Automated electronic messaging encryption system

• US 20070260872A1
• Filed: 07/05/2007
• Published: 11/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GlobalCerts, LLC
• Original Assignee: GlobalCerts, LC
• Inventors: Filipi-Martin, Adrian, Hope, Brian
• Granted Patent: US 7,644,268 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/153
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/76 Proxy, i.e. using intermediary entity to perform cryptographic operations network architectures or network communication protocols using hop-by-hop encryption H04L63/0464
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/102 applying security measure for e-commerce data processing systems or methods, specially adapted for e-commerce G06Q30/00
• 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 63/0442 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply asymmetric encryption, i.e. different keys for encryption and decryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for public-key encryption H04L9/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/062 for key distribution, e.g. centrally by trusted party cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution involving a central third party H04L9/0819
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0894 Escrow, recovery or storing of secret information, e.g. secret key escrow or cryptographic key storage
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 involving digital signatures

Abstract

A system and method of automating the management of public and private key pairs of a sender and recipient of electronic messages over a network and for retrieving public keys of senders or recipients from secured servers, local key rings, PKI server, or Certificate Authority without requiring client-side software or user maintenance.

Claims

1-19. -19. (canceled)

20. An automated encryption system for decrypting an electronic message from a sender to a recipient comprising:

a computer readable medium;

a set of private key data embodied within said computer readable medium having a private key associated with the recipient;

a set of computer readable decryption instructions embodied within said computer readable medium for;

receiving said electronic message from the sender to the recipient,

retrieving said private key associated with the recipient from said set of private key data,

decrypting said electronic message according to said private key, and,

providing said decrypted message to the recipient so that the recipient automatically retrieves and decrypts an electronic encrypted message without manually managing private keys.

21. The system of claim 20 including:

a network port in communication with said computer readable medium for accessing a set of public key data having a public key associated with the sender;

a set of computer readable message verification instructions embodied within said computer readable medium for;

receiving said encrypted message having a digital signature associated with the sender,

retrieving said public key associated from the sender from said digital signature,

validating said electronic message according to said digital signature to provide validation information, and,

providing the resulting validation information to the recipient so that the recipient can be notified as to the authenticity of the received encrypted message.

22. The system of claim 20 including:

a network port in communication with said computer readable medium for accessing a set of public key data; and

,

a set of computer readable key maintenance instructions embodied within said computer readable medium for;

creating a key pair having a public key and a private key associated with the recipient,

storing said public key within the set of public key data via said network port,

storing said private key within said set of private key data, and,

deleting said key pair to prevent the recipient from decrypting messages so than an automated key management system is provided for automatically managing key pairs of recipients.

23. The system of claim 22 including a set of public key data embodied within said computer readable medium.

24. The system of claim 22 wherein said set of computer readable maintenance instructions include instruction for:

receiving a password from the sender, and,

encrypting said private key associated with the sender so that said private key can not be used to decrypt messages without supplying an access attempt matching said password.

25. A computerized system for encrypting an electronic message from a sender to a recipient comprising:

a computer readable medium;

a means for receiving an electronic message from a sender to a recipient embodied in said computer readable medium;

a means for obtaining a public key associated with the recipient;

a means for encrypting said electronic message according to said public key; and

,

a means for forwarding said encrypted electronic message to the recipient for subsequent decryption and retrieval;

an encrypted private key associated with the sender encrypted according to a password supplied to the sender and contained within said computer readable medium;

a means for receiving an access attempt from the sender; and

,

a means for validating said access attempt according to said encrypted private key so that said electronic message is not encrypted unless said access attempt is valid.

26. The system of claim 25 including:

a means for informing the sender that said public key associated with the recipient cannot be found so that electronic message cannot be encrypted; and

,

a means for sending said electronic message to the recipient.

27. The system of claim 25 including:

a computer readable medium;

a means for receiving an encrypted electronic message from the sender to the recipient;

a means for obtaining a private key associated with the recipient;

a means for decrypting said encrypted electronic message from the sender to the recipient so that the recipient can receive and decrypt an encrypted message.

28. The system of claim 25 including:

a digital signature associated with the sender contained within said computer readable medium; and

,

a means for signing said electronic message with said digital signature.

29. The system of claim 25 including:

a means for receiving an electronic message having a digital signature associated with the sender; and

,

a means for verifying the authenticity of said electronic message according to said digital signature so that the recipient is ensured that said electronic message truly originates from the sender.

30. An automated encryption system for decrypting an electronic message from a sender to a recipient comprising:

a computer readable medium;

a set of encrypted private key data embodied within said computer readable medium having an encrypted private key associated with the recipient encrypted according to a password supplied by the sender;

a set of computer readable decryption instructions embodied within said computer readable medium for;

receiving said electronic message from the sender to the recipient,

retrieving said encrypted private key associated with the recipient from said set of private key data,

attempting to decrypt said private key according to said access attempt input so that said access attempt input can be validated,

decrypting said electronic message according to said private key if said access attempt input is valid, and,

providing said decrypted message to the recipient so that the recipient automatically retrieves and decrypts an electronic encrypted message without manually managing private keys.