Email Routing Map Banner for Sender Domain Verification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current e-mail security systems face challenges in accurately distinguishing between malicious and benign messages, often requiring user knowledge that is not available until the message is received, leading to a trade-off between detection accuracy and false positives.
Innovation Solution
A system that visually represents sender domain information and e-mail routing by parsing e-mail headers to create a routing map, which is then displayed as a banner within the e-mail message, allowing users to make informed decisions about message authenticity based on geographic locations and encryption status.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If e-mail security software flags or removes malicious messages based on automated detection, then detection accuracy improves, but false positives increase and legitimate messages may be blocked
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary visual representation (routing map banner) between the automated security system and the user decision-making process. This banner displays geographic routing information and sender domain details, serving as a mediator that provides additional contextual evidence to help users make accurate judgments without completely blocking legitimate messages.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the security verification process into two parts: automated initial filtering by security software, followed by user-based verification using the visual routing map. This segmentation allows the system to handle obvious threats automatically while involving users for borderline cases where contextual knowledge is needed, reducing false positives.
2Measurement precision
If more information is provided to improve detection accuracy, then detection rate improves, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the most relevant routing information (geographic locations and sender domain) from the complex e-mail header data and presents it in a simplified visual banner format. This extraction approach provides useful contextual information without overwhelming users with excessive technical details, maintaining low system complexity while improving detection accuracy.
3Reliability
If user knowledge is utilized to make detection decisions, then false positives reduce, but response time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements partial user involvement by providing the routing map banner that automatically displays key information. Users only need to review this condensed visual summary rather than analyzing complete e-mail headers or investigating suspicious messages extensively. This partial action approach reduces false positives while minimizing the time users need to spend on each message.
Data Source
AI summary
The system executes online on corporate premises or in a cloud service, or offline. An e-mail message is received at a server within a corporate network or cloud service. A header of the e-mail message is parsed to determine locations of server computers through which the e-mail message has traveled. Geographic locations are placed into a routing map. A banner is inserted into the e-mail message that includes the routing map or a link to the routing map. The routing map is stored by the e-mail gateway server at a storage location identified by the link. The modified e-mail message is delivered or downloaded from the e-mail server to a user computer in real time. The sender Web site is parsed to identify sender domain information to be inserted into the banner. If offline, a product fetches and modifies the e-mail message using an API of the e-mail server.