Validating E-mails using message posting services

• US 9,887,950 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2016
• Issued: 02/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2015
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Sasatani, Yohkichi, Shibutani, Katsuya, Takiguchi, Ichiro, Yatsu, Yoshiki
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TU T
• Application Number:
  US15/194,681
• Publication Number:
  US 20160359892A1
• Time in Patent Office: 588 Days
• Field of Search: 709206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2365 Ensuring data consistency and integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/126 the source of the received data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1466 Active attacks involving interception, injection, modification, spoofing of data unit addresses, e.g. hijacking, packet injection or TCP sequence number attacks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1483 service impersonation, e.g. phishing, pharming or web spoofing detection of rogue wireless access points H04W12/12

Abstract

Validation of e-mails is provided. An e-mail is received. A sender of the e-mail is determined. A message posting service account that is associated with the sender is identified. The message posting service is queried for a first hash value that corresponds to the e-mail based, at least in part, on the account. A response is received from the message posting service. Whether the account includes the first hash value is determined based, at least in part, on the response. The e-mail is or is not validated based, at least in part, on the response from the message posting service.

Claims

1. A method for validating e-mails, the method comprising:

receiving, by one or more computer processors, an e-mail;

determining, by one or more computer processors, a sender of the e-mail;

identifying, by one or more computer processors, an account of a message posting service, wherein the account is associated with the sender;

querying, by one or more computer processors, the message posting service for a first hash value corresponding to the e-mail based, at least in part, on the account;

receiving, by one or more computer processors, a response from the message posting service;

determining, by one or more computer processors, whether the account includes the first hash value based, at least in part, on the response;

validating, by one or more computer processors, the e-mail based, at least in part, on the response from the message posting service

determining, by one or more computer processors, a time of receipt of the e-mail;

determining, by one or more computer processors, a time of posting of the first hash value; and

determining, by one or more computer processors, a duration of time between the time of receipt and the time of posting.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein validating the e-mail comprises:

in response to determining that the account includes the first hash value, calculating, by one or more computer processors, a second hash value based, at least in part, on one or more predetermined portions of the e-mail; and

determining, by one or more computer processors, that the first hash value is equal to the second hash value, and, in response, determining, by one or more computer processors, that the e-mail is authentic.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein validating the e-mail comprises:

in response to determining that the account includes the first hash value, calculating, by one or more computer processors, a second hash value based, at least in part, on one or more predetermined portions of the e-mail; and

determining, by one or more computer processors, that the first hash value is not equal to the second hash value, and, in response, determining, by one or more computer processors, that the e-mail has been tampered with.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first hash value is posted to the message posting service via the account associated with the sender, and wherein the first hash value is based, at least in part, on the one or more predetermined portions of the e-mail.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein querying the message posting service for the first hash value is based, at least in part, on verification data contained in the e-mail.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein querying the message posting service for the first hash value is based, at least in part, on a time of receipt of the e-mail.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein validating the e-mail comprises:

determining, by one or more computer processors, that the first hash value is not posted to the account based on a response to querying the message posting service and, in response, determining, by one or more computer processors, that the e-mail is spoofed.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein validating the e-mail comprises:

determining, by one or more computer processors, that the first hash value is equal to the second hash value;

determining, by one or more computer processors, that the duration of time between the time of receipt and the time of posting is less than a threshold duration of time; and

determining, by one or more computer processors, that the e-mail is authentic.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein validating the e-mail comprises:

responsive to determining, by one or more computer processors, that the duration of time between the time of receipt and the time of posting is equal to or greater than the threshold duration of time, determining, by one or more computer processors, that the e-mail has been tampered with.