Mcafee, Inc.

Networks Associates Technology, Inc.

Christopher L Pearce

Do Kim

Jeffrey J Constantine

A system and method are provided for protecting a user computer. An incoming e-mail message is initially received at a remote e-mail server over a network. Further, the incoming e-mail message is blocked if a sender address associated therewith is included in a list of predetermined sender addresses corresponding to a user computer. Moreover, the incoming e-mail message is scanned for a virus to determine that the incoming e-mail message is clean if the scanning fails to detect a virus in the incoming e-mail message and to determine that the incoming e-mail message is infected in the scanning detects a virus in the incoming e-mail message. Still yet, the incoming e-mail message is transmitted from the remote e-mail sever to the user computer over the network, if it is not blocked. An attempt is made to clean the infected incoming e-mail message if the scanning detects a virus in the incoming e-mail message to generate a cleaned e-mail message if the attempt to clean is successful. In use, a text message is transmitted to the user computer, indicating results of the scanning.

Remote e-mail scanning system and method

A system and method for a remote or network-based application service offering virus scanning, sniffing, or detecting of e-mail viruses prior to the e-mail messages arriving at the destination system or server are disclosed. The method protects a computer system that is configured to receive an e-mail message addressed to a destination e-mail address from viruses in an incoming e-mail message. The method generally includes receiving the incoming e-mail message at a remote e-mail receiving server, scanning the e-mail message for virus, forwarding the e-mail message if it is clean to a remote e-mail sending server, attempting to clean the e-mail message if it is infected to generate a cleaned e-mail message, forwarding the cleaned e-mail message, if any, to the remote e-mail sending server, and forwarding the clean or cleaned e-mail message, if any, to the destination e-mail address from the remote e-mail sending server. The system generally includes a remote e-mail receiving server for receiving the incoming e-mail message, a virus-detection program for scanning the e-mail message for virus, a remote e-mail virus processing server for attempting to clean the infected e-mail message, and a remote e-mail sending server forwarding the clean or cleaned e-mail message, if any, to the destination e-mail address.

Growing community of inventors

Portland, OR, United States of America

Christopher L Pearce