ACCESS LIMITED EMM DISTRIBUTION LISTS

• US 20080034042A1
• Filed: 08/02/2006
• Published: 02/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Ryvkin, Konstantin, Costea, Mihai, Williams, Roy, Pearson, Malcolm E.
• Granted Patent: US 8,166,113 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking

Abstract

An electronic mail message (EMM) addressed to a distribution list of an enterprise is received at a server of the enterprise from a sending address outside of the enterprise. If the distribution list has no external addresses, then the EMM is blocked from being delivered to the distribution list. In an embodiment, if the distribution list has an external address and the sending address is identified in a safe sender list corresponding to the distribution list, then the EMM is delivered to the distribution list. In an embodiment, if the distribution list has an external address, the sending address is not in a safe sender list corresponding to the distribution list, and the content of the message is approved, then the EMM is delivered to the distribution list.

Claims

1. A method of processing electronic mail messages addressed to a particular distribution list of an enterprise from a sending address external to the enterprise wherein the particular distribution list is one of a plurality of distribution lists associated with the enterprise, said plurality including internal distribution lists having only internal addresses and external distribution lists having internal and external addresses comprising:

storing a plurality of safe sender lists, each corresponding to one of the external distribution lists of the enterprise, wherein each safe sender list identifies external addresses which are authorized to send electronic mail messages to its corresponding external distribution list;

receiving at a server of the enterprise an electronic mail message addressed to the particular distribution list from the external sending address;

determining whether the particular distribution list is an internal distribution list or an external distribution list;

blocking the received electronic mail message from being delivered to the particular distribution list if the particular distribution list is an internal distribution list; and

delivering the received electronic mail message to the particular distribution list if the particular distribution list is an external distribution list and the sending address is identified in the safe sender list corresponding to the particular distribution list.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising blocking the received electronic mail message from being delivered to the particular distribution list if the particular distribution list is an external distribution list and the sending address is not identified in the safe sender list corresponding to the particular distribution list.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising content filtering the received electronic mail message if the particular distribution list is an external distribution list and the sending address is not identified in the safe sender list corresponding to the particular distribution list.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said blocking comprises at least one of the following:

providing no status message or notice to an external server associated with the sending address;

generating a status message at the server of the enterprise and providing said status message to said sending address;

generating a notice at the server of the enterprise, providing said notice to a server associated with the sending address, generating a status message at the server associated with the sending address in response to the received notice, and providing said status message to said sending address; and

notifying an administrator associated with the enterprise of the blocked electronic mail message.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising authenticating the sending address and blocking the electronic mail message from being delivered to the particular distribution list if the sending address is not authenticated.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the particular distribution list is created by a user other than an administrator at a user computer and subsequently copied to the server.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

adding or removing an address from the particular distribution list by a user other than an administrator; and

adding or removing an address from the safe sender list corresponding to the particular distribution list by a user other than an administrator.

8. A system for processing an electronic mail message received by an enterprise addressed to a particular distribution list of the enterprise from a sending address external to the enterprise wherein the particular distribution list is one of a plurality of distribution lists including internal distribution lists having only internal addresses and external distribution lists having internal and external addresses, said system comprising:

a server of the enterprise for receiving the electronic mail message addressed to the particular distribution list;

a plurality of safe sender lists stored on the server, each corresponding to one of the external distribution lists of the enterprise, wherein each safe sender list identifies external addresses which are authorized to send electronic mail messages to its corresponding external distribution list; and

wherein the server executes instructions for;

determining whether the particular distribution list is an internal distribution list or an external distribution list;

blocking the received electronic mail message from being delivered to the particular distribution list if the particular distribution list is an internal distribution list; and

delivering the received electronic mail message to the particular distribution list if the particular distribution list is an external distribution list and the sending address is identified in the safe sender list corresponding to the particular distribution list.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the server blocks the received electronic mail message from being delivered to the particular distribution list if the particular distribution list is an external distribution list and the sending address is not identified in the safe sender list corresponding to the particular distribution list.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the server further content filters the received electronic mail message if the particular distribution list is an external distribution list and the sending address is not identified in the safe sender list corresponding to the particular distribution list.

11. The system of claim 8 wherein if the server blocks the electronic mail message from the particular distribution list, then at least one of the following:

the server of the enterprise does not return a status message or notice to an external server associated with the sending address;

the server of the enterprise generates a status message and provides said status message to said sending address;

the server of the enterprise generates a notice, provides said notice to a server associated with the sending address, the server associated with the sending address generates a status message in response to the received notice, and the server associated with the sending address provides said status message to said sending address; and

the server of the enterprise notifies an administrator associated with the enterprise of the blocked electronic mail message.

12. The system of claim 8 wherein the server authenticates the sending address and blocks the electronic mail message from being delivered to the particular distribution list if the sending address is not authenticated.

13. The system of claim 8 wherein the particular distribution list is created by a user other than an administrator at a user computer and subsequently copied to the server.

14. The system of claim 8 wherein:

addresses are added to or removed from the particular distribution list by a user other than an administrator; and

addresses are added to or removed from the safe sender list corresponding to the particular distribution list by a user other than an administrator.

15. A method of creating or maintaining a plurality of safe sender lists, each corresponding to an external distribution list of an enterprise, wherein each safe sender list identifies external addresses which are authorized to send electronic mail messages to its corresponding external distribution list, said method comprising:

receiving a distribution list including a plurality of addresses;

comparing the plurality of addresses of the received distribution list to an address list of the enterprise to identify addresses of the received distribution list which are external to the enterprise; and

copying the identified external addresses to the safe sender list corresponding to the received distribution list.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising adding or removing an address from the safe sender list in response to input received from a user of the enterprise.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising determining whether the input is from the user who created the received distribution list and wherein, an address is added to or removed from the safe sender list only if the input is determined to be from the user who created the received distribution list.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the input received from the user is an electronic mail message.

19. The method of claim 15 wherein the distribution list is received in response to being created by a user of the enterprise.

20. The method of claim 15 wherein the address list of the enterprise is one of a domain list or a global authoritative list.