Patent ID: 8364773

Claim:
A method for processing an incoming e-mail, the method comprising: receiving, by at least one computer, an e-mail directed to an intended recipient's e-mail address; identifying, by the at least one computer, a sender of the e-mail based on a first identifier included in the e-mail; identifying, by the at least one computer, an address provider from which the sender obtained the intended recipient's e-mail address, based on a second identifier included in the e-mail, the address provider being distinct from the sender and from the intended recipient; determining, by querying an authentication resource using the at least one computer, whether the sender is authorized by the address provider to use the intended recipient's e-mail address for sending e-mail to the intended recipient; selecting, by the at least one computer, one of permitting delivery of the e-mail to the intended recipient or preventing normal delivery of the e-mail to the intended recipient, based on the determining.