Method of, and system for, processing email

摘要

A system for processing emails incorporates means for dealing with previously unknown viruses. The system monitors email traffic patterns to identify patterns characteristic of a virus outbreak and takes corrective action when an outbreak is detected. Individual emails are analysed and, if any one of the constituent parts contains content in which it is possible to contain a virus, characteristic data derived from the email is logged to a database which is scanned for outbreak-indicating traffic patterns.