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Abstract

A method for filtering e-mail messages based on an identification of a true sender and assessing the reputation of the true sender among other users of an e-mail network. The true sender of a received e-mail message is identified in one embodiment by combining data in the e-mail message that is nearly impossible to forge with other information in the e-mail message. The reputation, or rating, of the true sender among other users in the e-mail network is then assessed by looking up the true sender in a database which maintains statistics, provided by the users in the network, on true senders. If the rating of a true sender exceeds some threshold set by the recipient, the message is passed on to the recipient. This method may work in combination with other e-mail filtering programs. An analogous method can be employed to detect e-mail messages having a computer virus sent via an attachment. The attachment is identified, for instance by computing a checksum value of the attachment or using the name of the attachment, and the reputation of the attachment, based on statistics sent by other e-mail users in the network, is assessed to determine whether the attachment contains a virus.

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