Method and Apparatus for Detecting Abusive Email Based on Number of Hops

• US 20100153509A1
• Filed: 02/23/2010
• Published: 06/17/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Unwired Planet LLC (JP Morgan Chase & Co)
• Original Assignee: Openwave Systems Incorporated (JP Morgan Chase & Co)
• Inventors: Brown, Bruce L. JR., Granoff, Mark H., Silberman, Samuel G.
• Granted Patent: US 8,239,469 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking

Abstract

A classifier is implemented to determine the number of message transfer agents (MTAs) through which an email message has traveled. If the number of MTAs through which the email message has traveled is below a predetermined threshold and the email message is not otherwise authenticated, the classifier will designate the email message as abusive.

Claims

1. An arrangement of circuits, comprising:

a first circuit configured and arranged for determining the number of message transfer agents through which an email message has traveled; and

a second circuit configured and arranged for designating the email message as abusive if a predetermined set of conditions is satisfied, the predetermined set of conditions including that the number of message transfer agents through which the email message has traveled is below a predetermined threshold.

2. An arrangement of circuits as recited in claim 1, wherein the set of conditions further includes that the email message has not otherwise been authenticated.

3. An arrangement of circuits as recited in claim 1, further comprising indicating in the email message the number of message transfer agents through which the email message has traveled.

4. An arrangement of circuits as recited in claim 1, wherein said determining comprises obtaining the number of predefined headers that the email message has, each said predefined header having been inserted by a message transfer agent as a result of the email message traveling through the message transfer agent.

5. An arrangement of circuits as recited in claim 4, wherein at least one of the predefined headers is inserted to record the event of the message transfer agent'"'"'s receiving of the email message.

6. An arrangement of circuits as recited in claim 2, wherein said otherwise authenticated comprises authenticated by having a previous message authentication.

7. An arrangement of circuits as recited in claim 2, wherein said otherwise authenticated comprises authenticated by having a previous session authentication.

8. An arrangement of circuits, comprising:

a first circuit configured and arranged for determining the number of message transfer agents through which an email message has traveled;

a second circuit configured and arranged for using the number and a plurality of other factors that each contribute a weighted score to calculate a final abuse score; and

a third circuit configured and arranged for comparing the final abuse score with a predetermined threshold and designating said email message as abusive if the final abuse score has a specified relationship to the predetermined threshold.

9. An arrangement of circuits as recited in claim 8, wherein said first circuit is further configured and arranged for obtaining the number of predefined headers that the email message has, each said predefined header having been inserted by a message transfer agent as a result of the email message traveling through the message transfer agent.

10. An arrangement of circuits as recited in claim 9, wherein at least one of the predefined headers is inserted to record the event of the message transfer agent'"'"'s receiving of the email message.

11. An arrangement of circuits comprising:

a first circuit configured and arranged for determining the number of message transfer agents through which an email message has traveled; and

a second circuit configured and arranged for marking the email message as possibly abusive for further consideration if the number of message transfer agents through which the email message has traveled is below a predetermined threshold.

12. An arrangement of circuits as recited in claim 11, wherein said first circuit is further configured and arranged for obtaining the number of predefined headers that the email has, each said predefined header having been inserted by a message transfer agent as a result of the email message traveling through the message transfer agent.

13. An arrangement of circuits as recited in claim 12, wherein at least one of the predefined headers is inserted to record the event of the message transfer agent'"'"'s receiving of the email message.

14. An arrangement of circuits as recited in claim 11, wherein the second circuit is further configured and arranged for adding a header to said email message indicating the number of message transfer agents through which the email message has traveled.

15. An arrangement of circuits comprising:

a first circuit configured and arranged for examining an email message'"'"'s headers to determine if a predefined header is present, said predefined header having been inserted, if present, by a message transfer agent as a result of said email message traveling through the message transfer agent, wherein said message transfer agent is not a message transfer agent serving at the email message'"'"'s final destination; and

a second circuit configured and arranged for designating the email message as abusive if the predefined header is not present in the said email message'"'"'s headers and the email message has no previous session or message authentication.

16. An arrangement of circuits as recited in claim 15, wherein at least one of the predefined headers is inserted to record the event of the message transfer agent'"'"'s receiving of the email message.

17. An apparatus for detecting an abusive email message, the apparatus comprising:

means for examining an email message'"'"'s headers to determine if a predefined header is present, said predefined header having been inserted, if present, by a message transfer agent as a result of said email message traveling through said message transfer agent, wherein said message transfer agent is not a message transfer agent serving at the email message'"'"'s final destination; and

means for designating the said email message as abusive if the predefined header is not present in the said email message'"'"'s headers and the said email message has no previous session or message authentication.

18. An apparatus as recited in claim 17, wherein at least one of the predefined headers is inserted to record the event of the message transfer agent'"'"'s receiving of the email message.

19. A machine-readable program storage medium storing instructions which, when executed in a processing system, cause the processing system to perform a method, the method comprising:

examining an email message'"'"'s headers to determine if a predefined header is present, said predefined header having been inserted, if present, by a message transfer agent as a result of said email message traveling through said message transfer agent, wherein said message transfer agent is not a message transfer agent serving at the email message'"'"'s final destination; and

if the predefined header is not present in the said email message'"'"'s headers and the email message has no previous session or message authentication, designating the email message as abusive.

20. A machine-readable program storage medium as recited in claim 19, wherein at least one of the predefined headers is inserted to record the event of the message transfer agent'"'"'s receiving of the email message.

21. An arrangement of circuits, comprising:

a first circuit configured and arranged for providing a signal to represent a number of message transfer agents through which an email message has traveled; and

a second circuit configured and arranged for designating the email message as abusive if a predetermined set of conditions is satisfied, the predetermined set of conditions including that the number of message transfer agents through which the email message has traveled is less than a predetermined number of message transfer agents.

22. An arrangement of circuits as recited in claim 21, wherein the set of conditions further includes that the email message has not otherwise been authenticated.

23. An arrangement of circuits as recited in claim 21, wherein the arrangement further comprises:

a third circuit configured and arranged for indicating in the email message the number of message transfer agents through which the email message has traveled.

24. An arrangement of circuits as recited in claim 21, wherein said first circuit is further configured and arranged for obtaining the number of predefined headers that the email message has, each said predefined header having been inserted by a message transfer agent as a result of the email message traveling through the message transfer agent.

25. An arrangement of circuits as recited in claim 24, wherein at least one of the predefined headers is inserted to record the event of the message transfer agent'"'"'s receiving of the email message.