System and method for secure communication

• US 8,539,603 B2
• Filed: 06/01/2004
• Issued: 09/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Privasphere AG
• Original Assignee: Privasphere AG
• Inventors: Hauser, Ralph
• Primary Examiner(s): Zand, Kambiz
• Assistant Examiner(s): VU, PHY ANH TRAN
• Application Number:
  US10/558,640
• Publication Number:
  US 20060230461A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,395 Days
• Field of Search: 709206-208, 709227-229, 713/155, 713168-194, 380252-255, 380277-279, 726 27- 30
• US Class Current: 726/27
• 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 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0407 wherein the identity of one or more communicating identities is hidden cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for anonymous credentials or for identity based cryptographic systems H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/18 using different networks or channels, e.g. using out of band channels cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution involving distinctive intermediate devices or communication paths H04L9/0827; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for authentication using a plurality of channels H04L9/3215

Abstract

A system for secure communication comprises a secure electronic messaging server which is accessible by the public and a database for storing data of messaging users. The data comprises the tracking of trust establishing out-of-band verification and the monitoring of the trust relations derived thereof, messaging user-based instructions related to the handling of incoming mails, wherein the instructions comprise information related to an at least one security level chosen by the messaging user. The system comprises message handlers to automatically handle in- and outgoing mails according to these instructions. This system allows transmitting messages privately and securely with minimum prerequisites for its users. The inventive system allows a secure transmitting of messages between a sender and a recipient, wherein only one of the two parties is a messaging user.

Claims

1. A computer-based system for securing communication of e-mail messages exchanged between messaging users, the computer-based system comprising:

a secure messaging server being accessible to the messaging users via a telecommunication network and being designed to store incoming e-mail messages received from the messaging users, the incoming e-mail messages in each case having one of the messaging users specified as a sender (S) of the incoming e-mail message and at least one communication partner specified as a recipient (R) of the incoming e-mail message,

a database for storing data of the messaging users,

one or more in- and outgoing automatic message handlers that automatically handle incoming and outgoing e-mail messages according to the data of the messaging users stored in the database,

a trust management module for managing the messaging users out-of-band verification of their communication partners,

the trust management module forming in the database associations between the messaging users and their communication partners, the associations being formed by storing in the database the communication partners assigned to the messaging users, and each association being indicative of a trust establishing out-of-band verification of one communication partner of one of the plurality of the messaging users, wherein the trust establishing out-of-band verification takes place via a message unlock code (MUC) which is generated for at least a first communication between the sender (S) and the recipient (R) by the trust management module, and wherein the MUC is transmitted outside the telecommunication network via a different communication device from the sender (S) to the recipient (R),

in response to detecting a defined trust-destroying action performed by a communication partner after an association indicative of trust is established via a MUC for the communication partner and a message user, the trust management module stores in the database information indicative of a reduced trust level for the communication partner,

an access control module(s) for granting or denying to a communication partner access to an e-mail message received from one of the messaging users, wherein said granting or denying is based on an association stored in the database which indicates a trust establishing out-of-band verification between said one of the messaging users specified as a sender (S) of the e-mail message and the communication partner specified as a recipient (R) of the e-mail message;

granting, by the access control module, access to the e-mail message to a recipient of an association that indicates a positive trust establishing out-of-band verification,

requesting, by the access control module, verification information for a recipient (R) of an association that indicates reduced trust level.

2. System according to claim 1,

wherein the trust management module transmits securely the message unlock code to the sender (S),

wherein the access control module(s) is/are designed to control access to the e-mail message based on a comparison of the message unlock code transmitted to the sender (S) and a message unlock code received from the recipient (R), and

wherein the trust management module is designed to form automatically in the database between the sender (S) and the recipient (R) an association indicative of a trust establishing out-of-band verification of the sender (S) and the recipient (R) dependent on the comparison.

