US 2026/0089169 A1 · SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR VERIFYING THE IDENTITY OF EMAIL SENDERS TO IMPROVE EMAIL SECURITY WITHIN AN ORGANIZATION

Abstract

One variation of a method includes, intercepting an email addressed to a target recipient within an organization, the email received from a sender at an inbound email address and including a first inbound display name; accessing a whitelist including a set of contact information corresponding to an entity associated with the organization and including a verified display name associated with the entity and a set of verified email addresses associated with the entity. The method further includes, in response to the set of verified email addresses omitting the inbound email address: characterizing a display name difference between the inbound display name and the verified display name associated with the entity; and, in response to the display name difference falling below a threshold difference, withholding transmission of the email to the target recipient and flagging the email for authentication.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method comprising:

intercepting a first email addressed to a first recipient affiliated with an organization, the first email received from a first sender at a first inbound email address and comprising a first inbound display name;
accessing a whitelist comprising a set of contact information for a set of
entities associated with the organization, the set of contact information comprising:
a set of verified email addresses associated with the set of entities;
and
a set of verified display names associated with a first entity in the set of entities;
and
in response to the set of verified email addresses omitting the first inbound email address:
characterizing a first difference between the first inbound display name and a first verified display name in the set of verified display names;
and
in response to the first difference falling below a threshold difference, withholding transmission of the first email to the first recipient.

8 more elements

A method comprising:

intercepting a first email addressed to a first recipient affiliated with an organization, the first email received from a first sender at a first inbound email address and comprising a first inbound display name;
accessing a whitelist comprising:
a set of verified email addresses associated with a set of entities affiliated with the organization;
and
a set of verified display names associated with the set of verified email addresses;
characterizing a first difference between the first inbound display name and a first verified display name in the set of verified display names;
and
in response to the first difference falling below a threshold difference and in response to the set of verified email addresses omitting the first inbound email address, withholding transmission of the first email to the first recipient.

5 more elements

A method comprising:

intercepting a first email addressed to a first recipient affiliated with an organization, the first email comprising a first inbound display name and received from a first sender at a first inbound email address comprising a first domain;
accessing a whitelist comprising:
a set of verified domains associated with inbound emails received by recipients within the organization;
and
a first set of contact information corresponding to a first entity associated with the organization, the first set of contact information comprising a first verified display name associated with the first entity and a first set of verified email addresses associated with the first entity;
and
in response to the set of verified domains omitting the first domain and in response to the first set of verified email addresses omitting the first inbound email address:
characterizing a difference between the first inbound display name and the first verified display name;
and
in response to the first difference falling below a threshold difference, withholding transmission of the first email to the first recipient.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application

19/406,369Filed 2 Dec 2025

Priority

30 Jul 2019

Published

26 Mar 2026

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification6 codes

H04L 63/126
Applying verification of the received information: the source of the received data
H04L 63/08
Network architectures or network communication protocols for network security: for authentication of entities
H04L 63/101
For controlling access to devices or network resources: access control lists [ACL]
H04L 63/105
For controlling access to devices or network resources: multiple levels of security

Family

Application62/880,511Us provisional application · filed 30 Jul 2019

Application16/944,091Continuation · filed 30 Jul 2020

Application17/127,930Continuation · filed 18 Dec 2020

Application63/410,933Us provisional application · filed 28 Sep 2022

Application18/230,019Continuation in part · filed 3 Aug 2023

Application18/374,270Continuation · filed 28 Sep 2023

Application19/406,369Continuation

Application18/374,270Continuation in part

Application18/230,019Continuation

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US 2026/0089169 A1This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

System and method for verifying the identity of email senders to improve email security within an organization

Life of this patent

System and method for verifying the identity of email senders to improve email security within an organization

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20