Enhanced security for electronic devices

• US 10,356,620 B1
• Filed: 05/07/2018
• Issued: 07/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Obaidi, Ahmad Arash
• Primary Examiner(s): Cumming, William D
• Application Number:
  US15/973,423
• Time in Patent Office: 435 Days
• Field of Search: 455418, 4554042
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0876 based on the identity of the terminal or configuration, e.g. MAC address, hardware or software configuration or device fingerprint
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3234 involving additional secure or trusted devices, e.g. TPM, smartcard, USB or software token network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using an additional device in a packet data network H04L63/0853
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/71 Hardware identity

Abstract

This disclosure is directed to enhanced security of electronic devices that use IMEI numbers. In addition to a first IMEI number that is created and tracked by an OEM, a manufacturer of chipsets for cell phones creates a similar, but unique second IMEI number that is burned into logic at the chip level of chipsets. The second IMEI number includes a serial number of the chipset to uniquely identify the chipset that is associated with the second IMEI. A combination of a first IMEI and a second IMEI is stored with a registrar. When a device attempts to access a network, a combination of the first IMEI and the second IMEI stored on the device are authenticated with the registrar. If the combination is valid, then the device is allowed to access the network. Otherwise, the device is deemed to be an unauthorized device and access to the network is denied.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a chipset;

a secure processing unit in the chipset;

a memory in which is stored a first identifier that uniquely identifies the electronic device;

a secure read-only memory (SROM) in which is stored a second identifier that uniquely identifies the chipset; and

an operating system configured to control;

providing a pairing of the first identifier and the second identifier in a network access request to check correctness of the pairing against a registry of device identifiers; and

obtaining access to the network in response to confirming correctness of the pairing against the registry in accordance with the network access request.

2. The electronic device as recited in claim 1, wherein the first identifier includes a serial number assigned to the electronic device by a manufacturer of the electronic device.

3. The electronic device as recited in claim 1, wherein the second identifier includes a serial number assigned to the chipset by a manufacturer of the chipset.

4. The electronic device as recited in claim 1, wherein the SROM includes circuitry and the second identifier is etched into the circuitry.

5. The electronic device as recited in claim 1, wherein the first identifier is stored in memory other than the SROM that stores the second identifier.

19. The electronic device as recited in claim 1, wherein the second identifier is burned into logic at a chip level of the chipset.

6. A method, comprising:

receiving a request from a cellular device to access a cellular network;

receiving a first identifier from the cellular device that uniquely identifies the cellular device;

receiving a second identifier from the cellular device that uniquely identifies a chipset installed in the cellular device;

checking whether a pairing of the first identifier and the second identifier is correct against a registry of device identifiers;

determining, as a result of the checking, that the pairing of the first identifier and the second identifier is correct against the registry of device identifiers; and

authorizing access to the cellular network by the cellular device in response to the determining that the pairing of the first identifier and the second identifier is correct in the registry of device identifiers.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, further comprising reporting that the cellular device is an unauthorized device if the pairing is determined to be incorrect against the registry.

8. The method as recited in claim 6, further comprising storing the pairing and disallowing future network access to a cellular device presenting the same pairing if the pairing is determined to be incorrect against the registry.

9. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein the first identifier includes a serial number associated with the cellular device.

10. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein the second identifier includes a serial number associated with the chipset.

11. The method as recited in claim 6, further comprising disabling the cellular device if the pairing is determined to be incorrect against the registry.

12. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein the first identifier is an International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number.

13. One or more computer-readable storage media including computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a computer, perform the following operations:

receiving a request from a cell phone to access a cellular network;

receiving a first identifier from the cell phone that uniquely identifies the cell phone;

receiving a second identifier from the cell phone that uniquely identifies a chipset installed in the cell phone;

checking whether a pairing of the first identifier and the second identifier is found in a registry of device identifiers;

receiving an indication from the registry as to whether the pairing of the first identifier and the second identifier was found in the registry in response to the checking; and

authorizing access to the cellular network by the cell phone in response to receiving an indication from the registry that the pairing of the first identifier and the second identifier was found in the registry.

14. The one or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 13, further comprising denying access to the cellular network if the pairing was not found in the registry.

15. The one or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 13, further comprising storing the pairing and disallowing future access to the cellular network by any cell phone presenting the first identifier and the second identifier if the pairing was not found in the registry.

16. The one or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 13, wherein the first identifier includes a serial number that uniquely identifies the cell phone.

17. The one or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 13, wherein the second identifier includes a serial number that uniquely identifies the chipset installed in the cell phone.

18. The one or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 13, wherein the first identifier is an IMEI number.