Client device, mail system, program, and recording medium

• US 8,370,630 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2006
• Issued: 02/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Into Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Keiko Ogawa
• Inventors: Ogawa, Keiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Arani, Taghi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jeudy, Josnel
• Application Number:
  US12/302,621
• Publication Number:
  US 20100049978A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,381 Days
• Field of Search: 713150-153, 713/160, 709/225, 709/229, 380255-256, 380270-274
• US Class Current: 713/170
• 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 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/061 for key exchange, e.g. in peer-to-peer networks cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key agreement H04L9/0838
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/00 Cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communications; Network security protocols

Abstract

A mail system having high security is realized by mounting TCP2 for mail communication between client apparatuses. The present invention relates to a mail communication system which is connected to a network and exchanges mails between client apparatuses provided with the existing mailers, and each client apparatus is mounted with a TCP2 driver. A TCP2 driver 34 includes a TCP2 core 36 and a mail system core 37 and an e-mail received via the network is processed in this TCP2 driver 34 and thereafter, is supplied to an existing mailer 31 of the client apparatus. In the mail system core 37 of the TCP2 driver 34, control of mail encryption and decryption, deletion of an unnecessary mail and the like is carried out.

Claims

1. A client apparatus connected to a network and including an existing mailer carrying out e-mail communication between a plurality of client apparatuses, comprising:

a transmission control protocol 2 (TCP2) driver including a TCP2 core and a mail system core; and

a TCP2 mail system application unit other than said existing mailer, including means for recognizing a packet of the e-mail transmitted from one of the existing mailer and SMTP or POP3 protocols and for transmitting the packet to said mail system core, the TCP2 mail system application unit and the TCP2 driver providing transport layer encryption and decryption of e-mail packets, wherein

said mail system core includes means for encrypting or decrypting the e-mail transmitted and received, means for carrying out key exchange with other client apparatuses, means for saving IP address and port of said POP3 and IP address and port of said SMTP, means for saving user ID and password, and e-mail addresses of a sender and a receiver, means for saving a key formed by said key exchange, and means for selecting and deleting an encrypted mail, an HTML mail or an attached file,

said TCP2 mail application unit includes means for carrying out a display of a key status in connection with the e-mail transmitted from said mail system core and for carrying out a list display of a status of encryption or non-encryption of the e-mail, an mail address of the sender, mail type and attached file, and means for displaying the encrypted mail received by said existing mailer in plaintext,

the e-mail received via said network is selected and processed by said TCP2 driver and thereafter is supplied to said existing mailer, and

the e-mail transmitted to the other client apparatuses from said existing mailer through said network is set to be transmitted after the other client apparatus of the receiver is confirmed by said TCP2 driver.

2. The client apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the TCP 2 core includes:

a port search unit to identify a port in accordance with a port request received from the mail system core;

a hooking process unit to intercept a packet identified in a hooking request from the mail system core,

wherein responsive to the hooking request from the mail system core, the hooking process unit intercepts a corresponding packet and transmits the corresponding packet to the mail system core.

3. The client apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the hooking request identifies a command packet.

4. The client apparatus according to claim 3, wherein command packets are transmitted without encryption.

5. The client apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each packet of the e-mail transmitted includes an IP header, a TCP header, TCPsec additional information, a payload section, TCPsec authentication data and TCPsec added encryption data to support encryption and decryption of the packet, encryption of the packet excluding the IP and TCP headers.

6. A mail system carrying out e-mail communication between a plurality of client apparatuses connected to a network and including an existing mailer, wherein:

said client apparatus includes a transmission control protocol 2 (TCP2) driver including a TCP2 core and a mail system core and a TCP2 mail application unit in addition to said existing mailer, the TCP2 mail application unit and the TCP2 driver providing transport layer encryption and decryption of e-mail packets,

said TCP2 core of said TCP2 driver is connected to one of existing mail means and a network and sends a packet of the e-mail transmitted from a protocol of SMTP or POP3 of a mail server to said mail system core,

said mail system core carries out encryption or decryption of the transmitted and received e-mail, carries out key exchange with a sender or receiver, saves IP address and port number of said POP3, IP address and port number of said SMTP, user ID and password, e-mail addresses of the sender and the receiver and a key formed by said key exchange in a storage medium, and selectively deletes said received e-mail, and

said TCP2 mail system application unit carries out a display of a key status in connection with the e-mail transmitted from said mail system core and carries out a list display of the transmitted and received e-mails and a plaintext display of the encrypted e-mail received by said existing mailer.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable medium encoded with computer-readable instructions thereon for carrying out mail communication between a plurality of client apparatuses connected to a network and including an existing mailer, the computer-readable instructions when executed by a client apparatus computer cause the client apparatus computer to perform a method comprising:

providing a transmission control protocol 2 (TCP2) mail system function having three functions of a TCP2 core, a mail system core and a TCP2 mail application other than the existing mailer function is implemented on each of client apparatus computers the TCP2 mail application and the TCP2 core providing transport layer encryption and decryption of e-mail packets;

recognizing, in the TCP2 core, a packet of the e-mail transmitted from the existing mailer, or a protocol of a mail server SMTP or POP3 connected to a network and transmitting the packet to a mail system core;

carrying out, at the mail system core, transport level encryption or decryption of the transmitted and received e-mail;

carrying out, at the mail system core, key exchange with a sender or receiver;

saving, at the mail system core, an IP address and port number of the POP3, IP address and port number of the SMTP, user ID and password, e-mail addresses of the sender and receiver and a key formed by said key exchange on a storage medium and deleting the received e-mail selectively;

carrying out, at the TCP2 mail system application, a display of a key status in connection with the e-mail transmitted from said mail system core, carrying out a list display of the transmitted and received mails; and

carrying out, at the TCP2 mail system application, a plaintext display of the encrypted mail received by said existing mailer.