Transmittance feasibility response device and transmittance feasibility response method

Abstract

We will determine the likelihood of an email being sent, which can be used as a basis for determining whether it is a fraudulent email, and provide a response. [Solution] When the server device 1, which is a sendability response device, receives a request from the carrier terminal 2 to determine whether the target email address is a sendable email address, it determines that the format of the target email address is valid, the domain of the target email address is an available domain, and the mail server managing the target email address is not a catch-all server. Furthermore, it queries the mail server to determine whether the target email address is sendable, and if it determines that the target email address is not a sendable email address, it returns a result to the carrier terminal 2 indicating that it is a non-sendable email address.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a transmission possibility answering device and a transmission possibility answering method.

Background Art

[0002] The following Patent Document 1 discloses an email system for preventing illegal acts such as email forgery. This system stores the combination of the domain of the sender email address and the sender IP address determined to be appropriate as the sender of the email in a white list. And when the domain of the sender email address and the sender IP address of the received email match the combination stored in the white list, it is determined that the sender is appropriate, and the email is sent to the destination email address.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the system of Patent Document 1, an email with a combination of a domain and an IP address not stored in the white list will be determined as an illegal email. Therefore, if the white list is not properly managed, misjudgments that a legitimate email is determined to be an illegal email will occur frequently, which becomes a factor in reducing practicality.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and one of the objectives is to provide a transmission possibility answering device and a transmission possibility answering method that can determine and answer the transmission possibility of an email that can be used as a criterion for determining whether it is an illegal email.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A transmission capability response device according to one aspect of the present invention includes: a receiving unit that receives a determination request from a business operator's terminal requesting a determination of whether a target email address submitted by a customer to the business operator is a sendable email address; a first determination unit that determines whether the format of the target email address is valid and whether the domain of the target email address is an available domain; a second determination unit that determines whether the mail server managing the target email address is a catch-all server if the first determination unit determines that the format of the target email address is valid and the domain of the target email address is an available domain; a third determination unit that queries the mail server to determine whether the target email address is a sendable email address if the second determination unit determines that the mail server is not a catch-all server; and a response unit that returns a determination result to the business operator's terminal stating that the target email address is an unsendable email address if the third determination unit determines that the target email address is not a sendable email address.

[0007] Another aspect of the present invention relates to a method for responding to a sendability request, which is performed by a processor and includes: a receiving step of receiving a determination request from a business terminal of a business operator requesting a determination of whether a target email address submitted by a customer to the business operator is a sendable email address; a first determination step of determining whether the format of the target email address is valid and whether the domain of the target email address is an available domain; a second determination step of determining whether the mail server managing the target email address is a catch-all server, if the first determination step determines that the format of the target email address is valid and the domain of the target email address is an available domain; a third determination step of querying the mail server whether the target email address is a sendable email address, if the second determination step determines that the mail server is not a catch-all server; and a response step of responding to the business terminal with a determination result that the target email address is an unsendable email address, if the third determination step determines that the target email address is not a sendable email address.

[0008] According to these configurations, when a request is received from a carrier terminal to determine whether a target email address is a valid email address, and the format and domain of the target email address are valid, and the mail server managing the target email address is not a catch-all server, it becomes possible to query the mail server about the feasibility of sending emails to the target email address, and if it is determined that sending is not possible, it becomes possible to return a result to the carrier terminal indicating that the target email address is a non-sending email address. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a sendability response device and a sendability response method that can determine and respond to the likelihood of sending an email, which can be used as a criterion for determining whether or not an email is fraudulent. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This diagram illustrates the configuration of an information processing system including a server device which is a transmittable response device according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] This diagram illustrates the physical configuration of a server device. [Figure 3] This diagram illustrates the functional configuration of a server device. [Figure 4] This is a flowchart illustrating an example of how a server device operates. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. The same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0012] [Configuration of the Information Processing System] Referring to Figure 1, the configuration of an information processing system including a server device 1, which is a transmission-capable response device according to the embodiment, will be described. The information processing system includes, for example, the server device 1, a business terminal 2, a customer terminal 3, and a mail server 4.

