Email Authentication via Hashed Campaign Codes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional techniques fail to authenticate e-mail messages effectively, especially when the recipient lacks a prior relationship with the purported source, making it difficult to verify the authenticity of e-mail messages.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that uses a hashed hash result of a combination of the recipient's e-mail address and a pass phrase, along with a campaign identifier, to authenticate e-mail messages by parsing the code and comparing hashed hash results, indicating the message as authentic if they match.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional authentication techniques are used, then authentication is possible only when there is a prior relationship between recipient and sender, but authentication capability is lost when no prior relationship exists
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-generating authentication codes during the campaign setup phase. These codes are created using a cryptographic algorithm that combines the recipient's email address, campaign identifier, and a secret key. The codes are then embedded in the email messages before sending, enabling immediate authentication without requiring any prior relationship or interaction between recipient and sender.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary authentication code that mediates between the sender and recipient. This code acts as a trusted third element that verifies the email's authenticity. The code is generated by the sender's system using cryptographic functions and included in the email, allowing the recipient to verify authenticity without needing to establish a direct relationship with the sender.
2Ease of operation
If e-mail messages can be easily falsified, then sending and receiving e-mails is simple, but security and trustworthiness of the message source deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system transforms the email authentication problem by changing parameters from trust-based (prior relationships) to math-based (cryptographic verification). The authentication code is generated using cryptographic hash functions that take multiple parameters (recipient email, campaign ID, secret key) and produce a unique verification value. This mathematical transformation ensures message authenticity without complicating the email sending process.
3Reliability
If authentication codes are included in e-mail messages, then message authenticity can be verified, but complexity of the message structure increases
Solution Approach 1:
The authentication system segments the verification function into separate components: the authentication code is generated and embedded in the email by the sender's system, while the verification process is handled by the recipient's system. This segmentation allows the email message structure to remain simple while the underlying verification mechanism handles the complexity of authentication.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method authenticates an e-mail message containing a code that may be sent as part of an advertising campaign. The code is a hashed hash result of a combination of the e-mail address to which the message was sent and a pass phrase for the campaign, along with an identifier of the campaign. To authenticate the message, the user supplies the user's e-mail address and the code and the system and method parses the code to identify the campaign identifier and hashed hash result, looks up the pass phrase using the campaign identifier, hashes the campaign identifier and e-mail address and hashes that hash result. If the hashed hash results match, the system and method indicates the message is authentic and otherwise, indicates the message is not authentic.