Marking electronic messages to indicate human origination

• US 9,015,472 B1
• Filed: 03/10/2006
• Issued: 04/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: McAfee, LLC
• Original Assignee: McAfee, Inc. (McAfee, LLC)
• Inventors: Chasin, C. Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Truong, Thanhnga B
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jeudy, Josnel
• Application Number:
  US11/372,970
• Time in Patent Office: 3,329 Days
• Field of Search: 709/224, 709/223, 709204-207, 455/466, 455/403, 707/1, 707/3, 707/4, 713164-167, 713/186, 726 34- 36, 379/70, 379/79, 379/80, 340 52- 586, 715751-753
• US Class Current: 713/156
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/121 Timestamp cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements involving time stamps H04L9/3297
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/126 the source of the received data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/002 Countermeasures against attacks on cryptographic mechanisms network architectures or network communication protocols for protection against malicious traffic H04L63/1441

Abstract

Systems and methods for marking electronic messages to indicate human origination are provided. According to one embodiment, an electronic message and information verifying the electronic message is human originated are received. Then, the fact that the electronic message is human originated is conveyed to one or more recipients of the electronic message by associating with the electronic message a human origination indication.

Claims

1. A computerized method, implemented on a computer system, for conveying human origination of an electronic message to at least one recipient comprising:

coupling at least one physical presence indicating mechanism to said computer system having a memory and a central processing unit (CPU) to perform processes for conveying human origination;

determining by said computer system that said message is human originated if output of said at least one physical presence indicating mechanism indicates a physical presence, wherein a biomark is used in assisting in the determining whether the message is human originated, and wherein the biomark is associated with a unique physical characteristic of an end user that originated the message;

marking said electronic message with a human origination indication containing information verifying that said electronic message is human originated if said electronic message was determined to be human originated by said computer system, wherein the human origination indication containing information is wrapped in a first digital signature that is included in the electronic message and that reflects an originating timestamp, and wherein the electronic message includes a second digital signature reflecting the biomark being associated with personal identity information;

receiving said electronic message and said human origination indication containing said information verifying said electronic message is human originated by at least one recipient; and

conveying to said at least one recipient of said electronic message that said electronic message is human originated by said human origination indication of said electronic message.

2. The computerized method of claim 1 wherein said at least one physical presence indicating mechanism is comprised of at least one of a group comprising:

a physical presence verification device, a biometric device, a smart card reader, a signature verification system, a magnetic keycard reader, a security token reader, an access-control device, a verification test system, a verification test system incorporating a visual test requiring a human operator to type in a few characters that appear in a form that prevents a computer/software robot from recognizing said few characters, a verification test system incorporating an auditory test requiring a human operator to type in a few audio delivered characters that are in a form that prevents a computer/software robot from recognizing said audio delivered a few characters, a peripheral device incorporating electric field (EF) sensing, a standalone device performing electric field (EF) sensing, an ultrasonic sensing device, an optoelectronic sensing device based on electro-magnetic reflection, a physical presence sensing device based on infrared reflection, a physical presence sensing device based on microwave reflection, a pyroelectric system, a laser system, an inductive system, a triboelectric sensing system, a fingerprint reader, a hand scanner, a retina scanner, an iris scanner, a voice recognition system, and a face recognition system.

3. The computerized method of claim 1 wherein said at least one physical presence indicating mechanism is coupled to said computer system via at least one of a group comprising:

a coupling between said at least one physical presence indicating mechanism and a communications bus of said computer system;

a coupling between said at least one physical presence indicating mechanism and a communications port of said computer system; and

a coupling between said computer system and a display/keyboard/cursor control device for data display/entry by a user.

4. The computerized method of claim 1 wherein said human origination indication containing information verifying that said electronic message is human originated used to mark said electronic message is associated with said electronic message via at least one of a group comprising:

placing said human origination indicator within a header of said electronic message, placing said human origination indicator within a proprietary X-header of said electronic message, placing said human origination indicator within a standard Biomark-header of said electronic message, placing said human origination indicator within a standard Human Origination-header of said electronic message.

5. A computer system for conveying human origination of an electronic message to at least one recipient comprising:

at least one physical presence indicating mechanism coupled to said computer system;

a processor coupled to a memory and programmed with instructions to determine that said message is human originated if output of said at least one physical presence indicating mechanism indicate a physical presence and mark said electronic message with a human origination indication containing information verifying that said electronic message is human originated if said electronic message was determined to be human originated such that at least one recipient receives said electronic message and said human origination indication containing said information verifying said electronic message is human originated in order to convey to said at least one recipient that said electronic message is human originated, wherein a biomark is used in assisting to determine whether the electronic message is human originated, and wherein the biomark is associated with a unique physical characteristic of an end user that originated the electronic message, wherein the human origination indication containing information is wrapped in a first digital signature that is included in the electronic message and that reflects an originating timestamp, and wherein the electronic message includes a second digital signature reflecting the biomark being associated with personal identity information.

