Patent attributes
A method for monitoring electronic mail messages, each mail message comprising header information and a main body, particularly for protection against virus attacks and unsolicited commercial email (UCE). The method comprises generating a summary digest of only the subject line and the message content of the main body, wherein the message content may comprise textual content and/or attached files. The generated summary digest is stored in a memory, and compared with existing summary digests stored in memory. If the number of matches exceeds a threshold value, an alert signal is raised and appropriate action initiated. A timestamp may be stored with each summary digest, together with sender/recipient details and the internet protocol (IP) address of origin, to aid detection of the originator of the message.
