IDENTITY-BASED-ENCRYPTION MESSAGE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

• US 20090172804A1
• Filed: 03/05/2009
• Published: 07/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: entIT Software LLC (Open Text Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Guido Appenzeller, Terence Spies
• Inventors: Appenzeller, Guido, Spies, Terence
• Granted Patent: US 8,041,953 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/14
• 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 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 63/045 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply hybrid encryption, i.e. combination of symmetric and asymmetric encryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements using a plurality of keys or algorithms H04L9/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3073 involving pairings, e.g. identity based encryption [IBE], bilinear mappings or bilinear pairings, e.g. Weil or Tate pairing

Abstract

Systems and methods for managing email are provided. Some of the email may be encrypted using identity-based-encryption (IBE) techniques. When an incoming IBE-encrypted message for a recipient in an organization is received by a gateway at the organization, the gateway may request an IBE private key from an IBE private key generator. The IBE private key generator may generate the requested IBE private key for the gateway. The gateway may use an IBE decryption engine to decrypt the incoming message. The decrypted message can be scanned for viruses and spam and delivered to the recipient. Outgoing email messages can also be processed. If indicated by message attributes or information provided by a message sender, an outgoing message can be encrypted using an IBE encryption engine and the IBE public key of a desired recipient.

Claims

1. A method of processing outgoing email messages from an organization, wherein the organization has a network, a gateway, a private key generator, and a plurality of users and wherein the gateway, the private key generator, and the users are connected by the network, the method comprising:

at a user, creating an email message to be sent to a recipient over the Internet;

at the gateway, processing the email message to determine whether the email message should be encrypted; and

if it is determined that the email message should be encrypted, using an identity-based-encryption (IBE) public key of the recipient and an IBE encryption engine at the gateway to encrypt the email message.

2. The method defined in claim 1 wherein processing the email message at the gateway to determine whether the email message should be encrypted comprises examining content in the email message to determine whether it is sensitive.

3. The method defined in claim 1 wherein processing the email message the gateway to determine whether the email message should be encrypted comprises examining address information in the email message to determine whether to encrypt the email message.