Message challenge response

• US 8,396,926 B1
• Filed: 03/11/2003
• Issued: 03/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Quest Software, Inc.
• Original Assignee: SonicWALL, Inc. (SonicWall Holdings Ltd.)
• Inventors: Oliver, Jonathan J., Wilson, Brian K., Uyeda, Damon K., Eikenberry, Scott D., Koblas, David A., Nufire, Tim
• Primary Examiner(s): Winder, Patrice
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hussain, Tauqir
• Application Number:
  US10/387,352
• Time in Patent Office: 3,654 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/207, 726 17- 21, 726 26- 33
• US Class Current: 709/206
• 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 63/1441 Countermeasures against malicious traffic countermeasures against attacks on cryptographic mechanisms H04L9/002

Abstract

A system and method are disclosed for registering a email sender for the purpose of sending an email message to an email receiver including receiving a challenge message wherein the challenge message includes a machine answerable question; processing the challenge message to determine that it is a challenge message sent for the purpose of authorizing delivery of the email message; analyzing the question to determine a valid response to the challenge message; and sending the valid response that includes the answer wherein a nontrivial amount of resources are required to send the valid response.

Claims

1. A method of registering an electronic-mail (e-mail) sender for the purpose of sending e-mail messages to an e-mail recipient, the method comprising:

receiving a challenge message in response to an e-mail message sent by the email sender, wherein the challenge message includes a machine answerable question;

processing the challenge message to determine that the message is a challenge message sent for the purpose of authorizing delivery of e-mail messages, wherein processing the challenge message includes identifying an indicator that the message is a challenge message;

parsing the message to locate the machine answerable question in the challenge message;

analyzing the question to determine a valid response to the challenge message, wherein a nontrivial amount of resources are required to determine the valid response; and

sending the valid response,

wherein the valid response includes a correct answer to the machine answerable question, the machine answerable question being automatically analyzed without human intervention,

wherein an independent third-party auditor verifies validity of the response and sends a report to the e-mail recipient indicating the validity of the response, and

wherein receipt of the report indicating the valid response results in the e-mail sender being registered as a valid e-mail sender whereby subsequent e-mail messages sent by the registered and valid e-mail sender will not require sending a valid response to a challenge message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein registering the e-mail sender includes registering a plurality of e-mail addresses associated with the e-mail sender.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the challenge message is sent by the e-mail recipient to the e-mail sender.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the valid response is sent by the e-mail sender to the e-mail recipient, whereupon the e-mail recipient then processes the e-mail message sent by the e-mail sender, the e-mail message having been held in a temporary location pending receipt of the valid response.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the valid response is sent by the e-mail sender to the auditor, whereupon the e-mail recipient then processes the email message sent by the e-mail sender, the e-mail message having been held in a temporary location pending receipt of the report.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the e-mail sender is an e-mail client.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the e-mail sender is an e-mail server.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the e-mail recipient is an e-mail client.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the e-mail recipient is an e-mail server.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the nontrivial amount of resources includes dedication of processor cycles.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the nontrivial amount of resources includes dedication of system memory.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the nontrivial amount of resources includes a computer-based micropayment.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the micropayment is deducted from an escrow account.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the challenge message includes a human answerable question presented to a user at the e-mail sender if a mail client application hosted by the e-mail sender does not include a challenge message response feature.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein a correct answer to the human answerable question is the same as a correct answer the machine answerable question.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the response to the challenge message further includes a message identifier that associates the response with the e-mail message that caused the challenge message to be sent.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the response further includes an identifier of the e-mail sender of the e-mail message that caused the challenge message to be sent.

27. The method of claim 13, wherein the micropayment is deducted only if a total payment exceeds a predetermined amount.

28. The method of claim 1, wherein the nontrivial amount of resources includes the expiration of a licensed copy of a mail client application hosted by the e-mail sender, wherein the mail client application license expires after a predetermined number of challenges are analyzed for the purpose of sending the valid response to the challenge message.

