Method and system for generating a secure message as an URL message

• US 8,886,941 B2
• Filed: 11/13/2012
• Issued: 11/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Unsene Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Unsene Incorporated
• Inventors: Kitze, Christopher A., Vo, Vinh H.
• Primary Examiner(s): LANIER, BENJAMIN E
• Application Number:
  US13/675,284
• Publication Number:
  US 20140136842A1
• Time in Patent Office: 728 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 713/171
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/18 Commands or executable codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0464 using hop-by-hop encryption, i.e. wherein an intermediate entity decrypts the information and re-encrypts it before forwarding it
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0863 involving passwords or one-time passwords network architectures or network communication protocols for using one-time keys in a packet data network H04L63/067

Abstract

A method for generating and delivering a message via a web service is provided. A message for a recipient is converted to a URL and sent. A request is received from a sender to send a message to a recipient. A URL message is created in response to receiving the request to send the message to the recipient and the URL message is sent to the recipient. A URL message response is received from the recipient and a landing message is sent to the recipient in response to receiving the URL message response. The landing message includes a hint requesting an answer from the recipient. An answer is received from the recipient and the message is sent to the recipient in response to receiving the answer.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method comprising:

establishing, at a sender'"'"'s computing device, a secure tunnel with a device associated with an intended recipient;

receiving a request from a sender to send a secure message to the intended recipient;

in response to receiving the request to send the secure message, generating a private security key for encrypting and decrypting the secure message;

receiving contents for the secure message;

generating and encrypting the secure message after generating the private security key;

storing the private security key and the encrypted secure message;

creating, at the sender'"'"'s computing device, a URL message in response to receiving the request to send the secure message to the intended recipient;

sending, from the sender'"'"'s computing device, the URL message to the intended recipient;

receiving, at the sender'"'"'s computing device, a URL message response from the intended recipient;

providing, from the sender'"'"'s computing device, a landing message to the intended recipient in response to receiving the URL message response, the landing message including a hint requesting an answer from the intended recipient;

receiving, at the sender'"'"'s computing device, the answer from the intended recipient; and

sending, from the sender'"'"'s computing device, the encrypted secure message to the intended recipient via the secure tunnel.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the hint relates to a publicly unavailable fact known between the sender and the intended recipient.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 2, wherein the answer is a passcode for the private security key.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the URL message includes:

a URL that redirects the intended recipient to the sender'"'"'s computing device that stores the private security key and the secure message when the intended recipient engages the URL.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 4, wherein the URL message response is received from the intended recipient when the intended recipient engages the URL that redirects the intended recipient to the sender'"'"'s computing device.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the secure tunnel is established using a first type of security and the private key encrypts the secure message using a second type of security that is distinct from the first type of security such that the secure message is sent using two separate types of security simultaneously.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 6, wherein the first type of security is a security protocol in accordance with the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protocol.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 6, wherein the first type of security is a security protocol in accordance with the Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol.

9. The computer implemented method of claim 6, wherein the second type of security is a security protocol in accordance with the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) Specification.

10. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing software for instructing a controller of a sender'"'"'s computing device to:

establish a secure tunnel with a device associated with an intended recipient;

receive a request from a sender to send a secure message to the intended recipient;

in response to receiving the request to send the secure message, generate a private security key for encrypting and decrypting the secure message;

receive contents for the secure message;

generate and encrypt the secure message after generating the private security key;

store the private security key and the encrypted secure message;

create a URL message in response to receiving the request to send the secure message to the intended recipient;

send the URL message to the intended recipient;

receive a URL message response from the intended recipient;

provide a landing message to the intended recipient in response to receiving the URL message response, the landing message including a hint requesting an answer from the intended recipient;

receive the answer from the intended recipient; and

send the encrypted secure message to the intended recipient via the secure tunnel.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the hint relates to a publicly unavailable fact known between the sender and the intended recipient.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the answer is a passcode for the private security key.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the URL message includes:

a URL that redirects the intended recipient to the sender'"'"'s computing device that stores the private security key and the secure message when the intended recipient engages the URL.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the URL message response is received from the intended recipient when the intended recipient engages the URL that redirects the intended recipient to the sender'"'"'s computing device.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the secure tunnel is established using a first type of security and the private key encrypts the secure message using a second type of security that is distinct from the first type of security such that the secure message is sent using two separate types of security simultaneously.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the first type of security is a security protocol in accordance with the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protocol.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the first type of security is a security protocol in accordance with the Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the second type of security is a security protocol in accordance with the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) Specification.