Tools for generating PKI email accounts
View Patent ↗The present invention provides systems and methods for allowing an Email User to create a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) Email Account and thereafter to digitally sign, send, verify and receive PKI encrypted emails over a computer network, such as the Internet. The systems and methods preferably include a Web-based Email System and a Certificate Authority that coordinate their actions to make the process of creating, maintaining and using the PKI Account as easy as possible for the Email User. In a preferred embodiment, a Keystore System may also be used to enhance the management and use of digital keypairs.
1. A system comprising:
a) a client computer communicatively coupled to a network and operated by a user, wherein the client computer does not store or recall PKI keys;
b) an email server communicatively coupled to the network;
c) a PKI email account website hosted on one or more computers in the network, communicatively coupled to the email server, and configured to:
i) receive a PKI email account request from the user;
ii) generate and send a keypair generation request to a keystore system; and
iii) create a PKI email account for the user, wherein the PKI email account is configured to access one or more cryptographic functions stored in the keystore system to securely receive and transmit mail, wherein the PKI email account is accessible to a client-based email software and wherein the client-based email software is configured to read and send email messages; and
d) the keystore system comprising a keypair generation software and a data storage hosted on the one or more computers, and configured to:
i) generate and send a certificate signing request comprising the public key and a distinguished name, without interaction from the user and responsive to the keypair generation request, to a certificate authority, wherein the certificate authority automatically trusts one or more certificate signing requests from the keystore system and wherein the certificate authority is hosted on the one or more computers hosting the keystore system; and
ii) receive, install and store a signed certificate from the certificate authority.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein a PKI email account website obtains user information and the keystore system stores the user information.
3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the user information comprises a name and an email address for the user.
4. The system of claim 1 , wherein a PKI email account website verifies the identity of the user.
5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the user is notified, via a PKI email account website, that the PKI email account is created.
6. The system of claim 1 , wherein a PKI email account website requests a certificate from the certificate authority.
7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the certificate authority and the PKI email account website share hardware resources.
8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the certificate authority and the PKI email account website are operated by the same entity.
9. The system of claim 1 , further comprising the step of installing the certificate on the PKI email account website.
10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the certificate authority verifies the identity of the user.
11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the PKI email account is configured to access one or more keypairs in the keystore module.
12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the keystore module is integrated with a PKI email account website.
13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the keystore module is accessible to a plurality of web-based email systems on the one or more computers in the network.
14. The system of claim 1 , wherein the distinguished name comprises a unique name for the user conforming to a standardized format.
15. The system of claim 1 , wherein the client-based email software is a web browser configured to display an email website, wherein the email website is displayed on the client computer, configured to read and send email messages and accessible to any computer connected to the Internet.
16. The system of claim 1 , wherein the client-based email software is a desktop email client and wherein a plug-in is installed within the desktop email client to access cryptographic functions provided by the keystore system.
17. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a control panel configured to receive options selected by the user to automatically request and receive a new certificate, without interaction from the user, when a current certificate is near to its expiration date.