18. An electronic-mail (e-mail) server configured to complete a registration process for sending e-mail messages to an e-mail recipient, the e-mail server comprising:

a network interface configured to receive a challenge message in response to an email message sent by the e-mail server, the challenge message received over a communications network and including a machine answerable question;

memory configured to store computer-executable instructions for answering the challenge message; and

a processor configured to execute the instructions stored in memory, the instructions including the steps of;

processing the challenge message to determine that the message is a challenge message for the purpose of authorizing delivery of e-mail messages, wherein processing the challenge message includes identifying an indicator that the message is a challenge message,

parsing the message to locate the machine answerable question in the challenge message,

analyzing the machine answerable question to determine a valid response to the challenge message, the machine answerable question being automatically analyzed without human intervention, and wherein a nontrivial amount of resources are required to determine the valid response, and

sending the valid response via the network interface and communications network,

wherein the valid response includes the answer to the machine answerable question,

wherein an independent third-party auditor verifies the validity of the response and sends a report to the e-mail recipient indicating the validity of the response, and

wherein receipt of the report indicating the valid response results in the e-mail server being registered as a valid e-mail server whereby subsequent e-mail messages sent by the registered and valid e-mail server will not require sending a valid response to a challenge message.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having embodied thereon a program, the program being executable by a computer processor to perform a method of registering an electronic-mail (e-mail) sender for the purpose of sending email messages to an e-mail recipient, the method comprising:

receiving a challenge message in response to an e-mail message sent by the email sender, wherein the challenge message includes a machine answerable question;

processing the challenge message to determine that the message is a challenge message sent for the purpose of authorizing delivery of e-mail messages, wherein processing the challenge message includes Identifying an indicator that the message is a challenge message;

parsing the message to locate the machine answerable question in the challenge message;

analyzing the machine answerable question to determine a valid response to the challenge message, the machine answerable question being automatically analyzed without human intervention, and wherein a nontrivial amount of resources are required to determine the valid response; and

sending the valid response,

wherein the valid response includes an answer to the machine answerable question,

wherein an independent third-party auditor verifies the validity of the response and sends a report to the e-mail recipient indicating the validity of the response, and

wherein receipt of report indicating the valid response results in the email sender being registered as a valid e-mail sender whereby subsequent e-mail messages sent by the valid and registered e-mail sender will not require sending a valid response to a challenge message.

20. A method of registering an electronic mail (e-mail) sender for the purpose of sending e-mail messages to an e-mail recipient, the method comprising:

receiving a challenge message in response to an e-mail message sent by the email sender, wherein the challenge message includes a machine answerable question;

processing the challenge message to determine that the message is a challenge message sent for the purpose of authorizing delivery of e-mail messages, wherein processing the challenge message includes identifying an indicator that the message is a challenge message;

parsing the message to locate the machine answerable question in the challenge message;

analyzing the machine answerable question to determine a valid response to the challenge message, the machine answerable question being automatically analyzed without human intervention, and wherein a nontrivial amount of resources are required to determine the valid response; and

sending the valid response to an independent third-party auditor that is a different entity than the e-mail recipient,

wherein the auditor is configured to verify the validity of the response and to send a report concerning the validity of the response to the e-mail recipient,

wherein the report identifies that the response includes a valid answer to the machine answerable question and that the e-mail sender should be registered as a valid e-mail sender whereby subsequent e-mail messages sent by the valid and registered e-mail sender will not require sending a valid response to a challenge message to the auditor.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the report further includes instructions regarding how to classify the e-mail message.

