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Managing infectious forwarded messages

  • US 8,955,106 B2
  • Filed: 08/24/2007
  • Issued: 02/10/2015
  • Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2004
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A method of managing electronic messages, comprising:

  • receiving over a communications network a first message having a plurality of characteristics;

    executing instructions stored in memory, wherein execution of the instructions by a processor;

    determines the first message is suspicious based on the characteristics of the first message,stores the characteristics of the first message in memory, andforwards the first message over the network to an email client of a recipient user;

    receiving a second message having a plurality of characteristics after the first message has been forwarded over the network to the email client of the recipient user; and

    executing instructions stored in memory, wherein execution of the instructions by the processor;

    determines the second message is either suspicious or infectious based on the characteristics of the second message;

    compares one or more of the characteristics of the second message to one or more of the characteristics of the first message stored in memory;

    reclassifies the previously forwarded first message as infectious rather than suspicious after the first message has been forwarded over the network to the email client of the recipient user, wherein reclassification occurs when the comparison determines that the second message and the first message share a predetermined characteristic in common, and wherein the determination exceeds a predetermined threshold of instances in which a suspicious or infectious message was determined to share a predetermined characteristic with the previously forwarded first message; and

    prevents the previously forwarded first message from spreading further in the network by instructing the email client of the recipient user to act upon the previously forwarded first message.

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