Secure message delivery using a trust broker

• US 8,732,452 B2
• Filed: 06/23/2008
• Issued: 05/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Byrum, Frank, Mehta, Mayank, Jain, Chandresh, Conceicao, Ladislau, Kress, Brian, Gourevitch, Greg, Nelte, Michael, Barnes, Chris
• Primary Examiner(s): Barron, Jr., Gilberto
• Assistant Examiner(s): KANAAN, SIMON P
• Application Number:
  US12/143,856
• Publication Number:
  US 20090319781A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,157 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 713/153
• 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 63/0435 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply symmetric encryption, i.e. same key used for encryption and decryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for symmetric key encryption H04L9/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0807 using tickets, e.g. Kerberos cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using tickets or tokens H04L9/3213

Abstract

An email security system is described that allows users within different organizations to securely send email to one another. The email security system provides a federation server on the Internet or other unsecured network accessible by each of the organizations. Each organization provides identity information to the federation server. When a sender in one organization sends a message to a recipient in another organization, the federation server provides the sender'"'"'s email server with a secure token for encrypting the message to provide secure delivery over the unsecured network.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for securely sending an email message from a first organization to a second organization over an unsecured network, the method comprising:

receiving, by an email server of the first organization, an email message from a client computer of a sender associated with the first organization;

identifying, by the email server of the first organization, an email server of a second organization associated with a recipient of the email message;

sending, by the email server of the first organization, a request to a federation server configured to act as a trust broker between the first organization and the second organization, wherein the request identifies the email server of the first organization and requests a token for securely sending the email message to the email server of the second organization;

receiving, by the email server of the first organization, a response to the request from the federation server, the response including a symmetric key and an encrypted token that contains the symmetric key, wherein the encrypted token can only be opened by the email server of the second organization with a private key of the second organization; and

using, by the email server of the first organization, the symmetric key and the encrypted token received from the federation server to secure and send the email message to the email server of the second organization over the unsecured network.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the email server of the first organization secures the email message by encrypting the email message with the symmetric key, and

the email server of the second organization is configured to obtain the symmetric key from the encrypted token and decrypt the email message using the symmetric key.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the email server of the first organization secures the email message by encrypting the email message with a separate encryption key and encrypting the separate encryption key with the symmetric key, and

the email server of the second organization is configured to obtain the symmetric key from the encrypted token, decrypt the separate encryption key using the symmetric key, and decrypt the email message using the separate encryption key.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the email server of the first organization identifies the email server of the second organization by reading protocol information of the email message.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the email server of the first organization identifies the email server of the second organization by accessing a message property of the email message.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending, by the email server of the first organization, a request to the federation server for each domain identified in the email message when the email message is addressed to multiple recipients at different domains.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the request identifies the email server of the first organization using identity information that matches identity information previously provided by the first organization to the federation server.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the request further identifies a purpose for which the token is requested.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the encrypted token is encrypted using a public key associated with a domain of the second organization.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the symmetric key is a proof of possession key.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the email server of the first organization adds security information to the email message as a Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) part.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the email server of the first organization adds control flags to the email message that specify processing performed on the email message.

13. A computer-readable storage device that does not consist of a signal, the computer-readable storage device storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause a computer system to perform a method comprising:

receiving an email message from a client computer of a sender associated with a first organization;

identifying an email server of a second organization associated with a recipient of the email message;

sending a request to a federation server configured to act as a trust broker between the first organization and the second organization, wherein the request identifies the computer system and requests a token for securely sending the email message to the email server of the second organization;

receiving a response to the request from the federation sever, the response including a symmetric key and an encrypted token that contains the symmetric key, wherein the encrypted token can only be opened by the email server of the second organization with a private key of the second organization; and

using the symmetric key and the encrypted token received from the federation server to secure and send the email message to the email server of the second organization over an unsecured network.

14. The computer-readable storage device of claim 13, wherein the request identifies the computer system using identity information that matches identity information previously provided by the first organization to the federation server.

15. The computer-readable storage device of claim 13, wherein the encrypted token further contains a verification of the computer system signed by the federation server.

16. The computer-readable storage device of claim 13, wherein the request further identifies a purpose for which the token is requested.

17. The computer-readable storage device of claim 13, wherein the encrypted token is encrypted using a public key associated with a domain of the second organization.

18. The computer-readable storage device of claim 13, further storing at least one of:

computer-executable instructions for securing the email message by encrypting the email message with the symmetric key, or

computer-executable instructions for securing the email message by encrypting the email message with a separate encryption key and encrypting the separate encryption key with the symmetric key.

19. A computer system comprising:

a processor configured to execute computer-executable instructions; and

memory storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the computer system to perform a method comprising;

receiving an email message from a client computer of a sender associated with a first organization;

identifying an email server of a second organization associated with a recipient of the email message;

sending a request to a federation server configured to act as a trust broker between the first organization and the second organization, wherein the request identifies the computer system and requests a token for securely sending the email message to the email server of the second organization;

receiving a response to the request from the federation sever, the response including a symmetric key and an encrypted token that contains the symmetric key, wherein the encrypted token can only be opened by the email server of the second organization with a private key of the second organization; and

using the symmetric key and the encrypted token received from the federation server to secure and send the email message to the email server of the second organization over an unsecured network.

20. The computer system of claim 19, wherein the memory further stores at least one of:

computer-executable instructions for securing the email message by encrypting the email message with the symmetric key, or

computer-executable instructions for securing the email message by encrypting the email message with a separate encryption key and encrypting the separate encryption key with the symmetric key.