an S/MIME format or a PGP format.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the digital signature comprises a hash code of the message encrypted with the sender'"'"'s private key.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining of whether the sender'"'"'s address in the message is indicative of the sender'"'"'s address provided in the sender'"'"'s security-related certificate includes:

determining whether the sender'"'"'s address in the message matches the sender'"'"'s address provided in the sender'"'"'s security-related certificate.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the sender'"'"'s security-related certificate is retrieved from a certificate server.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the certificate server is implemented as a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) server or as an Online Certificate Status Protocol (OCSP) server.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining step is performed by a wireless mobile communications device.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining step is performed by a message server.

16. A system embodied on a computer readable medium for enabling electronic mail message processing, comprising instructions code configured to:

to receive a secure electronic message;

to determine whether the sender'"'"'s address provided in the message is indicative of the sender'"'"'s address provided in a sender'"'"'s security-related certificate; and

to notify the message recipient based upon whether the sender'"'"'s address provided in the message is indicative of the sender'"'"'s address provided in the certificate.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising instructions code configured to retrieve sender'"'"'s public-key certificate from one or more of a local memory medium and a certificate server.

18. The system of claim 16, further comprising instructions code configured to provide the message recipient with information regarding whether the sender'"'"'s address provided in the message is indicative of the sender'"'"'s address provided in the certificate, wherein the information is provided to the message recipient if the recipient activates the visual indication.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein a wireless mobile communications device provides the notification to the message recipient.

20. A mobile device configured for secure message processing, comprising:

means for receiving a secure electronic message;

means for retrieving from one or more of a local memory medium a sender'"'"'s security-related information;

means for determining whether the sender'"'"'s address provided in the message is indicative of the sender'"'"'s address provided in the retrieved sender'"'"'s security-related information; and

means for notifying the message recipient based upon whether the sender'"'"'s address provided in the message is indicative of the sender'"'"'s address provided in the retrieved sender'"'"'s-related information.