[0013] Server device 1 is a server device that determines whether the email address to be judged (hereinafter also referred to as the "target email address") is an email address that can send emails.

[0014] Business terminal 2 is a terminal device used by businesses such as e-commerce (EC) businesses.

[0015] Customer terminal 3 is a terminal device used by customers (end users) who purchase goods or services provided by the business operator.

[0016] Operator terminal 2 and customer terminal 3 may be a personal computer (PC), notebook PC, smartphone, tablet, or other terminal device.

[0017] The mail server 4 is a server device that manages accounts of email addresses, and is provided for each domain of the email address.

[0018] The server device 1, the business operator terminal 2, the customer terminal 3, and the mail server 4 are each configured to be able to communicate with each other via a network.

[0019] The network may be any of the Internet, a LAN, a dedicated line, a telephone line, an in-company network, a mobile communication network, Bluetooth (registered trademark), WiFi (Wireless Fidelity), other communication lines, combinations thereof, etc., regardless of whether it is wired or wireless.

[0020] [Physical Configuration of Server Device 1] As shown in FIG. 2, the server device 1 physically includes, for example, a processor 11, a communication interface 12, and a storage device 13.

[0021] The processor 11 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPU (Micro Processing Unit). The processor 11 realizes various functions of the server device 1 described later by executing the program 131 stored in the storage device 13.

[0022] The communication interface 12 connects to the network and functions as a communication unit that communicates with other devices and terminals on the network. <所載的

[0023] The storage device 13 is a computer-readable recording medium such as a disk drive or a semiconductor memory, for example. The storage device 13 functions as a storage unit that stores the program 131 for realizing various functions of the server device 1 and various data 132 used by the program 131.

[0024] [Functional Configuration of Server Device 1] Referring to Figure 3, the functional configuration of the server device 1 will be described. The server device 1 includes, for example, a receiving unit 111, a verification unit 112, a first determination unit 113, a second determination unit 114, a third determination unit 115, and a response unit 116. Each unit will be described in order below.

[0025] [Receiver 111] The receiving unit 111 receives a determination request from the business terminal 2 to request the server device 1 to determine whether the target email address is an email address that can send emails. The target email address is, for example, an email address that a customer provides to a business when registering as a member or making a payment on an e-commerce site.

[0026] The judgment request includes information such as the business operator's store ID, the target email address, and fast mode. Fast mode is a mode in which the business operator specifies whether to prioritize the speed of the response when sending a judgment request to server device 1.

[0027] When fast mode is enabled to prioritize response speed, server device 1 omits the process of querying the mail server 4 that manages the target email address to determine whether it is possible to send emails to that address (the sendability verification process described later). By omitting this process, the time required for the determination can be shortened and the determination can be made more simply. On the other hand, when fast mode is disabled to not prioritize response speed, server device 1 executes the sendability verification process described later.

[0028] [Verification Section 112] When the verification unit 112 receives a judgment request from the carrier terminal 2, it executes the following verification processes (1) to (7). The verification processes (1) to (7) will be explained in order.

[0029] (1) Email format validation process: This process verifies whether the format of the target email address is valid. For example, if the target email address does not contain an "@" symbol, or if there are no periods after the "@" symbol, the target email address is determined to be invalid.

[0030] (2) Email alias verification process: This process verifies whether the target email address is an email alias. For example, if the account part before the "@" in the target email address contains a "+", it is determined to be an email alias.

[0031] (3) Disposable domain verification process: This process verifies whether the domain of a target email address is a disposable domain. For example, if the domain of a target email address is a domain used only temporarily, such as for a few hours, it will be determined to be a disposable domain. When determining whether a domain is disposable, data on disposable domains researched externally or data on disposable domains researched internally may be used.

