IP Library Granted Patent US 9,860,167
Granted Patent B2
US 9,860,167 · App. 14/816,900 · Granted Jan 2, 2018

Classifying a message based on likelihood of spoofing

Inventors: Jonathan J. Oliver (San Carlos, CA); David A. Koblas (Los Altos, CA)
Assignee: SONICWALL INC.
H04L45/74H04L29/12066H04L29/12132H04L47/40H04L49/15H04L51/12H04L61/1511H04L61/1552H04L63/101H04L63/1466H04L69/22H04L63/1483
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,860,167
App. No.
14/816,900
Granted
Jan 2, 2018
Kind
B2
Abstract

A technique for determining a boundary IP address is disclosed. The technique includes processing a header to extract candidate IP address, locating a gateway IP address, and selecting the boundary IP address based on the location of the gateway IP address.

Claims (43)

1. A method of classifying a message transmitted over a network, the method comprising:

receiving the message transmitted over the network and addressed to a recipient; and

executing instructions stored in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium to:

identify one or more domains from which the received message is purported to have traversed,

identify that the identified domains appear on a whitelist associated with the recipient,

identify whether at least one domain of the one or more domains has been spoofed based on whether a common classification appears across a plurality of IP addresses associated with the one or more domains, wherein:

the one or more domains are identified not to be spoofed when the one or more domains are in the whitelist and have the common classification appearing across the plurality of IP addresses, and

the at least one domain of the one or more domains is identified to be spoofed when the one or more domains are in the whitelist and have different classifications associated with the plurality of IP addresses, and

classify the received message based on the identification that the at least one domain of the one or more domains has been or has not been spoofed.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein identifying that the one or more domains from which the received message is purported to have traversed includes identifying a stated sender domain associated with the received message.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein classifying the received message comprises assigning a score to the received message based on the identifying that the at least one domain has been spoofed.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein assigning the score is further based on one or more classification variables.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising weighting the classification variables based on a source of the classification.

6. The method of claim 4 , further comprising decaying the classification variables over time, wherein decaying the classification variables reduces the effect of older classifications over time.

7. The method of claim 3 , wherein assigning the score includes identifying a spam ratio.

8. The method of claim 3 , wherein assigning the score includes identifying a spam rate.

9. The method of claim 3 , wherein assigning the score includes identifying an estimated instantaneous spam rate.

10. A system of classifying a message transmitted over a network, the system comprising:

a communication interface that receives the message transmitted over the network and addressed to a recipient; and

a processor that executes instructions stored in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium to:

identify one or more associated domains from which the received message is purported to have traversed,

identify that the identified domains appear on a whitelist associated with the recipient,

identify whether at least one domain of the one or more domains has been spoofed based on whether a common classification appears across a plurality of IP addresses associated with the one or more domains, wherein:

the one or more domains are identified as not to be spoofed when the one or more domains are in the whitelist and have the common classification appearing across the plurality of IP addresses, and

the at least one domain of the one or more domains is identified to be spoofed when the one or domains are in the whitelist and have different classifications associated with the plurality of IP addresses, and

classify the received message based on the identification that the at least one domain of the one or more domains has has been or has not been spoofed.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the processor identifies that the one or more domains from which the received message is purported to have traversed by identifying a stated sender domain associated with the received message.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein the processor classifies the received message by assigning a score to the received message based on the identification that the domain has been spoofed.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein assigning the score is further based on one or more classification variables.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the classification variables are weighted based on a source of the classification.

15. The system of claim 13 , wherein the classification variables decay over time.

16. The system of claim 12 , wherein assigning the score includes identifying a spam ratio.

17. The system of claim 12 , wherein assigning the score includes identifying a spam rate.

18. The system of claim 12 , wherein assigning the score includes identifying an estimated instantaneous spam rate.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, having embodied thereon a program executable by a processor to perform a method for classifying a message transmitted over a network, the method comprising:

receiving the message transmitted over the network and addressed to a recipient;

identifying one or more associated domains from which the received message is purported to have traversed;

identifying that the one or more identified domains determined domain appears in a whitelist associated with the recipient;

identifying whether at least one domain of the one or more domains have been spoofed based on whether a common classification appears across a plurality of IP addresses associated with the one or more domains, wherein:

the one or more domains are identified as not to be spoofed when the one or more domains are in whitelist and have the common classification appearing across the plurality of IP addresses, and

the at least one domain is of the one or more domains are identified to be spoofed when the received message is on the whitelist but have different classifications appearing across the plurality of IP addresses; and

classifying the received message based on the identification that the one or more domains has been or has not been spoofed.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19 , wherein the identifying that the one or more domains from which the received message is purported to have traversed includes identifying a stated sender domain associated with the received message.

