System and method for handling electronic messages

• US 8,191,105 B2
• Filed: 11/18/2005
• Issued: 05/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Adams, Neil P., MacFarlane, David V., Robertson, Ian
• Primary Examiner(s): ARMOUCHE, HADI S
• Application Number:
  US11/281,424
• Publication Number:
  US 20070118874A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,384 Days
• Field of Search: 713/152, 713168-181, 726 1- 3, 726/27, 726/30, 380247-250, 707/694
• US Class Current: 726/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/30 Compression, e.g. Merkle-Damgard construction
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/80 Wireless network architectures or network communication protocols for wireless network security H04W12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0236 Filtering by address, protocol, port number or service, e.g. IP-address or URL
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0245 Filtering by information in the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 involving digital signatures

Abstract

A system and method for handling secure-format messages includes a message server that receives secure-format messages from senders and operates in conjunction with a secure message handler to detect and prevent the delivery of invalid secure-format messages. When a secure-format message is determined to be invalid, the secure message handler may take one or more of the following actions: replace the body of the invalid message with a template message, send a message to the sender of the invalid message indicating the message was rejected, delete the invalid message from the recipient'"'"'s mailbox, or log the message on the message server and mark it for review. Additionally, the handling of invalid messages is configurable. In particular, the actions to take and the conditions under which those actions are to be taken may be specified by an administrator.

Claims

1. A method for handling secure-format electronic messages, the method comprising:

receiving a secure-format electronic message at a host system associated with a recipient mobile communication device;

when configured secure message policies are stored at the host system, comparing the secure-format electronic message with invalid message criteria comprised in the configured secure message policies to determine whether the secure-format electronic message is invalid;

when no configured secure message policies are stored at the host system, comparing the secure-format electronic message with invalid message criteria comprised in default secure message policies to determine whether the secure-format electronic message is invalid;

when the secure-format electronic message is determined to be invalid, implementing a message delivery option at the host system to prevent transmission of the received secure-format electronic message to the recipient mobile communication device, the message delivery option including sending to the recipient mobile communication device an invalid message notification in place of the secure-format electronic message, and none, one or more of;

marking the secure-format electronic message for review at the host system; and

deleting the secure-format electronic message from a mailbox at the host system associated with the recipient mobile communication device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the secure-format electronic message comprises a digital signature or an encrypted message, and the invalid message criteria comprises a certificate corresponding to the digital signature or encrypted message having expired.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the invalid message notification comprises a selected one or more of the notification templates from a set of notification templates.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the host system digitally signing the invalid message notification to permit authentication of said invalid message notification once received at the recipient mobile communication device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the implemented message delivery option comprises both sending the invalid message notification and deleting the secure-format electronic message from the mailbox at the host system.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the host system comprises a message server.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the implemented message delivery option comprises both sending the invalid message notification and marking the secure-format electronic message for review at the host system.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the message delivery option is comprised in the configured or default secure message policies.

5. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-useable medium storing computer-readable code which, when executed by a processor of a computing device, causes said device to implement a method comprising:

receiving a secure-format electronic message at a host system associated with a recipient mobile communication device;

when configured secure message policies are stored at the host system, comparing the secure-format electronic message with invalid message criteria comprised in the configured secure message policies to determine whether the secure-format electronic message is invalid;

when no configured secure message policies are stored at the host system, comparing the secure-format electronic message with invalid message criteria comprised in default secure message policies to determine whether the secure-format electronic message is invalid;

when the secure-format electronic message is determined to be invalid, implementing a message delivery option at the host system to prevent transmission of the received secure-format electronic message to the recipient mobile communication device, the message delivery option including sending to the recipient mobile communication device an invalid message notification in place of the secure-format electronic message, and none, one or more of;

marking the secure-format electronic message for review at the host system; and

deleting the secure-format electronic message from a mailbox at the host system associated with the recipient mobile communication device.

6. The computer program product of claim 5, wherein the method further comprises the host system digitally signing the invalid message notification to permit authentication of said invalid message notification once received at the recipient mobile communication device.

12. The computer program product of claim 5, wherein the implemented message delivery option comprises both sending the invalid message notification and deleting the secure-format electronic message from the mailbox at the host system.

7. A message server system associated with a recipient mobile communication device, the message server system comprising:

a processor executing a secure message handler configured to;

when configured secure message policies are stored at the message server system, compare a received secure-format electronic message with invalid message criteria comprised in the configured secure message policies to determine whether the secure-format electronic message is invalid;

when no configured secure message policies are stored at the message server system, compare the secure-format electronic message with invalid message criteria comprised in default secure message policies to determine whether the secure-format electronic message is invalid;

when the secure-format electronic message is determined to be invalid, implement a message delivery option at the message server system to prevent transmission of the received secure-format electronic message to the recipient mobile communication device, the message delivery option including sending to the recipient mobile communication device an invalid message notification in place of the secure-format electronic message, and none, one or more of;

marking the secure-format electronic message for review at the message server system; and

deleting the secure-format electronic message from a mailbox at the message server system associated with the recipient mobile communication device.

8. The message server system of claim 7, wherein the secure-format electronic message comprises a digital signature or an encrypted message, and the invalid message criteria comprises a certificate corresponding to the digital signature or encrypted message having expired.

9. The message server system of claim 7, wherein the message server system is further configured to digitally sign the invalid message notification to permit authentication of said invalid message notification once received at the recipient mobile communication device.

13. The message server system of claim 7, wherein the implemented message delivery option comprises both sending the invalid message notification and deleting the secure-format electronic message from the mailbox at the message server system.