System and method for providing security via a top level domain

• US 8,468,336 B2
• Filed: 09/20/2011
• Issued: 06/18/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Park Avenue Capital LLC
• Original Assignee: Park Avenue Capital LLC
• Inventors: Finlay, Scott Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Smithers, Matthew
• Application Number:
  US13/237,334
• Publication Number:
  US 20120011357A1
• Time in Patent Office: 637 Days
• Field of Search: 713/152
• US Class Current: 713/152
• 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 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/168 above the transport layer

Abstract

A system and method is disclosed for providing end-to-end security for communications between registered clients of a top level domain without the need for further encryption/decryption protocols than those provided by said at least one of said plurality of secure communication links and said at least one secure message server. Clients registered with the top level domain are assigned at least one email and IM account and to ensure message security, are required to communicate with other registered others strictly via the assigned email and IM accounts. In this manner, non-registered users are denied secure access to the top level domain. In one embodiment, registered clients of the top-level domain may communicate with non-registered users via a gateway server in a secure or non-secure manner, as is the option of the registered client (sender).

Claims

1. A secure messaging system for a group of clients requiring secured messaging among members of the group, comprising:

at least one secure message server of a top-level domain; and

a plurality of registered clients exclusively from the group of clients such that only members of the group are permitted registration as a client, registered with the top-level domain, wherein each of the plurality of registered clients is assigned a top level domain account and only a member of the group is assigned an account in the top-level domain,

a plurality of secure communication links, communicatively coupling said plurality of registered clients, via said at least one secure message server,

wherein said at least one secure message server and said plurality of secure communication links are configured to transmit secure messages between said plurality of registered clients using the top-level domain accounts without the need for further encryption/decryption protocols.

2. The secure messaging system of claim 1, wherein said transmitted messages are selected from the group consisting of:

email messages and IM messages.

3. The secure messaging system of claim 1, wherein the at least one secure message server is a secure email message server.

4. The secure messaging system of claim 1, wherein the at least one secure message server is a secure IM message server.

5. The secure messaging system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of secure communication links operate in accordance with one of a plurality of secure protocols selected from the group consisting of:

simple mail transfer protocol (SMTP) over secure socket layer (SSL), Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) over secure socket layer (SSL), and post office protocol (POP) over secure socket layer (SSL).

6. The secure messaging system of claim 1, further comprising:

means for registering a client with said top-level domain.

7. The secure messaging system of claim 1, further comprising a gateway server configured to transmit at least one message from one of said plurality of registered clients, via said at least one secure message server, to at least one message recipient, not registered with said top-level domain.

8. The secure messaging system of claim 7, wherein said gateway server is further configured to encrypt said at least one message transmitted prior to transmitting said message to said at least one non-registered message recipient.

9. The secure messaging system of claim 8, wherein said gateway server optionally encrypts said message in response to an indicator provided in said message.

10. The secure messaging system of claim 7, further comprising:

provisioning means for provisioning said at least one non-registered message recipient to receive and decrypt encrypted messages received from said gateway server.

11. The secure messaging system of claim 10, wherein said provisioning means, further comprises:

means for authenticating said non-registered users to said top-level domain.

12. The secure messaging system of claim 10, wherein said provisioning means for provisioning non-registered message recipients is performed in a pre-operational stage.

13. The secure messaging system of claim 10, wherein said means for provisioning non-registered message recipients is performed substantially concurrent with receiving said encrypted messages.

14. The secure messaging system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of secure communication links operate in accordance with a Virtual Private Network (VPN) secure protocol.

15. A method for conducting secure messaging between at least two clients registered with a top-level domain, the at least two registered clients comprising a group of clients requiring secured messaging among members of the group, the method comprising:

creating an email message to be securely transmitted from a first client registered with the top-level domain to a second client registered with said top-level domain, wherein said clients registered with the top-level domain are exclusively from the group of clients such that only members of the group are permitted registration as a client, and wherein each of the registered clients is assigned a top level domain account and only a member of the group is assigned an account in the top-level domain;

transmitting the email message over a first secure communication link from said first client to a secure message server of the top-level domain;

re-transmitting the message from the secure message server, via a second secure communication link to said second client,

wherein said secure messaging between said first registered client and said second registered client is achieved without the need for further encryption/decryption protocols than those provided by said first and second secure communication links and said at least one secure message server.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said first and second secure communication link are selected in accordance with one of a plurality of secure protocols selected from the group consisting of:

simple mail transfer protocol (SMTP) over secure socket layer (SSL) protocol, Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) over secure socket layer (SSL) protocol, and post office protocol (POP) over secure socket layer (SSL) protocol.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the email message is created from a desktop of the first client and received at a desktop of the second client.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein registration comprises assigning an Email and an IM address associated with the top-level domain.

19. The secure messaging system of claim 15, wherein at least one of said first and second secure communication links operate in accordance with a Virtual Private Network (VPN) secure protocol.

20. A method for conducting secure IM messaging between at least two registered clients of a top-level domain, the at least two registered clients comprising a group of clients requiring secured messaging among members of the group, the method comprising:

a) creating an IM message to be transmitted securely from a first client to a second client, wherein said clients are registered with the top-level domain exclusively from the group of clients such that only members of the group are permitted registration as a client, and wherein each of the registered clients is assigned a top level domain account and only a member of the group is assigned an account in the top-level domain;

b) encrypting the created IM message at said first client using said first client encryption key;

c) transmitting the IM message over a first secure communication link to said secure IM message server;

d) decrypting the IM message at the secure message server using said first client encryption key;

e) re-encrypting the IM message at the secure message server using said second client encryption key; and

f) transmitting the re-encrypted message from the secure message server, via a second secure communication link to said second client.

21. A method according to claim 20, further comprising the steps of:

a first registered client authenticating himself to an IM secure message server associated with the top-level domain, prior to said step (a);

a second registered client authenticating himself to said secure IM message server, prior to said step (b)

wherein authentication is a pre-requisite to sending IM messages between said two registered clients.

22. A method according to claim 21, wherein authentication must be re-established between said first client and said IM secure message server and said second client and said IM secure message server after a prescribed time period has elapsed.

23. The secure messaging system of claim 20, wherein at least one of said first and second secure communication links operate in accordance with a Virtual Private Network (VPN) secure protocol.