System and method for determining a security encoding to be applied to outgoing messages

• US 8,370,896 B2
• Filed: 12/13/2011
• Issued: 02/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Brown, Michael Kenneth, Kirkup, Michael Grant, Brown, Michael Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): Song, Hosuk
• Application Number:
  US13/324,180
• Publication Number:
  US 20120137341A1
• Time in Patent Office: 420 Days
• Field of Search: 726 1- 3, 726 26- 27, 713160-162, 713165-168, 713/170, 713/189, 380/255, 380/270
• US Class Current: 726/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/80 Wireless network architectures or network communication protocols for wireless network security H04W12/00
• 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 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3263 involving certificates, e.g. public key certificate [PKC] or attribute certificate [AC]; Public key infrastructure [PKI] arrangements network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using certificates in a packet data network H04L63/0823

Abstract

A system and method for determining a security encoding to be applied to a message being sent by a user of a computing device. In one broad aspect, the device comprises a processor configured to: determine whether a general message encoding configuration setting indicates that when a security encoding is to be applied to a message then the security encoding is to be established by a policy engine; if the general message encoding configuration setting so indicates, query the policy engine for the security encoding to be applied to the message; otherwise, determine the security encoding to be applied to the message in accordance with a user-selected security encoding; and apply the determined security encoding to the message prior to transmission of the message to at least one recipient.

Claims

1. A device comprising a processor, wherein the processor is configured to:

determine whether a general message encoding configuration setting indicates that when a security encoding is to be applied to a message then the security encoding is to be established by a policy engine;

if the general message encoding configuration setting indicates that when a security encoding is to be applied to the message then the security encoding is to be established by the policy engine, query the policy engine for the security encoding to be applied to the message;

if the general message encoding configuration setting on the computing device does not indicate that when a security encoding is to be applied to the message then the security encoding is to be established by the policy engine, determine the security encoding to be applied to the message in accordance with a user-selected security encoding; and

apply the determined security encoding to the message prior to transmission of the message to at least one recipient.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to transmit the message, with the determined security encoding applied to the message, to the at least one recipient.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the policy engine is remote from the device.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the policy engine is implemented in a PGP Universal Server.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein an application of the determined security encoding to the message comprises encrypting the message.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein an application of the determined security encoding to the message comprises signing the message.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein an application of the determined security encoding to the message comprises both encrypting and signing the message.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the device comprises a mobile device.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the device comprises a computing device.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the general message encoding configuration setting is user-configured.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the general message encoding configuration setting is configured through an IT Policy.

12. A device comprising a processor, wherein the processor is configured to:

determine whether a general message encoding configuration setting indicates that when a security encoding is to be applied to a message then the security encoding is to be established by a policy engine;

if the general message encoding configuration setting indicates that when a security encoding is to be applied to the message then the security encoding is to be established by the policy engine, query the policy engine for the security encoding to be applied to the message; and

if the general message encoding configuration setting on the computing device does not indicate that when a security encoding is to be applied to the message then the security encoding is to be established by the policy engine, apply, prior to transmission of the message to at least one recipient, a same security encoding to the message as a security encoding applied to a second message previously received at the device wherein the message is derived from the second message.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to transmit the message to the at least one recipient.

14. The device of claim 12, wherein the policy engine is remote from the device.

15. The device of claim 12, wherein the policy engine is implemented in a PGP Universal Server.

16. The device of claim 12, wherein an application of the same security encoding to the message comprises encrypting the message.

17. The device of claim 12, wherein an application of the same security encoding to the message comprises signing the message.

18. The device of claim 12, wherein an application of the same security encoding to the message comprises both encrypting and signing the message.

19. The device of claim 12, wherein the device comprises a mobile device.

20. The device of claim 12, wherein the device comprises a computing device.

21. The device of claim 12, wherein the general message encoding configuration setting is user-configured.

22. The device of claim 12, wherein the general message encoding configuration setting is configured through an IT Policy.