[0032] (4) Domain typo verification process: This process verifies whether there are any typos in the domain of the target email address by comparing it with known domains. For example, if there is a difference in part between the spelling of the target email address's domain and a known domain, it is determined that there is a typo in the target email address's domain.

[0033] (5) Domain availability verification process: This process verifies whether the domain of the target email address is an available domain. For example, it may be possible to determine whether the domain of the target email address is an available domain by using a command entered and executed over the internet.

[0034] Specifically, this can be determined using a command that specifies the domain of the target email address and requests the IP address of that specified domain to be returned. If the IP address of the specified domain is returned in response to the executed command, it is determined to be an available domain. On the other hand, if nothing is returned in response to the executed command, it is determined to be an unavailable domain.

[0035] (6) Catch-all server verification process: This process verifies whether mail server 4, which manages the target email address, is a catch-all server. A catch-all server is a mail server that receives emails even if the email address does not exist. For example, mail server 4, which manages the target email address, can be determined to be a catch-all server if it is included in a list of registered catch-all servers.

[0036] A catch-all server to be added to the list can be found, for example, as follows: An impossible account is added to the account portion of an email address, and a query is sent to the mail server 4 that manages that email address to check if the email address exists. Mail server 4 that responds that such an email address exists is identified as a catch-all server and added to the list.

[0037] (7) Verification process for transmission feasibility: This process verifies whether the target email address is a valid email address for sending emails. For example, the system may query the mail server 4 that manages the target email address to determine if it is a valid email address, and then determine whether it is a valid email address based on the query result. In this case, the mail server 4 that receives the query may process the email up to the point just before sending it to the target email address, determine whether it is actually possible to send the email, and then return the result of that determination to the server device 1.

[0038] [First judgment unit 113] The first determination unit 113 determines, based on the results of the above (1) email format verification process and the above (5) domain availability verification process, whether the format of the target email address is valid and whether the domain of the target email address is an available domain.

[0039] [Second determination unit 114] If the first determination unit 113 determines that the format of the target email address is valid and that the domain of the target email address is an available domain, the second determination unit 114 determines, based on the result of the catch-all server verification process in (6) above, whether the mail server 4 that manages the target email address is a catch-all server.

[0040] If the first determination unit 113 determines that the format of the target email address is valid and that the domain of the target email address is an available domain, the second determination unit 114 further determines, based on the fast mode included in the determination request, whether the person in charge of the carrier terminal 2 has specified that the speed of response be prioritized.

[0041] [Third determination section 115] If the second determination unit 114 determines that the mail server 4 is not a catch-all server and is not specified to prioritize response speed, the third determination unit 115 determines, based on the results of the above (7) sendability verification process, whether the target email address is a sendable email address.

[0042] [Answer part 116] The response unit 116, if the first determination unit 113 determines that the format of the target email address is invalid, or if the domain of the target email address is not a usable domain, returns a determination result to the carrier terminal 2 stating that the target email address is an email address that cannot send emails.

[0043] The response unit 116, if the second determination unit 114 determines that the mail server 4 managing the target email address is a catch-all server, or if it determines that it is specified to prioritize response speed, returns to the carrier terminal 2 that the target email address is a valid email address for sending emails.

[0044] If the third determination unit 115 determines that the target email address is a valid email address, the response unit 116 returns the determination result to the carrier terminal 2 stating that the target email address is a valid email address.

[0045] If the third determination unit 115 determines that the target email address is not a valid email address, the response unit 116 returns a determination result to the carrier terminal 2 stating that the target email address is an unsuccessful email address.

[0046] When the response unit 116 returns the judgment result to the operator terminal 2, it is preferable that it returns the result of the verification process (1) to (7) performed by the verification unit 112 as the judgment result.

[0047] Specifically, it is preferable that the response unit 116 provides the following results to the business terminal 2: whether the format of the target email address is valid, whether the target email address is an email alias, whether the domain of the target email address is a disposable domain, whether there are any typos in the domain of the target email address, whether the domain of the target email address is a usable domain, whether the mail server 4 managing the target email address is a catch-all server, and whether the target email address is an email address that can send emails.