Assignments (27)
RELEASE OF SECOND LIEN SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS RECORDED AT RF 046321/0393 Recorded Jun 16, 2025
From: UBS AG, STAMFORD BRANCH, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
To: SONICWALL US HOLDINGS INC.
Reel/Frame 071625/0887 →
SECOND LIEN PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Jun 7, 2018
From: SONICWALL US HOLDINGS INC.
To: UBS AG, STAMFORD BRANCH, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 046321/0393 →
FIRST LIEN PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Jun 7, 2018
From: SONICWALL US HOLDINGS INC.
To: UBS AG, STAMFORD BRANCH, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 046321/0414 →
RELEASE OF FIRST LIEN SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS RECORDED AT R/F 040581/0850 Recorded May 22, 2018
From: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
To: QUEST SOFTWARE INC. (F/K/A DELL SOFTWARE INC.); AVENTAIL LLC
Reel/Frame 046211/0735 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Dec 11, 2017
From: DELL SOFTWARE INC.
To: QUEST SOFTWARE INC.
Reel/Frame 044826/0542 →
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE ASSIGNEE PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL: 040587 FRAME: 0624. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE ASSIGNMENT. Recorded Nov 28, 2017
From: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH
To: QUEST SOFTWARE INC. (F/K/A DELL SOFTWARE INC.); AVENTAIL LLC
Reel/Frame 044811/0598 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Nov 21, 2017
From: DELL SOFTWARE INC.
To: QUEST SOFTWARE INC.
Reel/Frame 044496/0001 →
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE THE NATURE OF CONVEYANCE PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL: 041073 FRAME: 0001. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ASSIGNMENT.. Recorded Apr 5, 2017
From: QUEST SOFTWARE INC.
To: SONICWALL US HOLDINGS INC.
Reel/Frame 042168/0114 →
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Jan 23, 2017
From: QUEST SOFTWARE INC.
To: SONICWALL US HOLDINGS, INC.
Reel/Frame 041073/0001 →
SECOND LIEN PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Nov 10, 2016
From: DELL SOFTWARE INC.
To: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 040587/0624 →
FIRST LIEN PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Nov 9, 2016
From: DELL SOFTWARE INC.
To: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 040581/0850 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Oct 31, 2016
From: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH
To: AVENTAIL LLC; DELL PRODUCTS, L.P.; DELL SOFTWARE INC.
Reel/Frame 040521/0467 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN CERTAIN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (040039/0642) Recorded Oct 31, 2016
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A.
To: AVENTAIL LLC; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL SOFTWARE INC.
Reel/Frame 040521/0016 →
RELEASE OF REEL 037160 FRAME 0142 (NOTE) Recorded Sep 14, 2016
From: BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
To: DELL SOFTWARE INC.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.
Reel/Frame 040027/0812 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Sep 14, 2016
From: AVENTAIL LLC; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL SOFTWARE INC.
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 040039/0642 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Sep 14, 2016
From: AVENTAIL LLC; DELL PRODUCTS, L.P.; DELL SOFTWARE INC.
To: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 040030/0187 →
RELEASE OF REEL 037160 FRAME 0239 (TL) Recorded Sep 14, 2016
From: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
To: DELL SOFTWARE INC.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.
Reel/Frame 040028/0115 →
RELEASE OF REEL 037160 FRAME 0171 (ABL) Recorded Sep 13, 2016
From: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
To: DELL SOFTWARE INC.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.
Reel/Frame 040017/0253 →
SUPPLEMENTAL PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT - TERM LOAN Recorded Nov 25, 2015
From: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL SOFTWARE INC.; BOOMI, INC.; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.
To: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 037160/0239 →
SUPPLEMENTAL PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT - ABL Recorded Nov 25, 2015
From: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL SOFTWARE INC.; BOOMI, INC.; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.
To: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
Reel/Frame 037160/0171 →
SUPPLEMENTAL PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT - NOTES Recorded Nov 25, 2015
From: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL SOFTWARE INC.; BOOMI, INC.; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS FIRST LIEN COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 037160/0142 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Aug 13, 2015
From: PSM MERGER SUB (DELAWARE), INC.
To: SONICWALL, INC.
Reel/Frame 036323/0934 →
MERGER Recorded Aug 13, 2015
From: SONICWALL, INC.
To: PSM MERGER SUB (DELAWARE), INC.
Reel/Frame 036323/0878 →
CONVERSION AND NAME CHANGE Recorded Aug 13, 2015
From: SONICWALL, INC.
To: SONICWALL L.L.C.
Reel/Frame 036346/0780 →
MERGER Recorded Aug 13, 2015
From: SONICWALL L.L.C.
To: DELL SOFTWARE INC.
Reel/Frame 036324/0016 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 12, 2015
From: MAILFRONTIER, INC.
To: SONICWALL, INC.
Reel/Frame 036313/0154 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 12, 2015
From: OLIVER, JONATHAN J.; KOBLAS, DAVID A.
To: MAILFRONTIER, INC.
Reel/Frame 036313/0141 →
Continuity (3)
Continuation 12070164 · Feb 15, 2008
Division 10776677 · Feb 10, 2004
Related Publication 20150341264A1 · Nov 26, 2015