6. The computer system of claim 5 wherein said at least one physical presence indicating mechanism is comprised of at least one of a group comprising:

a physical presence verification device, a biometric device, a smart card reader, a signature verification system, a magnetic keycard reader, a security token reader, an access-control device, a verification test system, a verification test system incorporating a visual test requiring a human operator to type in a few characters that appear in a form that prevents a computer/software robot from recognizing said few characters, a verification test system incorporating an auditory test requiring a human operator to type in a few audio delivered characters that are in a form that prevents a computer/software robot from recognizing said audio delivered few characters, a peripheral device incorporating electric field (EF) sensing, a standalone device performing electric field (EF) sensing, an ultrasonic sensing device, an optoelectronic sensing device based on electro-magnetic reflection, a physical presence sensing device based on infrared reflection, a physical presence sensing device based on microwave reflection, a pyroelectric system, a laser system, an inductive system, a triboelectric sensing system, a fingerprint reader, a hand scanner, a retina scanner, an iris scanner, a voice recognition system, and a face recognition system.

7. The computer system of claim 5 wherein said at least one physical presence indicating mechanism is coupled to said computer system via at least one of a group comprising:

a coupling between said at least one physical presence indicating mechanism and a communications bus of said computer system;

a coupling between said at least one physical presence indicating mechanism and a communications port of said computer system; and

a coupling between said computer system and a display/keyboard/cursor control device for data display/entry by a user.

8. The computer system of claim 5 wherein said human origination indication containing information verifying that said electronic message is human originated used to mark said electronic message is associated with said electronic message via at least one of a group comprising:

placing said human origination indicator within a header of said electronic message, placing said human origination indicator within a proprietary X-header of said electronic message, placing said human origination indicator within a standard Biomark-header of said electronic message, placing said human origination indicator within a standard Human Origination-header of said electronic message.

9. A non-transitory computer readable medium that stores a computer program product, said computer program product containing instructions for a computer system having a central processing unit (CPU) to perform processes for conveying human origination of an electronic message to at least one recipient, said processes comprising:

determining that said message is human originated if output of said at least one physical presence indicating mechanism indicates a physical presence, wherein a biomark is used in assisting in the determining whether the message is human originated, and wherein the biomark is associated with a unique physical characteristic of an end user that originated the message;

marking said electronic message with a human origination indication containing information verifying that said electronic message is human originated if said electronic message was determined to be human originated, wherein the human origination indication containing information is wrapped in a first digital signature that is included in the electronic message and that reflects an originating timestamp, and wherein the electronic message includes a second digital signature reflecting the biomark being associated with personal identity information;

receiving said electronic message and said human origination indication containing said information verifying said electronic message is human originated by at least one recipient; and

conveying to said at least one recipient of said electronic message that said electronic message is human originated by said human origination indication of said electronic message.

10. The machine-readable medium that stores said computer program product of claim 9 wherein said at least one physical presence indicating mechanism is comprised of at least one of a group comprising:

a physical presence verification device, a biometric device, a smart card reader, a signature verification system, a magnetic keycard reader, a security token reader, an access-control device, a verification test system, a verification test system incorporating a visual test requiring a human operator to type in a few characters that appear in a form that prevents a computer/software robot from recognizing said few characters, a verification test system incorporating an auditory test requiring a human operator to type in a few audio delivered characters that are in a form that prevents a computer/software robot from recognizing said audio delivered few characters, a peripheral device incorporating electric field (EF) sensing, a standalone device performing electric field (EF) sensing, an ultrasonic sensing device, an optoelectronic sensing device based on electro-magnetic reflection, a physical presence sensing device based on infrared reflection, a physical presence sensing device based on microwave reflection, a pyroelectric system, a laser system, an inductive system, a triboelectric sensing system, a fingerprint reader, a hand scanner, a retina scanner, an iris scanner, a voice recognition system, and a face recognition system.

11. The machine-readable medium that stores said computer program product of claim 9 wherein said at least one physical presence indicating mechanism is coupled to said computer system via at least one of a group comprising:

a coupling between said at least one physical presence indicating mechanism and a communications bus of said computer system;

a coupling between said at least one physical presence indicating mechanism and a communications port of said computer system; and

a coupling between said computer system and a display/keyboard/cursor control device for data display/entry by a user.

12. The machine-readable medium that stores said computer program product of claim 9 wherein said human origination indication containing information verifying that said electronic message is human originated used to mark said electronic message is associated with said electronic message via at least one of a group comprising:

placing said human origination indicator within a header of said electronic message, placing said human origination indicator within a proprietary X-header of said electronic message, placing said human origination indicator within a standard Biomark-header of said electronic message, placing said human origination indicator within a standard Human Origination-header of said electronic message.