Electronic mail distribution network implementation for safeguarding sender's address book covering addressee aliases with minimum interference with normal electronic mail transmission

A method for preventing a computer virus from infecting a user's address book at a sending terminal in a communication network for electronic mail distribution between data processor controlled interactive display terminals comprising:

• storing, at said sending terminal, unencrypted data representative of a plurality of aliases for a plurality of addressees of electronic mail;
• separately storing, at said sending terminal, encrypted data representative of electronic mail addresses of said plurality of addressees;
• prompting a sender of electronic mail to enter addressee data;
• determining from said unencrypted data whether said entered addressee data includes one of said aliases;
• and
• requiring entry of a key to decrypt the encrypted data to thereby provide the address of the addressee having said alias, responsive to a determination that said entered addressee data includes one of said aliases.

A computer program having code recorded on a computer readable medium for preventing a computer virus from infecting a user'address book at a sending terminal in a communication network for electronic mail distribution between data processor controlled interactive display terminals comprising:

• means for storing unencrypted data representative of a plurality of aliases for a plurality of addressees of electronic mail;
• means for separately storing encrypted data representative of electronic mail addresses of said plurality of addressees;
• means for prompting a sender of electronic mail to enter addressee data;
• means for determining from said unencrypted data whether said entered addressee data includes one of said aliases;
• and
• means for requiring entry of a key to decrypt the encrypted data to thereby provide the address of the addressee having said alias, responsive to a determination that said entered addressee data includes one of said aliases.

In a communication network for electronic mail distribution between data processor controlled interactive display terminals, a sending terminal comprising:

• a first storage unit storing unencrypted data representative of a plurality of aliases for a plurality of addressees of electronic mail;
• a second storage unit separate from said first storage unit for storing encrypted data representative of electronic mail addresses of said plurality of addressees;
• a security implement for prohibiting access to said encrypted data in said second storage unit without a entry of a security key;
• an on-screen display terminal implementation prompting a sender of electronic mail to enter addressee data;
• and
• an implement for determining from said unencrypted data whether said entered addressee data includes one of said aliases and
• an on-screen sending terminal display implementation for requiring the entry of said security key to decrypt the encrypted data to thereby provide the address of the addressee having said alias, responsive to a determination that said entered addressee data includes one of said aliases.