Spam detector defeating system

• US 6,952,719 B1
• Filed: 09/25/2001
• Issued: 10/04/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Southwest Technology Innovations LLC
• Original Assignee: Scott C Harris
• Inventors: Harris, Scott C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Etienne, Ario
• Assistant Examiner(s): OSMAN, RAMY M
• Application Number:
  US09/682,599
• Time in Patent Office: 1,470 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/207, 709/223, 709/229, 709/201, 709/203, 709/225, 709/232, 707/10
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking

Abstract

A system for detecting random information in an electronic communication, and recognizing the electronic information as being undesired information, e.g. Spam, when such random information is detected. The random information can be random characters, random words, or the like. The random words can be detected by comparing the words with a dictionary, and selecting words as being random when they do not match the dictionary. A matching criteria less than 100% may be established to accommodate words which are not in the dictionary and typographical errors.

Claims

1. An article, comprising:

a machine readable medium which stores machine executable instructions, the instructions causing a computer to;

receiving an electronic communication over a channel;

detect random information in said electronic communication that has been received over the channel; and

establish said electronic communication as possibly being an undesired electronic communication based on said detect of said random information, wherein said random information includes a plurality of random characters, and wherein said detect random characters comprises comparing a content of said electronic communication to a dictionary of words, and establishing parts within said electronic communication that are not within said dictionary as being random characters.

2. An article as in claim 1, wherein said random information includes a plurality of random words.

3. An article as in claim 1, wherein said detect random information comprises detecting specified words which include additional random information associated therewith.

4. An article as in claim 1, wherein said electronic communication is one of an e-mail or a web page.

5. An article as in claim 1, further comprising an instruction to filter said electronic communication based on said instructions to establish said electronic communication as being an undesired communication.

6. A method, comprising:

receiving an electronic communication;

detecting random information within said electronic communication; and

filtering said electronic communication, prior to reaching a user, responsive to said detecting;

wherein said random information includes random characters; and

wherein said random information includes random words, and said detecting comprises comparing said electronic communication with a dictionary of words, and establishing items which do not match any parts of said dictionary as being said random information.

7. A method as in claim 6, wherein said filtering comprises restricting said electronic communication from reaching said user, when said detecting detects said random information within said electronic communication.

8. A method as in claim 6, further comprising defining rules which determine which electronic communications should be filtered, and detecting said electronic communications based on said rules.

9. An article, comprising:

a machine readable medium which stores machine-executable instructions, the instructions causing a machine to;

process electronic communications which have been received over a channel according to rules which define characteristics of said electronic communications which will be filtered prior to reaching the user; and

establishing said electronic communication as being ones which will be filtered when content of electronic communication matches said rules by a specified amount less than 100%, wherein said establishing comprises establishing said electronic communication as being a spam communication.

10. An article as in claim 9, wherein said instructions to establish include instructions to determine a random content within said electronic communication in addition to a content defined by said rules.

11. An article as in claim 9, wherein said establishing establishes the communication as one to be filtered when the content matches by 80–

90% percent or more.

12. An article as in claim 10, wherein said random content is determined by comparing said content with a database.