IDENTIFICATION OF CONTENT BY METADATA

• US 20150180670A1
• Filed: 12/23/2014
• Published: 06/25/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Quest Software, Inc.
• Original Assignee: SonicWALL, Inc. (SonicWall Holdings Ltd.)
• Inventors: Yu, Sijie
• Granted Patent: US 9,231,767 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24575 using context
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/285 Clustering or classification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/35 Clustering; Classification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5838 using colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5846 using extracted text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/554 involving event detection and direct action
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/606 by securing the transmission between two devices or processes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2119 Authenticating web pages, e.g. with suspicious links
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 involving digital signatures

Abstract

Systems and methods for identifying content in electronic messages are provided. An electronic message may include certain content. The content is detected and analyzed to identify any metadata. The metadata may include a numerical signature characterizing the content. A thumbprint is generated based on the numerical signature. The thumbprint may then be compared to thumbprints of previously received messages. The comparison allows for classification of the electronic message as spam or not spam.

Claims

1. A method for identifying content in electronic messages, the method comprising:

receiving a first electronic message over a communication network;

executing instructions stored in memory, wherein execution of the instructions by a processor;

extracts metadata characterizing one or more images in the first electronic message;

generates a first thumbprint based on the extracted metadata characterizing the one or more images in the first electronic message, the first thumbprint comprising a plurality of numerical values, each numerical value characterizing a different aspect of the one or more images, and

searches for matching thumbprints, the matching thumbprints matching with the first thumbprint of the first electronic message; and

classifying matching electronic messages having the matching thumbprints, the matching electronic messages classified based on a classification of the first electronic message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a first numerical value of the plurality of numerical values characterizes a first aspect of a first image of the one or more images in the first electronic message, where the first aspect is one of a width dimension or a height dimension of the first image.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein a first numerical value of the plurality of numerical values characterizes a first aspect of a first image of the one or more images in the first electronic message, where the first aspect is one of a color location or a color intensity within a color table of the first image.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the matching electronic messages are received after the first electronic message is received.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the matching electronic messages are received before the first electronic message is received.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein execution of the instructions by the processor further stores the first thumbprint in a thumbprint database.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein execution of the instructions by the processor further:

generates a variation thumbprint based on the first thumbprint, the variation thumbprint one or more adjusted numerical values replacing a subset of the plurality of numerical values,

searches for secondary matching thumbprints, the secondary matching thumbprints matching with the variation thumbprint, and

appends the set of secondary matching thumbprints to the set of matching thumbprints.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein execution of the instructions by the processor further stores the variation thumbprint in a thumbprint database.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein each adjusted numerical value of the one or more adjusted numerical values of the variation thumbprint varies from one numerical value of the plurality of numerical values of the first thumbprint by a numerical difference value that falls within a pre-specified numerical range.

10. A system for fleet management based vehicle control, the system comprising:

a memory; and

a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the processor executes;

a content filter, thereby detecting one or more images within a first electronic message received over a communication network,

a metadata analyzer, thereby extracting metadata characterizing the one or more images within the first electronic message,

a thumbprint generator, thereby generating a first thumbprint based on the extracted metadata characterizing the one or more images in the first electronic message, the first thumbprint comprising a plurality of numerical values, each numerical value characterizing a different aspect of the one or more images,

a classifier, thereby searching for matching thumbprints, the matching thumbprints matching with the first thumbprint of the first electronic message, and further thereby classifying matching electronic messages having the matching thumbprints, the matching electronic messages classified based on a classification of the first electronic message.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the thumbprint generated by the thumbprint generator includes a first numerical value of plurality of numerical values, wherein the first numerical value characterizes a first aspect of a first image of the one or more images in the first electronic message, where the first aspect is one of a width dimension or a height dimension of the first image.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the thumbprint generated by the thumbprint generator includes a first numerical value of plurality of numerical values, wherein the first numerical value characterizes a first aspect of a first image of the one or more images in the first electronic message, where the first aspect is one of a color location or a color intensity within a color table of the first image.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein one or more of the matching electronic messages that is classified by the classifier is received after the first electronic message is received.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein one or more of the matching electronic messages that is classified by the classifier is received before the first electronic message is received.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the thumbprint generator, when executed by the processor, further stores the first thumbprint in a thumbprint database.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the thumbprint generator, when executed by the processor, further generates a variation thumbprint based on the first thumbprint, the variation thumbprint including one or more adjusted numerical values replacing a subset of the plurality of numerical values.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the classifier, when executed by the processor, further:

searches for secondary matching thumbprints, the secondary matching thumbprints matching with the variation thumbprint, and

appends the set of secondary matching thumbprints to the set of matching thumbprints.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the thumbprint generator, when executed by the processor, further stores the variation thumbprint in a thumbprint database.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the thumbprint generator generates the variation thumbprint so that each adjusted numerical value of the one or more adjusted numerical values of the variation thumbprint varies from one numerical value of the plurality of numerical values of the first thumbprint by a numerical difference value that falls within a pre-specified numerical range.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, having embodied thereon a program executable by a processor to perform a method for providing on-demand wireless services, the method comprising:

receiving a first electronic message over a communication network;

extracting metadata characterizing one or more images in the first electronic message;

generating a first thumbprint based on the extracted metadata characterizing the one or more images in the first electronic message, the first thumbprint comprising a plurality of numerical values, each numerical value characterizing a different aspect of the one or more images;

searching for matching thumbprints, the matching thumbprints matching with the first thumbprint of the first electronic message; and

classifying matching electronic messages having the matching thumbprints, the matching electronic messages classified based on a classification of the first electronic message.