Detecting copied identity of terminal equipment

• US 20020120873A1
• Filed: 12/14/2001
• Published: 08/29/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Solutions and Networks US LLC (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Solutions and Networks US LLC (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Salmivalli, Mika
• Granted Patent: US 7,318,159 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/201
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/126 Anti-theft arrangements, e.g. protection against subscriber identity module [SIM] cloning

Abstract

The invention relates to a mobile system and especially to detecting, in the mobile system in question, the use of terminal equipment having a copied mobile equipment identity. In the invention, a database containing records is created, each record containing an international mobile equipment identity associated with a mobile station and an international mobile subscriber identity, a check is made to see whether the database contains a record which contains a mobile equipment identity corresponding to the mobile equipment identity transmitted by the mobile station, but whose mobile subscriber identity does not correspond to that transmitted by the mobile station, and if yes, at least a signal is produced, indicating that the mobile equipment identity is possibly a copied one.

Claims

1. A method for detecting a copied international mobile equipment identity in a mobile system in which at least one international mobile subscriber identity and a mobile equipment identity is associated with a mobile station, the method comprising

(i) creating a database containing records which each contain a mobile equipment identity associated with a mobile station and at least one mobile subscriber identity,

(ii) the mobile station transmitting the mobile equipment identity associated with the mobile station and at least one mobile subscriber identity,

(iii) checking whether there is a record in the database, which contains a mobile equipment identity corresponding to the mobile equipment identity transmitted by the mobile station, but whose mobile subscriber identity does not correspond to the mobile subscriber identity the mobile station has transmitted, and if yes, producing at least a signal indicating that the mobile equipment identity is possibly a copied one.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein if the database contains a record which contains a mobile equipment identity corresponding to the mobile equipment identity transmitted by the mobile station, but whose mobile subscriber identity does not correspond to that transmitted by the mobile station, the operation of the mobile station is prevented.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2, wherein step (iii) is performed when the mobile station registers into the mobile system.

4. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein step (iii) is performed when the mobile station updates its location.

5. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein step (iii) is performed at predefined intervals.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the database is created in the home location register.

7. A mobile system comprising

means for receiving an international mobile equipment identity and at least one international mobile subscriber identity from at least one mobile station,

a database containing records, each containing a mobile equipment identity associated with a mobile station and at least one mobile subscriber identity,

first means for checking whether the database contains a record which contains a mobile equipment identity corresponding to the mobile equipment identity transmitted by the mobile station, but whose mobile subscriber identity does not correspond to that transmitted by the mobile station, and

second means responsive to the first means to produce a signal indicating that the mobile equipment identity is possibly a copied one.

8. A mobile system as claimed in claim 7, comprising means responsive to the first means for preventing the use of the mobile station.

9. An element of a mobile network, which comprises a database, containing records, each record containing an international mobile equipment identity associated with a mobile station and at least one international mobile subscriber identity.