Identified Internet Mail (IIM)

Cisco® Identified Internet Mail (IIM) is the Cisco Systems® proposed signature-based mail authentication standard to address the growing problem of Internet spam and e-mail fraud such as phishing attacks.  IIM is designed to help identify fraudulent messages and apply user-defined policies depending on the outcome of the message verification process.  To establish the authenticity of an e-mail message, IIM verifies that the message sender is authorized to send messages using a given e-mail address and that the original message was not altered in any consequential manner.  IIM preserves the positive aspects of today’s e-mail infrastructure including the privacy of e-mail users and the ability for a user to send e-mail to any other user.  Deploying IIM makes a sending domain more accountable for e-mail messages originating from its domain and limits the ability of spammers and malware (such as viruses and worms) to forge return addresses or disguise the identity of infected systems.