SECURE MESSAGE FORWARDING SYSTEM DETECTING USER'S PREFERENCES INCLUDING SECURITY PREFERENCES

• US 20090150675A1
• Filed: 01/02/2009
• Published: 06/11/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ZixCorp Systems, Inc. (Open Text Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Zix Corporation (Open Text Corporation)
• Inventors: Cook, David P.
• Granted Patent: US 9,419,950 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/175
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• 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 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0442 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply asymmetric encryption, i.e. different keys for encryption and decryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for public-key encryption H04L9/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/123 received data contents, e.g. message integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/126 the source of the received data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access

Abstract

A system and method for providing secure message services. The system includes a forwarding service to receive message for delivery to a recipient. The system checks for preferences for delivery of the message content including encryption preferences and notifies the recipient or delivers the message according to the encryption preferences. The system includes an interoperability engine to determine delivery preferences including security preferences, the security preferences indicating a security protocol by which the message can be securely delivered to the recipient.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a message for delivery to a recipient;

identifying one or more recipient preferences including determining whether at least one security preference associated with a delivery of the message has been specified; and

delivering the message to the recipient based on the at least one security preference if it is determined that at least one security preference has been specified.

2. The method of claim 1, where it is determined that no security preference has been specified or if the one or more recipient preferences include a preference for web-based delivery, the method further comprising:

storing the message in a queue structure;

generating a secure link that directs the recipient to the queue structure; and

notifying the recipient of the secure link.

3. The method of claim 2, where storing the message in a queue structure includes storing the message in a message area of the queue structure, the message area corresponding to an index area of the queue structure, the index area including an index that corresponds to the message.

4. The method of claim 3, where notifying the recipient of the secure link includes notifying the recipient of the index in the index area through which the recipient retrieves the message.

5. The method of claim 1, where it is determined that no security preference has been specified, the method further comprising:

sending a notification to the recipient, the notification including instructions for retrieving the message.

6. The method of claim 1, where delivering the message to the recipient includes:

encrypting the message; and

delivering the encrypted message to the recipient.

7. The method of claim 1, where determining whether the at least one security preference associated with a delivery of the message has been specified includes determining whether a decryption capability associated with the recipient has been specified;

and

where if it is determined that decryption capability associated with the recipient has been specified, delivering the message to the recipient includes;

encrypting the message in accordance with the decryption capability of the recipient; and

delivering the encrypted message to the recipient

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

sending the message to the recipient through a forwarding service if the decryption capability of the recipient cannot be determined, the recipient does not have decryption capability, or the recipient has a preference of not using decryption.

9. The method of claim 8, where sending the message to the recipient through the forwarding service includes:

making the message available to the recipient for retrieval through a secure link; and

notifying the recipient that the message is available for retrieval.

10. The method of claim 9, where making the message available to the recipient for retrieval through a secure link includes:

generating a link between the forwarding service and a web browser established using SSL protocol; and

making the message available to the recipient for retrieval through the link.

11. The method of claim 7, where determining whether a decryption capability associated with the recipient has been specified includes determining whether a public key associated with the recipient is available from an external server.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining if the recipient has a published key;

if the recipient has a published key, encrypting the message and delivering the encrypted message to the recipient; and

if the recipient does not have a published key, notifying the recipient that the message is available for retrieval.

13. A system comprising:

a server to verify an authenticity of a message for delivery to a recipient; and

a forwarding engine to;

determine whether one or more recipient preferences have been established including determine whether one or more security preferences have been set;

notify the recipient that the message is available for retrieval if the one or more recipient preferences have not been established; and

encrypt the message in accordance with the one or more recipient preferences and deliver the encrypted message to the recipient if the one or more recipient preferences have been established.

14. The system of claim 13, where the server is configured to generate a time stamp certificate to verify the authenticity of the message.

15. The system of claim 14, where the server is further configured to determine if a public key associated with the sender of the message is available;

and

if the server determines that the public key associated with the sender is available, the server forwards the time stamp certificate to the sender.

16. The system of claim 15, where the sender:

receives the time stamp certificate;

attaches the received time stamp certificate in the message;

encrypts the message attached with the time stamp certificate; and

forwards the encrypted message to the recipient.

17. The system of claim 15, where if the server determines that no public key associated with the sender is available, the forwarding engine is configured to:

notify the recipient that the message is available for retrieval.

18. The system of claim 13, where the forwarding engine is operable to determine a decryption capability of the recipient, and encrypt the message in accordance with the decryption capability of the recipient.

19. The system of claim 13, where the forwarding engine is operable to:

identify a security protocol appropriate for use in forwarding the message to the recipient; and

search for a key associated with the recipient to be used in encrypting the message to be sent to the recipient.

20. The system of claim 13, where the forwarding engine includes an access list containing data indicating a decryption capability of the recipient.

21. A computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to

receive a message for delivery to a recipient;

determine whether at least one security preference associated with a delivery of the message has been specified; and

deliver the message to the recipient based on the at least one security preference if it is determined that at least one security preference has been specified.