SIGNATURE GENERATION USING MESSAGE SUMMARIES

• US 20140129655A1
• Filed: 01/10/2014
• Published: 05/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Quest Software, Inc.
• Original Assignee: SonicWALL, Inc. (SonicWall Holdings Ltd.)
• Inventors: Oliver, Jonathan J., Koblas, David A., Wilson, Brian K.
• Granted Patent: US 9,325,649 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/345 Summarisation for human users
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/063 Content adaptation, e.g. replacement of unsuitable content
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/234 for tracking messages

Abstract

Systems and methods for processing a message are provided. A message may be processed to generate a message summary by removing or replacing certain words, phrases, sentences, punctuation, and the like. Message signatures based upon the message summary may be generated and stored in a signature database, which may be used to identify and/or classify spam messages. Subsequently received messages may be classified by signature and processed based on classification.

Claims

1. A method for processing electronic-mail messages, the method comprising:

examining a message received at a network interface to identify a word or phrase that may be replaced with a canonical equivalent;

executing instructions stored in memory with a processor, whereby execution of the instructions replaces the identified word or phrase in the message with a canonical equivalent of the word or phrase;

generating a signature for the canonical equivalent;

comparing the signature to a database of spam signatures generated by previously processed messages; and

not delivering the message to a user of the message when the message is in the database of spam signatures.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a message received by the user as a spam message by the user;

executing instructions stored in memory with a processor, whereby execution of the instructions replaces the identified word or phrase in the message with a canonical equivalent of the word or phrase;

generating a signature for the canonical equivalent; and

storing the signature in the database of spam signatures.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising setting a number in the database to one, the number corresponding to the signature stored.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising increasing a number in the database by one corresponding to the number of times the signature was identified when the signature was previously in the database.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the message is moved to a junk folder when the message is in the database of spam messages.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the message is quarantined when the message is in the database of spam messages.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the quarantined message is recoverable by the user or by a mail administrator.

8. The method of claim 2, further comprising adding the sender of the message to a blacklist.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising blocking additional messages from the sender in the blacklist.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

executing instructions stored in memory with a processor, whereby execution of the instructions replaces one or more additional words or phrases in the message with a canonical equivalent of the one or more additional words or phrases;

generating a signature for each of the canonical equivalents;

assigning an importance ranking value to each of the canonical equivalents; and

choosing one or more of the canonical equivalents with the highest importance rankings to compare with the database of spam signatures.