Methods, data structures, and systems to remotely validate a message

• US 7,281,269 B1
• Filed: 03/06/2002
• Issued: 10/09/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Novell Incorporated (Open Text Corporation)
• Inventors: Fletcher, Samuel F., Stephenson, Preston D., Parker, Jay, Sievers, A. Kent
• Primary Examiner(s): Barron, Gilberto
• Assistant Examiner(s): CERVETTI, DAVID GARCIA
• Application Number:
  US10/092,822
• Time in Patent Office: 2,043 Days
• Field of Search: 713/161, 726/24
• US Class Current: 726/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• 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 63/123 received data contents, e.g. message integrity

Abstract

Methods, data structures, and systems are provided to validate a message. A client receives a message in a first encrypted format. The message is decrypted and transferred to a remote server before being accessed by the client. In one embodiment, the client encrypts the message in a second encrypted format before transferring the message to the remote server. The remote server scans and validates the message and sends a result of the scan to the client. The client removes the message if the result indicates the remote server did not validate the message. Moreover, the client accesses or otherwise consumes the message if the result indicates the message was validated by the remote server.

Claims

1. A method to remotely validate an email message, comprising:

receiving, at a recipient, the email message in a first encrypted format from a sender of the email message, wherein the recipient is whom the email message is directed to for consumption;

decrypting, at the recipient, contents of the email message from the first encrypted format;

transferring, from the recipient, the decrypted email message contents to a remote server; and

receiving, at the recipient, from the remote server a status flag, wherein a value associated with the status flag indicates whether the contents are free from a virus or are free from objectionable material as validated by the remote server.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising encrypting the email message in a second encrypted format before transferring the email message to the remote server.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising accessing the email message for use, if the value of the status flag indicates the remote server validated the email message.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein in transferring the email message, the first encrypted format is a Secure Multi-Purpose Internet Mail Extension (S/MIME) format.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein in receiving the status flag, if the value of the status flag indicates the remote server validated the email message, then subsequent accesses made to the email message do not result in the email message being transferred to the remote server for validation.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein in transferring the email message, the email message is streamed to the remote server.

7. A method to validate a data message, comprising:

receiving the data message from a client, wherein the data message was previously received at the client and sent from a sender of the data message to the client, wherein the client decrypts the data message before the data message is processed by the client, and wherein the client is external and remote to the method and communicates with the method over a network by sending the data message for scanning, and wherein the client is who the data message is directed to for consumption;

scanning the data message for viruses; and

sending a validation flag to the client, wherein the validation flag includes a value indicating whether the data message includes zero or more of the viruses.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising decrypting the data message before scanning the data message.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein in decrypting the data message, the data message is decrypted using a public key of the client.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein in receiving the data message, the data message is an email message and the client is an email client.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein in receiving the data message, the data message is received from an operating system residing on the client.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein in scanning the data message, a scanning set of executable instructions is selectively executed to scan the data message for zero or more of the viruses.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein in receiving the data message, the data message is received as a data stream from the client and scanned as the data stream is received.

14. An email system to validate an email message, comprising:

a local email set of executable instructions residing on a client;

a remote validation set of executable instructions residing on a server; and

wherein the email message is received by the local email set of executable instructions from a sender, who intends the email message for the client and the client is who the email message is directed to for consumption, and local email set of executable instructions decrypts the email message and then streams the email message to the remote validation set of executable instructions located on the server in an unencrypted format or in a different encrypted format from what was received on the client from the sender and wherein the email message is scanned and a validation flag associated with a result of the scan is sent to the local email set of executable instructions back on the client.

15. The email system of claim 14, wherein the local email set of executable instructions accesses the email message if the result indicates the scan validated the email message.

16. The email system of claim 15, wherein the scan validates the email message if the email messages are free of viruses.

17. The email system of claim 14, wherein the local email set of executable instructions removes the data message if the flag indicates the scan did not validate the email message.

18. The email system of claim 14, wherein communications between the local email set of executable instructions and the remote validation set of executable instructions are secure.

19. The email system of claim 18, wherein public and private key pairs associated with the client and the server are used to encrypt and authenticate the communications.

20. The email system of claim 14, wherein the email message includes an attachment message and wherein the email message is in a Secure Multi-Purpose Internet Mail Extension (S/MIME) format when received by the local email set of executable instructions.