Automated electronic messaging encryption system

• US 7,305,545 B2
• Filed: 02/14/2002
• Issued: 12/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GlobalCerts, LLC
• Original Assignee: GlobalCerts, LC
• Inventors: Filipi-Martin, Adrian, Hope, Brian A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Smithers, Matthew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fields, Courtney D.
• Application Number:
  US10/076,199
• Publication Number:
  US 20030154371A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,119 Days
• Field of Search: 713/153, 713/155, 713/156, 713/157, 713/158, 713/159, 713/171, 713/175, 713/181, 709/203, 709/209, 709/225, 709/229, 380/30, 380/255
• US Class Current: 713/153
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/76 Proxy, i.e. using intermediary entity to perform cryptographic operations network architectures or network communication protocols using hop-by-hop encryption H04L63/0464
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/102 applying security measure for e-commerce data processing systems or methods, specially adapted for e-commerce G06Q30/00
• 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 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 63/062 for key distribution, e.g. centrally by trusted party cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution involving a central third party H04L9/0819
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0894 Escrow, recovery or storing of secret information, e.g. secret key escrow or cryptographic key storage
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 involving digital signatures

Abstract

A system and method of automating the management of public and private key pairs of a sender and recipient of electronic messages over a network and for retrieving public keys of senders or recipients from secured servers, local key rings, PKI server, or Certificate Authority without requiring client-side software or user maintenance.

Claims

1. An automated encryption system for encrypting an electronic message from a sender to a recipient comprising:

a computer readable medium in communications with a sender'"'"'s e-mail client;

a set of encrypted private keys associated with senders'"'"' ID'"'"'s and passwords stored in said computer readable medium;

a set of computer readable encryption instructions embodied in the computer readable medium for receiving the electronic message from the e-mail client that is created by the sender and addressed to the recipient having the sender'"'"'s ID and password, attempting to decrypt the sender'"'"'s private key according to the sender'"'"'s ID and password, if the sender'"'"'s private key is successfully decrypted, attempting to retrieve the recipient'"'"'s public key from the computer readable medium;

if the sender'"'"'s private key is successfully decrypted, and the recipient'"'"'s public key is not located in the computer readable medium, attempting to retrieve the recipient'"'"'s public key from a PKI server in communications with the computer readable medium, encrypting said electronic message according to the recipient'"'"'s public key, forwarding the encrypted message to the recipient for subsequent retrieval so that the electronic message is automatically encrypted and delivered to the recipient without the need for the email client to retrieve the recipient'"'"'s public key or encrypt the message.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein:

said set of computer readable encryption instructions include instructions for retrieving the private key associated with the sender from said set of private key data and digitally signing the electronic message from the sender according to the private key associated with the sender so that the recipient can verify the authenticity of the electronic message.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein:

said set of computer readable encryption instructions include instructions that if the sender'"'"'s private key is successfully decrypted but the recipient'"'"'s public key is not located on the PKI server, attempting to retrieve the recipient'"'"'s public key from a certificate authority in communications with the computer readable medium.

4. They system of claim 1 including:

a set of computer readable key maintenance instructions embodied within the computer readable medium for creating a key pair having at least one public key associated with the sender and a private key associated with the public key and the sender, storing the public key within said set of public key data so that the public key associated with the sender is available for retrieval, receiving a password from the sender, encrypting the private key according to the password, storing the encrypted private key within said private key data so that the sender can retrieve the private key for decrypting messages sent to the sender, and, deleting said key pair to prevent the sender from decrypting encrypted messages so that an automated key management system is provided for automatically managing key pairs for senders.