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US 11,641,332 B2Granted
Authentication and confidence marking e-mail messages
AssigneeIconix, Inc.
InventorScott A. Sachtjen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Methods and systems for authenticating and confidence marking e-mail messages are described. One embodiment describes a method of authenticating an e-mail message. This method involves extracting a plurality of e-mail headers associated with the e-mail message, and identifying a sending edge mail transfer agent (MTA). The method then calls for determining if the sending edge MTA is authorized to send the e-mail message.
Claims22
A computer-implemented method, comprising:
- receiving from a first party information representing a plurality of email headers associated with an email message received by the first party;
- from the information, identifying a second party and a third party, wherein the email message purports to be sent by the third party to the first party on behalf of a second party;
- retrieving an electronic record associated with the second party, and processing the electronic record to determine whether the electronic record explicitly identifies the third party as authorized to send email messages on behalf of the second party;
- and
- in response to a determination that the electronic record explicitly identifies the third party as authorized to send email messages on behalf of the second party, transmitting a response to the first party that indicates that the third party is authorized to send the email message on behalf of the second party.
2 more elements
A computer-implemented method, comprising:
- receiving via a wide area network (WAN) from a first party information representing a plurality of email headers associated with an email message received by the first party, wherein the email message is received from a third party, wherein the email message purports to be sent by the third party on behalf of a second party;
- from the information, identifying the second party and the third party;
- accessing a validation database, and retrieving and processing an electronic record from the validation database, the electronic record associated with the second party, to determine whether the electronic record explicitly identifies the third party as authorized to send email messages on behalf of the second party;
- and
- in response to a determination that the electronic record explicitly identifies the third party as authorized to send email messages on behalf of the second party, transmitting via the WAN a response to the first party, wherein the response indicates that the third party is authorized to send the email message on behalf of the second party.
2 more elements
An apparatus comprising:
- at least one server;
- memory to store a validation database;
- and
- instructions stored on non-transitory machine-readable media where said instructions when
- executed are to cause the at least one server to receive from a wide area network (WAN) from a first party information representing a plurality of email headers associated with an email message received by the first party, wherein the email message purports to be sent to the first party by the third party on behalf of a second party;
- identify, from the information, the second party and the third party;
- access the validation database, to retrieve an electronic record from the database, the electronic record associated with the second party;
- process the electronic record to determine whether the electronic record explicitly identifies the third party as authorized to send email messages on behalf of the second party;
- and
- transmit, in response to a determination that the electronic record explicitly identifies the third party as authorized to send email messages on behalf of the second party, a response to the first party, via a WAN, wherein the response indicates that the third party is authorized to send the email message on behalf of the second party.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.