System and method for restricting access to email and attachments

1. A method for restricting access to one or more email attachments, comprising:

receiving an email addressed to a first recipient and including at least a first attachment;

with a hardware processor, processing the email to determine whether a valid authorization code is associated with the email, wherein the valid authorization code indicates that an attachment is safe to be opened or executed by the first recipient and the processing includes:

searching for an authorization code; and

determining whether a found authorization code is valid; and

wherein if processing of the email determines that no valid authorization code is associated with the email, then the attachment is stripped from the email and the email is communicated to the first recipient without the stripped attachment.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein preventing access to the first attachment comprises preventing the first recipient from opening the attachment.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the processing of the email to determine whether a valid authorization code is associated with the email is performed by an electronic mail gateway server.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the processing of the email to determine whether a valid authorization code is associated with the email is performed by an email client application.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein searching for an authorization code comprises searching for the authorization code in a file name associated with the attachment.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein searching for an authorization code comprises searching data associated with the attachment, the data not ordinarily visible to the first recipient or a sender of the email.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein searching for an authorization code comprises searching for the authorization code in a body of the email.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein searching for an authorization code comprises searching for the authorization code in a subject line of the email.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein searching for an authorization code comprises searching data associated with the email, the data not ordinarily visible to the first recipient or a sender of the email.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein preventing access to the first attachment comprises preventing the email from leaving a gateway operable to communicate the email to the first recipient.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the valid authorization code is associated with a first enterprise network, the valid authorization code communicated to one or more additional enterprise networks external to the first enterprise network.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the valid authorization code is associated with a first recipient so that only the first recipient is authorized to access the attachment.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the valid authorization code is associated with a domain in an enterprise network, the domain associated with a plurality of recipients including the first recipient, and wherein the valid authorization code identifies the attachment as an authorized communication accessible to recipients within the domain.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining whether a found authorization code is valid comprises:

comparing the found authorization code to at least one authorization code in a registry of authorization codes.

15. A system for restricting access to one or more unhealthy portions of an email, comprising:

a computer comprising a hardware processor operable to receive an email addressed to a first recipient and including at least a first attachment, the email including a sender email address and an email address of the first recipient; and

security software stored on the computer and operable to, with the hardware processor:

process the email to determine whether a valid authorization code is associated with the email, wherein the valid authorization code indicates that an attachment is safe to be opened or executed by the first recipient, the valid authorization code associated with either the sender email address or the first recipient email address, and the process includes:

search for an authorization code;

determine whether a found authorization code is valid; and

prevent access by the recipient to the first attachment by stripping the attachment from the email and communicating the email without the stripped attachment to the first recipient, if the processing of the email determined that no valid authorization code is associated with the email.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the computer comprises an electronic mail gateway server, the security software stored on the electronic mail gateway server.

17. The system of claim 15 , wherein:

the computer comprises the first recipient's computer; and

the security software processing the email to determine whether a valid authorization code is associated with the email comprises an email client application stored on the first recipient's computer.

18. The system of claim 15 , wherein the security software is operable to search for an authorization code by searching for the authorization code in a file name associated with the attachment.

19. The system of claim 15 , wherein the security software is operable to search for an authorization code by searching for the authorization code in a body of the email.

20. The system of claim 15 , wherein the security software is operable to search for an authorization code by searching for the authorization code in a subject line of the email.

21. The system of claim 15 , wherein the security software is operable to search for an authorization code by searching data associated with the email, the data not ordinarily visible to the first recipient or a sender of the email.

22. The system of claim 15 , wherein the valid authorization code is associated with a first enterprise network, the valid authorization code communicated to one or more additional enterprise networks external to the first enterprise network.

23. The system of claim 15 , wherein at least a portion of the valid authorization code is associated with a domain in an enterprise network, the domain associated with a plurality of recipients including the first recipient, and wherein the valid authorization code identifies the email as an authorized communication accessible to the recipients within the domain.