Enterprises employ a vast number of protocols for internal and/or external communications and information transfer in order to ensure reliability, security and compliance with particular policies. For example, internal and/or external communications and information transfer can include, but are not limited to instant messaging (IM), electronic mail (email), Internet Protocol (IP) telephony, web mail, web-browsing, text messaging over a network of two or more computers (or network connectable, processor-based devices), and the like. These electronic communication media are popular as they provide inexpensive, easy, point-to-point communication that is less intrusive than traditional techniques and/or disparate non-electronic communications. There is an abundance of other benefits, for example, instant messaging (IM) is an electronic communication that easily enables one-to-many communication, there is no need to synchronize participants and the content can be planned more easily, among other things. Unfortunately, these media have adversaries and/or protocols that threaten the convenience of and confidence in their use, namely spam, viruses, malware, etc.
A variety of systems and techniques have been developed and employed to combat spam and malicious code related to electronic communication media. With an increase in malicious activity involving spam, viruses, malware, and the like, enterprises are continuously searching for efficient techniques to secure networks and respective data communications associated therewith. Thus, conventional techniques (e.g., content-based filters, IP address-based filters, etc.) are becoming ineffective in recognizing and blocking disguised spam messages in relation to electronic communications. The integrity of enterprises and data communications is imperative to success in which improvements are necessary to ensure security and/or protective techniques are less vulnerable, stronger, and more difficult to penetrate.