E-mail authentication
View Patent ↗A system and method for determining whether an e-mail originates from a sender authorized by an address provider to send the e-mail to an intended recipient's e-mail address. The e-mail identifies an address provider from which the intended recipient's e-mail address was obtained. The e-mail is delivered to the intended recipient only upon verification that the sender is authorized by the address provider to obtain the intended recipient's e-mail address. The system and method may also provide for determining whether an e-mail originates from a forged source. A server receives data relating to an e-mail, including a purported sender and a verification host. The server queries the verification host with information pertaining to the e-mail and requests confirmation that the e-mail originates from the purported sender. The e-mail is determined to originate from a forged source unless the verification host responds that the e-mail originates from the purported sender.
1. A method for processing an incoming e-mail, the method comprising:
receiving, by at least one computer, an e-mail directed to an intended recipient's e-mail address;
identifying, by the at least one computer, a sender of the e-mail based on a first identifier included in the e-mail;
identifying, by the at least one computer, an address provider from which the sender obtained the intended recipient's e-mail address, based on a second identifier included in the e-mail, the address provider being distinct from the sender and from the intended recipient;
determining, by querying an authentication resource using the at least one computer, whether the sender is authorized by the address provider to use the intended recipient's e-mail address for sending e-mail to the intended recipient;
selecting, by the at least one computer, one of permitting delivery of the e-mail to the intended recipient or preventing normal delivery of the e-mail to the intended recipient, based on the determining.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising identifying the authentication resource based on information included in the e-mail.
3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising selecting the authentication resource based on the second identifier.
4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising obtaining a network address for the authentication resource by querying the address provider.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein querying the authentication resource further comprises accessing a database comprising a first list of client e-mail addresses associated with the address provider or a second list of approved senders associated with the address provider.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein preventing normal delivery of the e-mail to the intended recipient further comprises an action selected from the group consisting of: discarding the e-mail, marking the e-mail as spam, and segregating the e-mail with spam.
7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising requesting confirmation that the e-mail originates from the sender identified in the e-mail prior to delivering the e-mail to the intended recipient.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein requesting confirmation that the e-mail originates from the sender identified in the e-mail further comprises providing a hash value for the e-mail and requesting that the sender confirm sending the e-mail based on the hash value.
9. The method of claim 7 , further comprising preventing normal delivery of the e-mail to the intended recipient in response to failing to confirm that the e-mail originates from the sender identified in the e-mail.
10. The method of claim 7 , further comprising permitting delivery of the e-mail to the intended recipient based on determining that the sender is authorized by the address provider to use the intended recipient's e-mail address for sending e-mail to the intended recipient and on confirming that the e-mail originates from the sender identified in the e-mail.
11. An apparatus for processing an incoming e-mail, comprising a processor coupled to a memory, the memory holding program instructions, that when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to perform the operations of:
receiving an e-mail directed to an intended recipient's e-mail address;
identifying a sender of the e-mail based on a first identifier included in the e-mail;
identifying an address provider from which the sender obtained the intended recipient's e-mail address, based on a second identifier included in the e-mail, the address provider being distinct from the sender and from the intended recipient;
determining, by querying an authentication resource, whether the sender is authorized by the address provider to use the intended recipient's e-mail address for sending e-mail to the intended recipient;
selecting one of delivering the e-mail to the intended recipient or preventing normal delivery of the e-mail to the intended recipient, based on the determining.
12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the memory holds further program instructions for identifying the authentication resource based on information included in the e-mail.
13. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the memory holds further program instructions for selecting the authentication resource based on the second identifier.
14. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the memory holds further program instructions for obtaining a network address for the authentication resource by querying the address provider.
15. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the memory holds further program instructions for querying the authentication resource by accessing a database comprising a first list of client e-mail addresses associated with the address provider or a second list of approved senders associated with the address provider.
16. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the memory holds further program instructions for preventing normal delivery of the e-mail to the intended recipient by an action selected from the group consisting of: discarding the e-mail, marking the e-mail as spam, and segregating the e-mail with spam.
17. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the memory holds further program instructions for requesting confirmation that the e-mail originates from the sender identified in the e-mail prior to delivering the e-mail to the intended recipient.
18. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the memory holds further program instructions for confirmation that the e-mail originates from the sender identified in the e-mail by providing a hash value for the e-mail and requesting that the sender confirm sending the e-mail based on the hash value.
19. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the memory holds further program instructions for preventing normal delivery of the e-mail to the intended recipient in response to failing to confirm that the e-mail originates from the sender identified in the e-mail.
20. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the memory holds further program instructions for delivering the e-mail to the intended recipient based on determining that the sender is authorized by the address provider to use the intended recipient's e-mail address for sending e-mail to the intended recipient and on confirming that the e-mail originates from the sender identified in the e-mail.