Protecting content from third party using client-side security protection

• US 9,418,244 B2
• Filed: 01/29/2015
• Issued: 08/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Banti, Edward T., Byrum, Frank, Carvalho Neto, Mayerber L., Knibb, James R., Biswas, Palash, Barnes, Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): Armouche, Hadi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shayanfar, Ali
• Application Number:
  US14/608,735
• Publication Number:
  US 20150186675A1
• Time in Patent Office: 565 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6263 during internet communication, e.g. revealing personal data from cookies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0263 Rule management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0435 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply symmetric encryption, i.e. same key used for encryption and decryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for symmetric key encryption H04L9/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/06 for supporting key management in a packet data network cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key management H04L9/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227

Abstract

Architecture that employs encryption and storage of encryption keys to protect trusted client message content from an untrusted third-party hosted service. Each trusted user machine is configured to optionally apply security to messages. Rules determine when automatic protection is applied and the level of protection to apply. The trusted client automatically downloads the rules (or rules policies) from a trusted rules service and caches the rules locally. During composition, the rules analyze the message and automatically apply security template(s) to the message. The security template(s) encrypt the body of the message, but not the headers or subject. The untrusted message service processes the header and delivers the message to the correct recipient. The hosted service cannot view the contents of the message body, and only intended recipients of the protected message can view the message body. Offline protection is supported, and the user can override protection by the rules.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented messaging system, comprising:

a computing device using an untrusted message service for sending a message to one or more recipients,

wherein a rules component associated with the untrusted message service provides rules to a client device and is configured to supply one or more of modified rules and new rules to the client device to generate a security template;

wherein the security template allows exposure of a header portion and a subject portion of the message at the untrusted message service;

wherein the security template further prevents a body portion and message attachments of the message from being exposed at the untrusted message service; and

wherein the security template is configured to be applied by the client device in response to a determination that the untrusted message service is being used to send the message, wherein applying the security template includes attaching one or more attributes of the security to the message.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the untrusted message service is at an untrusted location.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the security further allows for encryption of portions of the message and storage of an associated encryption key at a trusted location.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the rules include at least one of a predicate, an action, or configuration information.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the rules are provided to the client before the client sends the one or more messages, the rules being applied to the one or more messages to be delivered using the untrusted message service.

6. A computer-implemented method of processing messages, comprising:

receiving a message from a client to a recipient;

analyzing the message using rules from a trusted rules service associated with an untrusted message service, wherein the rules provide for a security template that allows exposure of a header portion and a subject portion of the message at the untrusted message service and prevents a body portion and message attachments of the message from being exposed at the untrusted message service, and wherein the trusted rules service is configured to supply one or more of modified rules and new rules to the client;

applying the security template to the message in response to a determination that the untrusted message service is being used to send the message, wherein applying the security template includes attaching one or more attributes of the security template to the message; and

sending the message to the recipient using the untrusted message service.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising periodically uploading updated or new rules from the trusted rules service to the client.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising storing a key associated with the security at a trusted location.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein protection is applied to the message, wherein the granularity of the protection is based on the security.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the untrusted message service routes the message to the recipient based on the exposed header portion.

11. The method of claim 6, further comprising exposing the body portion of the message only to intended recipients based on the security.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein the untrusted message service is located off-premises from the location of a trusted computing device used to create the message.

13. A computer-implemented method of processing messages, comprising:

using an untrusted message service, sending one or more messages from a client to one or more recipients;

wherein a rules component associated with the untrusted message service provides rules to the client and is configured to supply one or more of modified rules and new rules to the client to generate a security template;

wherein the security template allows exposure of a header portion and a subject portion of the message at the untrusted message service; and

wherein the security further prevents a body portion and message attachments of the message from being exposed at the untrusted message service; and

wherein the security template is configured to be applied by the client device in response to a determination that the untrusted message service is being used to send the message, wherein applying the security template includes attaching one or more attributes of the security template to the message.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the rules include at least one of a predicate that defines sender and recipient constraints, an action by a recipient that is specified by the security, or configuration information.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the security was applied to the message by a security component associated with the client used to send the message to the untrusted message service.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the security component was trusted by the client when the security was applied to the message.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the client was at a trusted location when the security was applied to the message.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the security was applied to the message during an offline mode of the client.