Method and apparatus for enabling authentication of e-mail messages

• US 7,584,255 B1
• Filed: 11/15/2004
• Issued: 09/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Original Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Inventors: Koenig, William, Wright, David, Hogeboom, David A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Zarni
• Application Number:
  US10/904,532
• Time in Patent Office: 1,751 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/207, 709/250
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/216 Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/123 received data contents, e.g. message integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1475 Passive attacks, e.g. eavesdropping or listening without modification of the traffic monitored
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1483 service impersonation, e.g. phishing, pharming or web spoofing detection of rogue wireless access points H04W12/12

Abstract

Method and apparatus for enabling authentication of e-mail messages. A message code is embedded in an e-mail, where the message code can be used by the recipient to verify the authenticity of the e-mail. In some embodiments, this code can be created for a particular e-mail message; in other embodiments, the code is created as a watermark for use in all e-mail to a specific recipient. The message code is associated with both the e-mail message and the recipient. In the case of a message-specific code, a recipient can verify the e-mail message by inputting the code via a Web server to be looked up in the database. The invention can be implemented in a system including a server which creates e-mail messages and injects message codes and a database for storing codes and recipient e-mail addresses.

Claims

1. A method of processing an e-mail message intended for a recipient, the method comprising:

establishing a message code as a recipient-specific code uniquely associated with a recipient prior to creating an e-mail message;

creating an e-mail message with the message code logically connected therewith by a sender, the message code being associated with the e-mail message and specific to the recipient; and

sending the e-mail message to the recipient, wherein, the message code is disposed to serve as an authenticity indicator for the e-mail message.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

storing the message code in a database; and

after sending the e-mail message, authenticating the e-mail message in response to input of the message code by the recipient.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the authenticating of the e-mail message further comprises verifying both the message code in response to input of the message code and an address for the recipient in response to input of the address.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the authenticating of the e-mail message further comprises verifying message details in response to user input.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein input of the message code, input of the e-mail address, and the user input are received through a web page.

6. The method of claim 2 wherein input of the message code is received through a web page.

7. The method of claim 3 wherein input of the message code and input of the address are received through a web page.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the establishing of the message code as a recipient-specific code further comprises:

accepting a selection of the message code by the recipient; and

storing the selected message code in a database.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the message code is selected from a group consisting of:

an alphanumeric string, an image, and a combination thereof.

10. Apparatus for processing e-mail messages, each intended for a recipient, the apparatus comprising:

means for establishing a message code as a recipient-specific code uniquely associated with a recipient prior to creating an e-mail message;

means for creating an e-mail message with the message code logically connected therewith by a sender, the message code being associated with the e-mail message and specific to the recipient; and

means for sending the e-mail message to the recipient, wherein, the message code is disposed to serve as an authenticity indicator for the e-mail message.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 further comprising:

means for storing the message code in a database; and

means for authenticating the e-mail message in response to input of the message code by the recipient.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the establishing of the message code as a recipient-specific code further comprises:

means for accepting a selection of the message code by the recipient; and

means for storing the selected message code in a database.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the message code is selected from a group consisting of:

an alphanumeric string, an image, and a combination thereof.

14. A computer program product, the computer program product comprising a medium with a computer readable program code embodied therein, the computer readable program code for execution by an instruction execution platform to implement a method for enabling processing of e-mail messages, each intended for a recipient, the method comprising:

establishing a message code as a recipient-specific code uniquely associated with a recipient prior to creating an e-mail message;

creating an e-mail message with the message code logically connected therewith by a sender, the message code being associated with the e-mail message and specific to the recipient; and

sending the e-mail message to the recipient, wherein, the message code is disposed to serve as an authenticity indicator for the e-mail message.

15. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein the method further comprises:

storing the message code in a database; and

authenticating the e-mail message in response to input of the message code by the recipient.

16. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the method for authenticating the e-mail message further comprises verifying both the message code in response to input of the message code and an address for the recipient in response to input of the address.

17. The computer program product of claim 16 wherein the method for authenticating the e-mail message further comprises verifying message details in response to user input.

18. The computer program product of claim 17 wherein input of the message code, input of the address, and the user input are received through a web page.

19. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein input of the message code is received through a web page.

20. The computer program product of claim 16 wherein input of the message code and input of the address are received through a web page.

21. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein the method for establishing the message code as a recipient-specific code further comprises:

accepting a selection of the message code by the recipient; and

storing the message code in a database.

22. The computer program product of claim 21 wherein the message code is selected from a group consisting of:

an alphanumeric string, an image, and a combination thereof.

23. A system for processing e-mail messages, each intended for a recipient, the system comprising:

at least a first server to create and send an e-mail message with a message code logically connected therewith, wherein, the message code is a recipient-specific code uniquely associated with the recipient and the message code is disposed therein by the sender to serve as an authenticity indicator for the e-mail message; and

a database connected to the first server to store at least the message code and an address for the recipient, so that the message code is associated with the e-mail message and the recipient.

24. The system of claim 23 further comprising a second server connected to the database to receive input of the message code by the recipient to enable validating the e-mail message.

25. The system of claim 24 wherein the second server is operable to receive input from the recipient to authenticate the e-mail message using at least the address and the message code.

26. The system of claim 25 wherein the second server is further operable to receive input from the recipient to authenticate the e-mail message using message details.

27. The system of claim 26 wherein the second server comprises a web server.

28. The system of claim 25 wherein the second server comprises a web server.

29. The system of claim 23 further comprising a second server operable to enable selection of the message code by the recipient so that the selected message code can be stored in the database.

30. The system of claim 29 wherein the message code is selected from a group consisting of:

an alphanumeric string, an image, and a combination thereof.

31. The system of claim 29 wherein the second server comprises a web server.