METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING UNSOLICITED MESSAGES IN A MESSAGING NETWORK USING AN AUTHORITATIVE DOMAIN NAME SERVER

摘要

Methods for controlling unsolicited messages in a messaging network using an authoritative domain name (DNS) server, in which a requester intending to send an e-mail message to a recipient queries the DNS server associated with the recipient's domain. The response sent from the DNS server is dependent upon a security policy associated with the requester, which results from interrogations to determine the probability that the requester is sending unsolicited messages or spam. A validity factor is set to a first indicator if the request passes or to a second indicator if the request fails. The response from the DNS server provides the network address if the validity factor is set to the first indicator. A suitable not-the-network-address response is sent if the validity factor is set to the second indicator. The authoritative DNS server thereby controls, blocks, or reroutes the message and lightens the load on the recipient's mail server and ISP(s).