Protecting authentication information of user applications when access to a users email account is compromised
AssigneeOracle International Corporation
InventorSanyam Goyal
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An email server provided according to an aspect of the present invention protects authentication information of user applications when access user's email account is compromised. In an embodiment, when an email message directed to a user contains content which provides access to authentication information for accessing a user application implemented external to said email server, the email server requires authentication credentials from the user before providing access to the content. As a result, even if the user's email account is compromised, additional controls are provided to reduce the probability of compromise of access to user applications implemented external to the email server.
Claims20
A method of processing email messages in an email server, said method comprising:
- receiving an email message directed to a user, said email message containing content which provides access to a first authentication information for accessing a user application implemented external to said email server, wherein users are required to be authenticated to access said user application, wherein said first authentication information enables said user to be authenticated for accessing said user application;
- authenticating said user based on a second authentication information received from said user, wherein said user is permitted to access email messages in said email server upon said authenticating;
- receiving, after said authenticating, a first request to access said email message from said user;
- and
- in response to said first request from said user, said email server requiring said user to provide further authentication credentials before permitting said user to view said content, in view of said content providing access to said first authentication information for accessing said user application,
- wherein said further authentication credentials operate to further authenticate said user before permitting said user to view said content of said email message.
A non-transitory computer readable medium storing one or more sequences of instructions, wherein execution of said one or more sequences of instructions by one or more processors contained in a email server causes said email server to process email messages, wherein execution of said one or more instructions by one or more processors contained in said email server causes said email server to perform the actions of:
- receiving an email message directed to a user, said email message containing content which provides access to a first authentication information for accessing a user application implemented external to said email server, wherein users are required to be authenticated to access said user application, wherein said first authentication information enables said user to be authenticated for accessing said user application;
- authenticating said user based on a second authentication information received from said user, wherein said user is permitted to access email messages in said email server upon said authenticating;
- receiving, after said authenticating, a first request to access said email message from said user;
- and
- in response to said first request from said user, said email server requiring said user to provide further authentication credentials before permitting said user to view said content, in view of said content providing access to said first authentication information for accessing said user application,
- wherein said further authentication credentials operate to further authenticate said user before permitting said user to view said content of said email message.
A computing system comprising:
- an authentication server to send an email message containing a first content which provides access to a first authentication information required by a user for accessing a user application, said authentication server further including additional content in said email message to indicate that said email message contains said first content providing access to said first authentication information;
- and
- an email server to receive said email message for delivery to said user, said email server operable to:
- authenticate said user based on a second authentication information received from said user, wherein said user is permitted to access email messages in said email server upon said authenticate;
- receive, after said authenticate, a first request to access said email message from said user;
- and
- in response to said first request and said additional content, said email server to require said user to provide further authentication credentials before permitting said user to view said first content of said email message,
- wherein said further authentication credentials operate to further authenticate said user before permitting said user to view said first content of said email message,
- wherein at least one of said authentication server and said email server contains a processor and a memory, said processor to retrieve instructions from said memory and execute the retrieved instructions.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.