Email Authentication Server Digital Signatures
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current e-mail systems lack reliable proof of delivery and content authentication, making it difficult to ensure that electronic messages are delivered and read without relying on recipient cooperation, and they are cumbersome and resource-intensive.
Innovation Solution
A system that uses a server to create and verify digital signatures for electronic messages, providing proof of delivery and content integrity by recording message transmission history and generating receipts that can be authenticated by the sender.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If e-mail systems use notification requests to provide proof of delivery, then delivery confirmation is achieved, but the proof is not reliable as it can be altered or created by anyone
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by having the server create and record digital signatures of the message and attachment at the time of transmission. These signatures are stored in a database before any potential alteration can occur, establishing a baseline for future authentication without requiring complex real-time verification mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The server acts as an intermediary between the sender and recipient by creating digital signatures and maintaining a record of message transmission. This intermediary role provides trusted third-party verification that the message was sent and received without requiring the recipient to actively participate in the authentication process.
2Reliability
If e-mail systems require recipient cooperation to collect messages from third-party services, then proof of delivery can be obtained, but the process becomes cumbersome and resource-intensive
Solution Approach 1:
The recipient's e-mail client automatically performs the authentication process by sending a copy of the received message to the server for verification. This self-service mechanism eliminates the need for the recipient to manually collect messages from third-party services or actively participate in the authentication process, maintaining ease of operation while ensuring reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The server creates and stores digital signatures of messages at the time of transmission as a preliminary action. This allows the recipient's client to later authenticate the message by comparing it against the pre-stored signature, eliminating the need for complex real-time verification or manual intervention.
3Reliability
If e-mail systems use digital signatures for message authentication, then content integrity is verified, but the authentication process requires special software and recipient cooperation
Solution Approach 1:
The server acts as an intermediary that handles the complex digital signature creation and verification processes. By centralizing these functions on the server side, the system maintains content integrity verification capabilities while keeping the recipient's client software simple and compatible with standard e-mail clients.
Solution Approach 2:
The recipient's e-mail client automatically sends a copy of the received message to the server for authentication. This copying mechanism allows the verification process to occur without requiring the recipient to manually intervene or use special software, as the client handles the process automatically in the background.
4Reliability
If e-mail systems provide detailed delivery receipts with message content, then proof of delivery is enhanced, but the system becomes more resource-intensive
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts only the essential elements for authentication (digital signatures of the message and attachment) and stores them in a database. This extraction approach provides detailed proof of delivery capability while minimizing data storage requirements by not duplicating entire message contents.
Solution Approach 2:
The server creates and stores digital signature copies of the message and attachment rather than storing the full message content. These signature copies provide sufficient information for authentication and integrity verification while significantly reducing the quantity of data that needs to be stored and processed.
Data Source
AI summary
A sewer provides a message from a sender to a recipient and an attachment including the sender's identity, the recipient's identity and address, and the time of transmission from the sewer to the recipient. The method includes receiving the message and attachment at a sewer displaced from the recipient's location from the recipient and operates upon the message and attachment to allow comparison between information contained in the attachment and/or the message to determine the authenticity of the message.