Email Service Identity Farming Mitigation via Endpoint Obfuscation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Networked messaging platforms face challenges in preventing identity farming, where malicious entities attempt to determine valid and invalid email identities by observing how random identities are handled, leading to spam, phishing, and unauthorized activities.
Innovation Solution
An email service that receives requests for endpoint information and, for invalid email identities, determines responses that conceal validity by deriving target endpoint information using obfuscation processes, such as hashing, to consistently return endpoint information, making it difficult for entities to determine identity validity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the email service returns accurate endpoint information for valid email identities, then the messaging platform enables proper communication delivery, but malicious entities can determine identity validity and engage in farming activities
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary validation process between the email identity and endpoint information retrieval. A validation service acts as a mediator that checks email identities against a whitelist database before allowing endpoint information to be returned. This intermediary layer prevents malicious entities from farming identities by blocking invalid emails while allowing legitimate communication to proceed normally.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary validation of email identities before returning endpoint information. By checking whether email addresses exist in the whitelist database prior to providing service, the system prevents harmful farming activities in advance while ensuring that only valid identities receive endpoint information for communication delivery.
2Productivity
If the email service provides detailed endpoint information, then the messaging platform enables precise message routing, but the service exposes identity validity patterns that facilitate farming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the validation logic from the endpoint information retrieval process. Instead of returning endpoint information that could reveal identity validity, the system separates the validation function (checking against whitelist) from the routing function (providing endpoint information). This extraction allows efficient routing for valid identities while preventing information leakage that would enable farming.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary validation checks before providing endpoint information. By validating email identities against the whitelist database in advance, the system ensures that only legitimate identities receive detailed endpoint information for routing, while invalid identities receive generic responses that do not leak validity patterns.
3Reliability
If the email service validates each email identity against a whitelist database, then the service prevents farming activities, but the validation process increases processing time and computational resources
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary validation of email identities against the whitelist database before processing communication requests. By checking validity in advance, the system prevents farming activities from occurring at all, avoiding the need for more time-consuming security measures later. The validation is integrated into the existing request processing flow to minimize additional time overhead.
Solution Approach 2:
The validation service operates autonomously by automatically checking email identities against the whitelist database without requiring manual intervention. This self-service validation process efficiently prevents farming activities while maintaining fast processing speeds through automated database queries and decision logic.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If the email service returns generic endpoint information for all requests, then the service conceals identity validity, but the service cannot provide accurate routing for valid identities
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different response qualities based on the validity of the email identity. For valid identities in the whitelist, the system provides accurate, specific endpoint information for proper routing. For invalid identities, the system returns generic endpoint information that conceals validity. This local differentiation maintains routing accuracy for legitimate users while preventing farming by providing uniform, non-informative responses to invalid identities.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using different responses to indicate validity (which would help farming), the system inverts the approach by using generic responses for invalid identities and specific responses for valid ones. This inversion ensures that the absence of specific information does not reveal invalidity, while still providing accurate routing for legitimate identities that pass validation.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, methods, apparatuses, and software for electronic mail systems and service in computing environments are provided herein. In one example, an email service is provided that receives receive requests for endpoint information that correspond to email identities included in the requests. For ones of the requests that indicate invalid email identities, the email service determines responses that conceal validity of the invalid email identities by deriving target endpoint information based at least on the invalid email identities, and provides the responses that indicate the target endpoint information.