Systems and methods for controlling email access

• US 9,325,713 B2
• Filed: 05/07/2014
• Issued: 04/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AirWatch LLC (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AirWatch LLC (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Stuntebeck, Erich, Dabbiere, David
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TU T
• Application Number:
  US14/272,224
• Publication Number:
  US 20140245381A1
• Time in Patent Office: 720 Days
• Field of Search: 726/1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227

Abstract

Embodiments of the disclosure relate to proxying at least one email resource from at least one email service to at least one client device, identifying at least one resource rule associated with the email resources, and adding at least one URL to the email resources in accordance with the resource rules.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium embodying a program executable in at least one computing device comprising at least one hardware processor, the program comprising code that, when executed by the at least one computing device, causes the at least one computing device to:

access an email resource requested by a client device from at least one email service;

identify a resource rule specifying a condition for which the client device is authorized to access the email resource, the resource rule being identified based at least in part on a device state of the client device;

determine whether the email resource satisfies the resource rule based at least in part on a stringency level associated with the resource rule, the stringency level being increased or reduced based at least in part on the device state;

responsive to the email resource failing to satisfy the resource rule, modify the email resource causing the email resource to satisfy the resource rule; and

responsive to the email resource, as modified, satisfying the resource rule, authorize the client device to access the email resource.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the code that modifies the email resource to satisfy the resource rule further comprises code that formats the email resource from a current format of the email resource into hypertext markup language (HTML) format, rich text format, or plain text format.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the code that modifies the email resource to satisfy the resource rule further comprises code that encodes the email resource using advanced encryption standard (AES) or data encryption standard (DES).

4. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the code that modifies the email resource to satisfy the resource rule further comprises code that configures the email resource to be exclusively accessible via at least one secure container application executable by the client device.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the code that modifies the email resource to satisfy the resource rule further comprises code that:

removes an attachment associated with the email resource;

encrypts the attachment based at least in part on a cryptographic key; and

makes the attachment as encrypted available via a client application executable by the client device.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the code that modifies the email resource to satisfy the resource rule further comprises code that removes a digital image from a body of the email resource and attaches the digital image as an attachment to the email resource.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the code that modifies the email resource to satisfy the resource rule further comprises code that:

flags the email resource as having been modified; and

attaches an indication to the email resource that provides information associated with a modification of the email resource.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the code that authorizes the client device to access the email resource further comprises code that:

transmits the email resource to the client device responsive to modifying the email resource to satisfy the resource rule;

makes the email resource available for a download by the client device;

or

transmits the email resource to the client device upon receiving a request to download the email resource from the client device.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the device state further comprises information associated with a current time associated with the client device, at least one network accessible by the client device, or at least one network beacon accessible by the client device.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the device state further comprises information associated with a hardware feature of the client device, a software feature of the client device, or an application accessible by the client device.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the resource rule further comprises a variably stringent resource rule, wherein a stringency of the variably stringent resource rule is based at least in part on the device state associated with the client device.

12. A system, comprising:

a first computing device comprising at least one hardware processor; and

program code executed in the first computing device that causes the first computing device to at least;

proxy a second computing device to access an email resource requested by a client device from an email service;

identify a resource rule specifying a condition for which the client device is authorized to access the email resource, the resource rule being identified based at least in part on a device state associated with the client device;

determine whether the email resource satisfies the resource rule based at least in part on a stringency level associated with the resource rule, the stringency level being increased or reduced based at least in part on the device state;

responsive to the email resource failing to satisfy the resource rule, modify the email resource to satisfy the resource rule; and

responsive to the email resource satisfying the resource rule, authorize the client device to access the email resource.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the program code that causes the first computing device to modify the email resource to satisfy the resource rule further comprises program code that causes the first computing device to add at least one uniform resource locator (URL) to the email resource responsive to the at least one URL being required by the resource rule.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the program code that causes the first computing device to modify the email resource to satisfy the resource rule further comprises program code that causes the first computing device to encode the email resource using advanced encryption standard (AES) or data encryption standard (DES).