[0048] [Operation of Server Device 1] Referring to Figure 4, an example of the operation of the server device 1 in the embodiment will be described.

[0049] First, the receiving unit 111 of the server device 1 receives a request from the carrier terminal 2 to determine whether the target email address is an email address that can send emails (step S101).

[0050] Next, the verification unit 112 of the server device 1 executes each of the verification processes (1) to (6) described above (step S102).

[0051] Next, the first determination unit 113 of the server device 1 determines whether the format of the target email address is valid and whether the domain of the target email address is an available domain (step S103).

[0052] If this determination is NO (step S103; NO), the response unit 116 of the server device 1 returns to the carrier terminal 2 the determination result that the email address is undeliverable (step S108). Then, this operation ends.

[0053] In step S103 above, if it is determined that the format of the target email address is valid and the domain of the target email address is an available domain (step S103; YES), the second determination unit 114 of the server device 1 determines whether the mail server 4 that manages the target email address is a catch-all server, or whether the person in charge of the carrier terminal 2 has specified that the speed of response should be prioritized (step S104).

[0054] If this determination is YES (step S104; YES), the response unit 116 of the server device 1 returns to the carrier terminal 2 the determination result that the target email address is a valid email address (step S107). Then, this operation ends.

[0055] In step S104 above, if it is determined that the mail server 4 managing the target email address is not a catch-all server and is not specified to prioritize response speed (step S104; NO), the verification unit 112 of the server device 1 executes the sendability verification process described in (7) above to verify whether the target email address is a sendable email address (step S105).

[0056] Next, the third determination unit 115 of the server device 1 determines whether the target email address is a sendable email address based on the results of the sendability verification process performed in step S105 (step S106).

[0057] If this determination is YES (step S106; YES), the response unit 116 of the server device 1 returns to the carrier terminal 2 the determination result that the target email address is a valid email address (step S107). Then, this operation ends.

[0058] In step S106 above, if it is determined that the target email address is not a valid email address (step S106; NO), the response unit 116 of the server device 1 returns to the carrier terminal 2 the result that the target email address is an unsuccessful email address (step S108). Then, this operation ends.

[0059] As described above, according to the server device 1 in the embodiment, when a request is received from the carrier terminal 2 to determine whether the target email address is a valid email address, if the format and domain of the target email address are valid and the mail server 4 managing the target email address is not a catch-all server, the server device 1 queries the mail server 4 regarding the feasibility of sending emails to the target email address. If it is determined that the email address is not savable, the server device 1 can return a determination result to the carrier terminal 2 stating that the target email address is a non-savable email address.

[0060] Therefore, according to the server device 1 in the embodiment, it is possible to determine the feasibility of sending an email, which can be used as a basis for determining whether or not it is a fraudulent email, and to respond to the business operator.

[0061] [Differentiation] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be implemented in various other forms without departing from the spirit of the invention. For this reason, the above embodiments are merely illustrative in all respects and should not be interpreted restrictively. For example, the order of each processing step described above can be arbitrarily changed or executed in parallel, as long as there is no inconsistency in the processing content.

[0062] In the embodiment described above, the verification unit 112 performs the verification processes (1) to (7) above, but the first determination unit 113, the second determination unit 114, and the third determination unit 115 may perform any of the verification processes and make a determination based on the results of those verification processes. For example, the first determination unit 113 may perform the email format verification process (1) and the domain availability verification process (5) above and make a determination. The second determination unit 114 may perform the catch-all server verification process (6) above and make a determination. Furthermore, the third determination unit 115 may perform the sendability verification process (7) above and make a determination.

