Patent ID: 8566406

Claim:
A computer-implemented method of filtering electronic mail messages destined for an internal network, comprising: monitoring, by the computer, an electronic mail mailbox for changes to at least one of a safe recipients list and a blocked senders list; and automatically sending, by the computer, the at least one of the safe recipients list and the blocked senders list to a network directory for utilization by at least one agent to filter received electronic mail messages destined for delivery to the internal network from a perimeter network, the internal network comprising a first local area network, the perimeter network comprising a second local area network, the first local area network being in communication with the second local area network through a firewall, the firewall located between the first local area network and the second local area network, the second local area network having direct access to a wide area network, the wide area network comprising the Internet, the first local area network not having direct access to the Internet, the first local area network comprising the safe recipients list and the blocked senders list, the second local area network not having direct access to the safe recipients list and the blocked senders list.