Counteracting Spam in Voice Over Internet Protocol Telephony Systems

• US 20130176865A1
• Filed: 01/05/2012
• Published: 07/11/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Boland, Kieran Gerard Anthony, Ndizihiwe, Telemaque, Renwick, Stephen, Wallace, Mark E.
• Granted Patent: US 8,953,471 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2483 involving identification of individual flows
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1079 of unsolicited session attempts, e.g. SPIT
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/436 Arrangements for screening incoming calls , i.e. evaluating the characteristics of a call before deciding whether to answer it based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; diversion H04M3/54

Abstract

An approach is provided to detect a spam message transmitted over a packetized, network-based telephony system. A request to initiate a first voice communication session is received from a requestor. A voice communications session is established with the requestor over the computer network. An audible ringing tone is sent to the requestor over the established voice communications session. While the audible ringing tone is being sent, audio data that is received from the requestor is analyzed. If the analysis detects an audible message in the audio data, then the requestor is identified as a possible spam source. On the other hand, if the analysis fails to detect the audible message in the audio data then the established voice communications session is handled as a non-spam event.

Claims

1. A method of detecting a spam message transmitted over a packetized, network-based telephony system, the method comprising:

receiving, over a computer network, a first request to initiate a first voice communication session from a requestor;

establishing the first voice communications session with the requestor over the computer network;

sending an audible ringing tone to the requestor over the established first voice communications session;

analyzing audio data received from the requestor while the audible ringing tone is being sent;

identifying the requestor as a possible spam source in response to the analysis detecting an audible message in the audio data; and

handling the voice communications session as a non-spam event in response to the analysis failing to detect the audible message in the audio data.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

adding a requestor identifier corresponding to the requestor to a blacklist.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

storing the detected audible message in a data store;

after the identification of the requestor as the possible spam source, audibly playing the stored audible message to a user; and

receiving a user selection in response to the playing, wherein the requestor identifier is added to the blacklist in response to the user selection indicating that the stored audible message is a spam message.

4. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

receiving a second request to initiate a second voice communications session from the requestor;

detecting the requestor identifier corresponding to the requestor in the blacklist; and

rejecting the second request in response to the detection of the requestor identifier in the blacklist.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

storing the detected audible message in a data store;

after the identification of the requestor as the possible spam source, audibly playing the stored audible message to a user; and

receiving a user selection in response to the playing, wherein a requestor identifier corresponding to the requestor is added to a whitelist in response to the user selection indicating that the stored audible message is a non-spam message.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

receiving a second request to initiate a second voice communications session from the requestor;

detecting the requestor identifier corresponding to the requestor in the whitelist;

establishing a second voice communications session with the requestor over the computer network; and

notifying a user of the established second voice communications session with the requestor without the transmission of the audible ringing tone.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the establishing further comprises:

transmitting a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) connection message to the requestor; and

accepting an acknowledgement (ACK) received from the requestor after the transmission of the SIP connection message, wherein the transmission of the audible ringing tone is sent after the acceptance of the acknowledgement.

8. An information handling system comprising:

one or more processors;

a memory coupled to at least one of the processors;

a network adapter that connects the information handling system to a computer network; and

a set of instructions stored in the memory and executed by at least one of the, wherein the set of instructions perform actions of;

receiving, at the network adapter, a first request to initiate a first voice communication session from a requestor;

establishing the first voice communications session with the requestor over the computer network;

sending an audible ringing tone to the requestor over the established first voice communications session;

analyzing audio data received from the requestor while the audible ringing tone is being sent;

identifying the requestor as a possible spam source in response to the analysis detecting an audible message in the audio data; and

handling the voice communications session as a non-spam event in response to the analysis failing to detect the audible message in the audio data.

9. The information handling system of claim 8 wherein the set of instructions performs additional actions comprising:

adding a requestor identifier corresponding to the requestor to a blacklist stored in a nonvolatile memory area accessible by at least one of the processors.

10. The information handling system of claim 9 wherein the set of instructions performs additional actions comprising:

storing the detected audible message in the memory;

after the identification of the requestor as the possible spam source, audibly playing the stored audible message to a user over a speaker; and

receiving a user selection in response to the playing, wherein the requestor identifier is added to the blacklist in response to the user selection indicating that the stored audible message is a spam message.

11. The information handling system of claim 9 wherein the set of instructions performs additional actions comprising:

receiving a second request to initiate a second voice communications session from the requestor;

detecting the requestor identifier corresponding to the requestor in the blacklist; and

rejecting the second request in response to the detection of the requestor identifier in the blacklist.

12. The information handling system of claim 8 wherein the set of instructions performs additional actions comprising:

storing the detected audible message in the memory;

after the identification of the requestor as the possible spam source, audibly playing the stored audible message to a user over a speaker; and

receiving a user selection in response to the playing, wherein a requestor identifier corresponding to the requestor is added to a whitelist in response to the user selection indicating that the stored audible message is a non-spam message.

13. The information handling system of claim 12 wherein the set of instructions performs additional actions comprising:

receiving a second request to initiate a second voice communications session from the requestor;

detecting the requestor identifier corresponding to the requestor in the whitelist;

establishing a second voice communications session with the requestor over the computer network; and

notifying a user of the established second voice communications session with the requestor without the transmission of the audible ringing tone.

14. The information handling system of claim 8 wherein the establishing further comprises:

transmitting a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) connection message to the requestor; and

accepting an acknowledgement (ACK) received from the requestor after the transmission of the SIP connection message, wherein the transmission of the audible ringing tone is sent after the acceptance of the acknowledgement.

15. A computer program product stored in a computer readable medium, comprising functional descriptive material that, when executed by an information handling system, causes the information handling system to perform actions that include:

receiving, over a computer network, a first request to initiate a first voice communication session from a requestor;

establishing the first voice communications session with the requestor over the computer network;

sending an audible ringing tone to the requestor over the established first voice communications session;

analyzing audio data received from the requestor while the audible ringing tone is being sent;

identifying the requestor as a possible spam source in response to the analysis detecting an audible message in the audio data; and

handling the voice communications session as a non-spam event in response to the analysis failing to detect the audible message in the audio data.

16. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the actions further comprise:

adding a requestor identifier corresponding to the requestor to a blacklist.

17. The computer program product of claim 16 wherein the actions further comprise:

storing the detected audible message in a data store;

after the identification of the requestor as the possible spam source, audibly playing the stored audible message to a user; and

receiving a user selection in response to the playing, wherein the requestor identifier is added to the blacklist in response to the user selection indicating that the stored audible message is a spam message.

18. The computer program product of claim 16 wherein the actions further comprise:

receiving a second request to initiate a second voice communications session from the requestor;

detecting the requestor identifier corresponding to the requestor in the blacklist; and

rejecting the second request in response to the detection of the requestor identifier in the blacklist.

19. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the actions further comprise:

storing the detected audible message in a data store;

after the identification of the requestor as the possible spam source, audibly playing the stored audible message to a user; and

receiving a user selection in response to the playing, wherein a requestor identifier corresponding to the requestor is added to a whitelist in response to the user selection indicating that the stored audible message is a non-spam message.

20. The computer program product of claim 19 wherein the actions further comprise:

receiving a second request to initiate a second voice communications session from the requestor;

detecting the requestor identifier corresponding to the requestor in the whitelist;

establishing a second voice communications session with the requestor over the computer network; and

notifying a user of the established second voice communications session with the requestor without the transmission of the audible ringing tone.