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the program code that causes the first computing device to modify the email resource to satisfy the resource rule further comprises program code that causes the first computing device to configure the email resource to be exclusively accessible via at least one secure container application executable by the client device.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the program code that causes the first computing device to modify the email resource to satisfy the resource rule further comprises program code that causes the first computing device to at least:

remove an attachment associated with the email resource;

encrypt the attachment based at least in part on a cryptographic key; and

make the attachment as encrypted available via a client application executable by the client device.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the program code that causes the first computing device to modify the email resource to satisfy the resource rule further comprises program code that causes the first computing device to remove a digital image from a body of the email resource and attaches the digital image as an attachment to the email resource.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the program code that causes the first computing device to modify the email resource to satisfy the resource rule further comprises program code that causes the first computing device to at least:

flag the email resource as having been modified; and

attach an indication to the email resource that provides information associated with a modification of the email resource.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein the device state further comprises information associated with a current time associated with the client device, at least one network accessible by the client device, or at least one network beacon accessible by the client device.

20. The system of claim 12, wherein the device state further comprises information associated with a hardware feature of the client device, a software feature of the client device, or an application accessible by the client device.

21. The system of claim 12, wherein the resource rule further comprises a variably stringent resource rule, wherein a stringency of the variably stringent resource rule is based at least in part on the device state associated with the client device.

22. A method, comprising:

accessing, by a first computing device comprising at least one hardware processor, an email resource from a second computing device, the email resource being requested by a client device from an email service;

identifying, by the first computing device, a resource rule specifying a condition for which the client device is authorized to access the email resource, the resource rule being identified based at least in part on a device state associated with the client device;

determining, by the first computing device, whether the email resource satisfies the resource rule based at least in part on a stringency level associated with the resource rule, the stringency level being increased or reduced based at least in part on the device state;

responsive to the email resource failing to satisfy the resource rule, modifying, by the first computing device, the email resource to satisfy the resource rule; and

responsive to the email resource satisfying the resource rule, authorizing, by the first computing device, the client device to access the email resource.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein modifying the email resource to satisfy the resource rule further comprises adding, by the first computing device, at least one uniform resource locator (URL) to the email resource responsive to the at least one URL being required by the resource rule.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein modifying the email resource to satisfy the resource rule further comprises encoding, by the first computing device, the email resource using advanced encryption standard (AES) or data encryption standard (DES).

25. The method of claim 22, wherein modifying the email resource to satisfy the resource rule further comprises configuring, by the first computing device, the email resource to be exclusively accessible via at least one secure container application executable by the client device.

26. The method of claim 22, wherein modifying the email resource to satisfy the resource rule further comprises:

removing, by the first computing device, an attachment associated with the email resource;

encrypting, by the first computing device, the attachment based at least in part on a cryptographic key; and

making, by the first computing device, the attachment as encrypted available via a client application executable by the client device.

27. The method of claim 22, wherein modifying the email resource to satisfy the resource rule further comprises removing, by the first computing device, a digital image from a body of the email resource and attaching, by the first computing device, the digital image as an attachment to the email resource.

28. The method of claim 22, wherein modifying the email resource to satisfy the resource rule further comprises:

flagging, by the first computing device, the email resource as having been modified; and

attaching, by the first computing device, an indication to the email resource that provides information associated with a modification of the email resource.

29. The method of claim 22, wherein the device state further comprises information associated with a current time associated with the client device, at least one network accessible by the client device, or at least one network beacon accessible by the client device.

30. The method of claim 22, wherein the device state further comprises information associated with a hardware feature of the client device, a software feature of the client device, or an application accessible by the client device.

31. The method of claim 22, wherein the resource rule further comprises a variably stringent resource rule, wherein a stringency of the variably stringent resource rule is based at least in part on the device state associated with the client device.