3. System according to claim 1,

wherein the trust management module is designed to form in the database group

associations for groups of more than two of the messaging users, a group association being indicative of a trust establishing out-of-band verification of a group of messaging users, and

wherein the access control module(s) is/are designed to control access to an e-mail message based on the group association between messaging users specified as recipient (R)s of the e-mail message.

4. System according to claim 1,

wherein the trust management module is designed to store in the database a time stamp for every association with a communication partner, and

wherein the trust management module is designed to store in the database information indicative of a reduced trust level for a communication partner in an association having a time stamp older than a defined reset period or a defined point in time.

5. System according to claim 1,

wherein the access control module(s) is/are designed to block communication partners having a reduced trust level access to any e-mail message stored in the system.

6. System according to claim 1,

wherein the access control module(s) is/are designed to provide to a recipient (R) access to a stored e-mail message through a link to the stored e-mail message, the link being protected by a message unlock code to be supplied by a recipient (R) not included in an association indicating a trust establishing out-of-band verification.

7. System according to claim 1,

wherein the system comprises a mass-mail module designed to upload to the system from a respective messaging user an e-mail message to be forwarded as mass-mail and to provide to the respective messaging user a list of message unlock codes for each recipient (R) not included in an association indicating a trust establishing out-of-band verification.

8. System according to claim 1,

wherein the secure messaging server is accessible to the public,

wherein for messaging users being subscribers to the system the database includes subscriber-based instructions,

the instructions comprising information related to one of more than one possible security levels chosen by a subscriber, wherein the system comprises one or more in- and outgoing automatic message handlers that automatically handle in- and outgoing e-mail messages according to the subscriber-based instructions,

wherein the system comprises one or more automatic encrypters that automatically encrypt e-mail messages according to a security level chosen by a recipient (R) or a sender (S) of an e-mail message, a recipient'"'"'s public key being used for encrypting the e-mail message.

9. System according to claim 1,

wherein the system comprises multiple servers,

wherein the data of the messaging users stored in the database includes jurisdiction data specifying where e-mail messages received from the messaging users are to be stored and to where notifications about the e-mail messages received from the messaging users are to be sent, and wherein the system comprises a service level dimensions module comprising data concerning network-geographic positioning of the multiple servers, and the service level dimensions module enabling the e-mail messages received from the messaging users to be stored in a server as specified in the jurisdiction data and notifications about the e-mail messages received from the messaging users to be sent from a server as specified in the jurisdiction data.

10. Computer-implemented method for securing communication of e-mail messages exchanged between messaging users, the computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving in a secure messaging server incoming e-mail messages from the messaging users via a telecommunication network, the incoming e-mail messages in each case having one of the messaging users specified as a sender(S) of the incoming e-mail message and at least one communication partner specified as a recipient (R) of the incoming e-mail message,

storing the incoming e-mail messages received from the plurality of messaging users, storing data of the messaging users in a database,

managing in the secure messaging server, out-of-band verifications for the messaging users and their communication partners, associations between the messaging users and their communication partners being formed in the database, the associations being formed by storing in the database the communication partners assigned to the messaging users, and each association being indicative of a trust establishing out-of-band verification of one communication partner of one of the messaging users,

wherein the trust establishing out-of-band verification takes place via a message unlock code (MUC) which is generated for at least a first communication between the sender (S) and the recipient (R) by a trust management module, and wherein the MUC is transmitted outside the telecommunication network via a different communication device from the sender (S) to the recipient (R),

in response to detecting a defined trust-destroying action performed by a communication partner after an association indicative of trust is established via a MUC for the communication partner and a message user, the trust management module stores in the database information indicative of a reduced trust level for the communication partner,

granting or denying to a communication partner access to an e-mail message received from one of the messaging users, wherein said granting or denying is based on an association stored in the database which indicates a trust establishing verification between said one of the messaging users specified as a sender (S) of the e-mail message and the at least one communication partner specified as a recipient (R) of the e-mail message;

granting, by an access control module, access to the e-mail message to a recipient of an association that indicates a positive trust establishing out-of-band verification,

requesting, by the access control module, verification information for a recipient (R) of an association that indicates reduced trust level.