[0063] In the embodiment described above, the business terminal 2, upon receiving the determination result from the server device 1, may further determine whether the email sent from the target email address is fraudulent based on the content of the determination result. Alternatively, the business terminal 2, upon receiving the determination result, may send other information provided by the customer to the business (e.g., telephone number and address) along with the content of the determination result to the server device 1 and further request the server device 1 to determine whether the email sent from the target email address is fraudulent. In this case, it is preferable that the server device 1 determines whether the email sent from the target email address is fraudulent based on the other information and the content of the determination result, and then returns the determination result to the business terminal 2. [Explanation of symbols]

[0064] 1...Server device, 2...Operator terminal, 3...Customer terminal, 4...Mail server, 11...Processor, 12...Communication interface, 13...Storage device, 111...Receiving unit, 112...Verification unit, 113...First determination unit, 114...Second determination unit, 115...Third determination unit, 116...Response unit, 131...Program, 132...Data

Claims

1. A receiving unit that receives a determination request from the business operator's terminal requesting that the target email address submitted by the customer to the business operator be determined to be a valid email address for sending emails, A first determination unit that determines whether the format of the target email address is valid and whether the domain of the target email address is an available domain, If the first determination unit determines that the format of the target email address is valid and the domain of the target email address is an available domain, the second determination unit determines whether the mail server managing the target email address is a catch-all server. If the second determination unit determines that the mail server is not a catch-all server, the third determination unit queries the mail server to determine whether the target email address is a sendable email address, and determines whether the target email address is a sendable email address. If the third determination unit determines that the target email address is not a valid email address, the response unit returns a determination result to the carrier terminal stating that it is a non-sending email address. A transmission-capable response device equipped with the following features.

2. The response unit, when the first determination unit determines that the format of the target email address is invalid or that the domain of the target email address is not a usable domain, returns a determination result to the carrier terminal stating that the email address is undeliverable. The transmission possibility response device according to claim 1.

3. The response unit, when the second determination unit determines that the mail server is a catch-all server, returns a determination result to the carrier terminal indicating that the email address is one to which messages can be sent. The transmission possibility response device according to claim 1.

4. The response unit, when the third determination unit determines that the target email address is a valid email address, returns the determination result that it is a valid email address to the carrier terminal. The transmission possibility response device according to claim 1.

5. The second determination unit, if the first determination unit has determined that the format of the target email address is valid and that the domain of the target email address is an available domain, further determines whether the operator of the carrier terminal has specified that speed of response should be prioritized. If the second determination unit determines that the mail server is not a catch-all server and is not specified to prioritize response speed, the third determination unit queries the mail server to determine whether the target email address is sendable and determines whether the target email address is a sendable email address. The transmission possibility response device according to claim 1.

6. The response unit, when it is determined by the second determination unit that it has been specified to prioritize the speed of the response, returns a determination result to the carrier terminal indicating that it is a valid email address. The transmission possibility response device according to claim 5.

7. The response unit further provides the carrier terminal with the result of determining whether the format of the target email address is valid, the result of determining whether the domain of the target email address is an available domain, and the result of determining whether the mail server is a catch-all server. The transmission possibility response device according to claim 1.

8. The response unit further provides the carrier terminal with the result of determining whether the target email address is an email alias, the result of determining whether the domain of the target email address is a disposable domain, and the result of determining whether there is a typo in the domain of the target email address. The transmission possibility response device according to claim 7.

9. A method executed by a processor, A receiving step in which the business operator receives a determination request from the business operator's terminal requesting that the target email address submitted by the customer to the business operator be determined to be an email address that can send emails, A first determination step to determine whether the format of the target email address is valid and whether the domain of the target email address is an available domain, If, in the first determination step, it is determined that the format of the target email address is valid and the domain of the target email address is an available domain, then a second determination step is made to determine whether the mail server managing the target email address is a catch-all server. In the second determination step, if it is determined that the mail server is not a catch-all server, a third determination step is performed to query the mail server to determine whether the target email address is a sendable email address, and to determine whether the target email address is a sendable email address. In the third determination step, if it is determined that the target email address is not a valid email address, a response step is provided to the carrier terminal indicating that it is a non-sending email address. A possible response method that includes sending options.

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