22. A method of classifying electronic-mail (e-mail) messages from an e-mail sender to an e-mail recipient comprising:

generating a challenge message including a machine answerable question and for which a corresponding response may be generated by a machine associated with the e-mail sender, wherein generating the response requires a nontrivial amount of resources with respect to;

processing the challenge message to determine that the message is a challenge message sent for the purpose of classifying e-mail messages including identification of an indicator that the message is a challenge message,

parsing the message to locate the machine answerable question in the challenge message, and

analyzing the machine answerable question to determine a valid response to the challenge message, the machine answerable question being automatically analyzed without human intervention;

sending the challenge message to the e-mail sender, wherein a response to the challenge message is sent to an auditor,

wherein the auditor is an independent third-party server, and wherein the auditor verifies validity of the response and sends a report to the e-mail recipient indicating the validity of the response; and

determining whether a valid response to the challenge message has been sent by the e-mail sender based on the report, wherein a valid response results in the e-mail sender being classified as a valid e-mail sender and excepted from future challenge messages.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the response is sent to the e-mail recipient.

24. An electronic-mail (e-mail) server configured to classify an e-mail message from an e-mail sender to an e-mail recipient, the server comprising:

memory configured to store computer-executable instructions for classifying an e-mail message; and

a processor configured to execute the instructions stored in memory, the instructions including the steps of;

generating a challenge message including a machine answerable question and for which a corresponding response may be generated by a machine associated with the e-mail sender, wherein generating the response requires a nontrivial amount of resources with respect to;

processing the challenge message to determine that the message is a challenge message sent for the purpose of classifying e-mail messages including identification of an indicator that the message is a challenge message,

parsing the message to locate the machine answerable question in the challenge message, and

analyzing the machine answerable question to determine a valid response to the challenge message, the machine answerable question being automatically analyzed without human intervention; and

sending the challenge message to the sender via a network interface, the network interface configured to send the challenge message over a communications network,

wherein an independent third-party auditor verifies validity of a response and sends a report to the e-mail recipient indicating the validity of the response, and

wherein the report indicating a valid response to the challenge message includes the answer to the machine answerable question and results in the email sender being classified as a valid e-mail server and excepted from future challenge messages.

25. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having embodied thereon a program, the program being executable by a computer processor to perform a method of classifying an electronic-mail (e-mail message from an e-mail sender to an e-mail recipient, the method comprising:

generating a challenge message including a machine answerable question and for which a corresponding response may be generated by a machine associated with the e-mail sender, wherein generating the response requires a nontrivial amount of resources with respect to;

processing the challenge message to determine that the message is a challenge message sent for the purpose of classifying e-mail messages including identification of an indicator that the message is a challenge message,

parsing the message to locate the machine answerable question in the challenge message, and

analyzing the machine answerable question to determine a valid response to the challenge message, the machine answerable question being automatically analyzed without human intervention;

sending the challenge message to the e-mail sender, wherein an independent third-party auditor verifies validity of a response and sends a report to the e-mail recipient indicating the validity of the response; and

determining whether a valid response to the challenge message has been sent by the e-mail sender based on the report, wherein a valid response results in the e-mail sender being classified as a valid sender an excepted from future challenge messages.

26. A method of classifying an electronic-mail (e-mail) message from a message sender to a message recipient, the method comprising:

generating a challenge message including a machine answerable question and for which a corresponding response may be generated by a machine associated with the e-mail sender, wherein generating the response requires a nontrivial amount of resources with respect to;

processing the challenge message to determine that the message is a challenge message sent for the purpose of classifying e-mail messages including identification of an indicator that the message is a challenge message,

parsing the message to locate the machine answerable question in the challenge message, and

analyzing the machine answerable question to determine a valid response to the challenge message, the machine answerable question being automatically analyzed without human intervention;

sending the challenge message to the e-mail sender; and

receiving a response to the challenge message at an independent third-party auditor, wherein the auditor is a different entity than the message sender, the auditor configured to verify validity of the response and to send a report concerning the response to the message recipient that identifies that the response includes a valid answer to the machine answerable question and that the e-mail sender should be classified as a valid e-mail sender whereby subsequent e-mail messages sent by the registered and valid e-mail sender will not require sending a valid response to a challenge message to the auditor.