METHOD, APPARATUS AND SYSTEM FOR DETECTING UNWANTED DIGITAL CONTENT DELIVERED TO A MAIL BOX

摘要

Email messages stored on a mail server are filtered to identify the email messages that contain unwanted content. The mail server receives incoming email messages over a network. A content filter performs an initial scan to identify the incoming email messages that contain unwanted content by determining whether signatures associated with the email messages are included on a list of signatures that identify email messages that are known to include unwanted content. The email messages that are not identified as containing unwanted content are forwarded to appropriate mail boxes on the mail server. Multiple scanning threads perform a subsequent scan of the email messages in the mail boxes to identify those email messages containing unwanted content that were not identified by the initial scan. The subsequent scan determines whether signatures associated with the email messages in the mail boxes are included in an updated list of the signatures.

主权项

1. A server system comprising:
a content filter comprising a first list of signatures that identifies email messages that are known to include unwanted content, wherein the content filter performs a first scan on an incoming email message to determine whether a signature associated with the incoming email message is included on the first list of signatures, the first list of signatures being updated to comprise a second list of signatures that identifies email messages that are known to include unwanted content; and a mail store comprising a mail box for storing the incoming email message after the first scan is performed; wherein in the event that the first scan determines that a signature associated with the incoming email message is not included in the first list of signatures, the content filter performs a second scan on the incoming email message in the mail box to determine whether a signature associated with the incoming email message is included on the second list of signatures.