E-mail authentication

• US 8,364,773 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2012
• Issued: 01/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gary S. Shuster
• Original Assignee: Gary S. Shuster
• Inventors: Shuster, Gary Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Thu
• Assistant Examiner(s): UTREJA, NEERAJ K
• Application Number:
  US13/405,696
• Publication Number:
  US 20120158877A1
• Time in Patent Office: 337 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking

Abstract

A system and method for determining whether an e-mail originates from a sender authorized by an address provider to send the e-mail to an intended recipient'"'"'s e-mail address. The e-mail identifies an address provider from which the intended recipient'"'"'s e-mail address was obtained. The e-mail is delivered to the intended recipient only upon verification that the sender is authorized by the address provider to obtain the intended recipient'"'"'s e-mail address. The system and method may also provide for determining whether an e-mail originates from a forged source. A server receives data relating to an e-mail, including a purported sender and a verification host. The server queries the verification host with information pertaining to the e-mail and requests confirmation that the e-mail originates from the purported sender. The e-mail is determined to originate from a forged source unless the verification host responds that the e-mail originates from the purported sender.

Claims

1. A method for processing an incoming e-mail, the method comprising:

receiving, by at least one computer, an e-mail directed to an intended recipient'"'"'s e-mail address;

identifying, by the at least one computer, a sender of the e-mail based on a first identifier included in the e-mail;

identifying, by the at least one computer, an address provider from which the sender obtained the intended recipient'"'"'s e-mail address, based on a second identifier included in the e-mail, the address provider being distinct from the sender and from the intended recipient;

determining, by querying an authentication resource using the at least one computer, whether the sender is authorized by the address provider to use the intended recipient'"'"'s e-mail address for sending e-mail to the intended recipient;

selecting, by the at least one computer, one of permitting delivery of the e-mail to the intended recipient or preventing normal delivery of the e-mail to the intended recipient, based on the determining.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying the authentication resource based on information included in the e-mail.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting the authentication resource based on the second identifier.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising obtaining a network address for the authentication resource by querying the address provider.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein querying the authentication resource further comprises accessing a database comprising a first list of client e-mail addresses associated with the address provider or a second list of approved senders associated with the address provider.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein preventing normal delivery of the e-mail to the intended recipient further comprises an action selected from the group consisting of:

discarding the e-mail, marking the e-mail as spam, and segregating the e-mail with spam.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising requesting confirmation that the e-mail originates from the sender identified in the e-mail prior to delivering the e-mail to the intended recipient.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein requesting confirmation that the e-mail originates from the sender identified in the e-mail further comprises providing a hash value for the e-mail and requesting that the sender confirm sending the e-mail based on the hash value.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising preventing normal delivery of the e-mail to the intended recipient in response to failing to confirm that the e-mail originates from the sender identified in the e-mail.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising permitting delivery of the e-mail to the intended recipient based on determining that the sender is authorized by the address provider to use the intended recipient'"'"'s e-mail address for sending e-mail to the intended recipient and on confirming that the e-mail originates from the sender identified in the e-mail.

11. An apparatus for processing an incoming e-mail, comprising a processor coupled to a memory, the memory holding program instructions, that when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to perform the operations of:

receiving an e-mail directed to an intended recipient'"'"'s e-mail address;

identifying a sender of the e-mail based on a first identifier included in the e-mail;

identifying an address provider from which the sender obtained the intended recipient'"'"'s e-mail address, based on a second identifier included in the e-mail, the address provider being distinct from the sender and from the intended recipient;

determining, by querying an authentication resource, whether the sender is authorized by the address provider to use the intended recipient'"'"'s e-mail address for sending e-mail to the intended recipient;

selecting one of delivering the e-mail to the intended recipient or preventing normal delivery of the e-mail to the intended recipient, based on the determining.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the memory holds further program instructions for identifying the authentication resource based on information included in the e-mail.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the memory holds further program instructions for selecting the authentication resource based on the second identifier.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the memory holds further program instructions for obtaining a network address for the authentication resource by querying the address provider.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the memory holds further program instructions for querying the authentication resource by accessing a database comprising a first list of client e-mail addresses associated with the address provider or a second list of approved senders associated with the address provider.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the memory holds further program instructions for preventing normal delivery of the e-mail to the intended recipient by an action selected from the group consisting of:

discarding the e-mail, marking the e-mail as spam, and segregating the e-mail with spam.

17. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the memory holds further program instructions for requesting confirmation that the e-mail originates from the sender identified in the e-mail prior to delivering the e-mail to the intended recipient.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the memory holds further program instructions for confirmation that the e-mail originates from the sender identified in the e-mail by providing a hash value for the e-mail and requesting that the sender confirm sending the e-mail based on the hash value.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the memory holds further program instructions for preventing normal delivery of the e-mail to the intended recipient in response to failing to confirm that the e-mail originates from the sender identified in the e-mail.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the memory holds further program instructions for delivering the e-mail to the intended recipient based on determining that the sender is authorized by the address provider to use the intended recipient'"'"'s e-mail address for sending e-mail to the intended recipient and on confirming that the e-mail originates from the sender identified in the e-mail.