Methods, systems, and computer readable media for validating user equipment (UE) location

• US 10,212,538 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2017
• Issued: 02/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Russell, Travis Earl
• Primary Examiner(s): Taylor, Nathan S
• Application Number:
  US15/636,118
• Publication Number:
  US 20190007788A1
• Time in Patent Office: 601 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561-4562
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3224 Transactions dependent on location of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1407 Policy-and-charging control [PCC] architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/41 Billing record details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure of call data record [CDR]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/47 Fraud detection or prevention means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/66 Policy and charging system
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8033 location-dependent, e.g. business or home
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8038 Roaming or handoff
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/10 Account details or usage
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/103 using SIMs (USIMs) or calling cards
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/12 Detection or prevention of fraud
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/63 Location-dependent; Proximity-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/04 using triggered events
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/02 Processing of mobility data, e.g. registration information at HLR [Home Location Register] or VLR [Visitor Location Register]; Transfer of mobility data, e.g. between HLR, VLR or external networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/10 between location register and external networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

A method for validating UE location includes receiving, at a network gateway, a signaling message for updating a location of a UE with a mobile communications network. A first indication of user equipment location is extracted from the signaling message. One of: a cloud-based UE location database containing UE location information obtained from a UE location reporting application resident on the UE, a cloud-based loyalty card transaction database containing loyalty card transaction records indexed by UE identifiers, and a mobile location center (MLC) that obtains UE location information by requesting or receiving the UE location information from a mobility management entity (MME) is queried to obtain a second indication of location of the UE. It is determined from a relationship between the first and second indications of location of the UE that the signaling message is suspicious. In response to determining that the signaling message is suspicious, a policy rule is applied to processing of the signaling message.

Claims

1. A method for validating user equipment (UE) location, the method comprising:

receiving, at a network gateway, a signaling message for updating a location of a UE with a mobile communications network;

extracting a first indication of location of the UE from the signaling message;

obtaining, by querying one of a cloud-based UE location database containing UE location information obtained from a UE location reporting application resident on the UE, a cloud-based loyalty card transaction database containing loyalty card transaction records indexed by UE identifiers, and a mobile location center (MLC) that obtains UE location information by requesting or receiving the UE location information from a mobility management entity (MME), a second indication of location of the UE;

determining, from a relationship between the first and second indications of location of the UE, that the signaling message is suspicious; and

in response to determining that the signaling message is suspicious, applying a policy rule to processing of the signaling message.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the signaling message comprises one of a Diameter update location request (ULR) message and an SS7 location update message.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the first indication of location of the UE comprises a network identity extracted from the signaling message.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the network identity includes a visited public land mobile network (PLMN) identifier.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the visited PLMN identifier includes a mobile network code (MNC) and a mobile country code (MCC).

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the second indication of location of the UE comprises global positioning system (GPS) coordinates of the UE and wherein determining, from a relationship between the first and second indications of location of the UE, that the signaling message is suspicious includes determining that a location indicated by the GPS coordinates does not match the first indication of location of the UE.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the GPS coordinates of the UE are obtained from the cloud-based UE location database containing UE location information populated by the UE location reporting application on the UE.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the second indication of location of the UE comprises a loyalty card transaction location obtained from the cloud-based loyalty card transaction database and wherein determining, from a relationship between the first and second indications of location of the UE, that the signaling message is suspicious includes determining that the loyalty card transaction location does not match the first indication of location of the UE.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the second indication of location of the UE comprises a location obtained from the cloud-based loyalty card transaction database and wherein determining, from a relationship between the first and second indications of location of the UE, that the signaling message is suspicious includes determining that the location obtained from the loyalty card transaction database does not match the first indication of location of the UE.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein applying the policy rule includes blocking the signaling message from being forwarded to a home subscriber server (HSS) or a home location register (HLR), marking the signaling message as suspicious, and forwarding a copy of the message to fraud analytics platform.

11. A system for validating user equipment (UE) location, the system comprising:

a network gateway;

a message processor located in the network gateway for receiving a signaling message for updating a location of a UE with a mobile communications network;

a UE location validation module operatively associated with the network gateway for extracting a first indication of location of the UE from the signaling message, obtaining, by querying one of a cloud-based UE location database containing UE location information obtained from a UE location reporting application resident on the UE, a cloud-based loyalty card transaction database containing loyalty card transaction records indexed by UE identifiers, and a mobile location center (MLC) that obtains UE location information by requesting or receiving the UE location information from a mobility management entity (MME), a second indication of location of the UE, determining, from a relationship between the first and second indications of location of the UE, that the signaling message is suspicious; and

wherein the network gateway, in response to a determination that the signaling message is suspicious, applies a policy rule to processing of the signaling message.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the signaling message comprises one of a Diameter update location request (ULR) message and an SS7 location update message.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the first indication of location of the UE comprises a network identity extracted from the signaling message.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the network identity includes a visited public land mobile network (PLMN) identifier.

15. The system of claim 11 wherein the second indication of location of the UE comprises global positioning system (GPS) coordinates of the UE and wherein determining, from a relationship between the first and second indications of location of the UE, that the signaling message is suspicious includes determining that a location indicated by the GPS coordinates does not match the first indication of location of the UE.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the GPS coordinates of the UE are obtained from the cloud-based UE location database containing UE location information populated by the UE location reporting application on the UE.

17. The system of claim 11 wherein the second indication of location of the UE comprises a loyalty card transaction location obtained from the cloud-based loyalty card transaction database and wherein determining, from a relationship between the first and second indications of location of the UE, that the signaling message is suspicious includes determining that the loyalty card transaction location does not match the first indication of location of the UE.

18. The system of claim 11 wherein the second indication of location of the UE comprises a location obtained from the cloud-based loyalty card transaction database and wherein determining, from a relationship between the first and second indications of location of the UE, that the signaling message is suspicious includes determining that the location obtained from the loyalty card transaction database does not match the first indication of location of the UE.

19. The system of claim 11 wherein applying the policy rule includes blocking the signaling message from being forwarded to a home subscriber server (HSS) or a home location register (HLR), marking the signaling message as suspicious, and forwarding a copy of the message to a fraud analytics platform.

20. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon executable instructions that when executed by a processor of a computer control the computer to perform steps comprising:

receiving, at a network gateway, a signaling message for updating a location of a UE with a mobile communications network;

extracting a first indication of location of the UE from the signaling message;

obtaining, by querying one of a cloud-based UE location database containing UE location information obtained from a UE location reporting application resident on the UE, a cloud-based loyalty card transaction database containing loyalty card transaction records indexed by UE identifiers, and a mobile location center (MLC) that obtains UE location information by requesting or receiving the UE location information from a mobility management entity (MME), a second indication of location of the UE;

determining, from a relationship between the first and second indications of location of the UE, that the signaling message is suspicious; and

in response to determining that the signaling message is suspicious, applying a policy rule to processing of the signaling message.