System for setting security in wireless network system using cluster function and method of controlling the same

• US 20090191847A1
• Filed: 01/26/2009
• Published: 07/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Inventors: Na, Hyun-Jung, Won, Soo-Seob
• Granted Patent: US 8,204,478 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/411
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/80 Wireless network architectures or network communication protocols for wireless network security H04W12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• 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 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/321 involving a third party or a trusted authority
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/062 Pre-authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0038 of security context information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A system for setting security in a wireless network system using a cluster function. An access point stores a list of candidate terminals of each neighboring access point. When an arbitrary terminal sends an access request, the access point determines whether or not the terminal is authenticated using the stored list of candidate terminals, and transmits an authentication success message to the requesting terminal if the requesting terminal is authenticated. The terminal performs hand-over to the access point without performing authentication upon receiving the authentication success message from the access point in response to the access request. Thus, the hand-over time of a Wi-Fi phone is reduced in an environment based on Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) that is one of the strongest wireless LAN security policies, so that the safety and mobility of wireless LAN services can be improved at the same time.

Claims

1. A system for setting security in a wireless network system, the system comprising:

an access point storing a list of candidate terminals of one or more neighboring access points, determining, upon receipt of an access request from a neighboring terminal, whether or not the neighboring terminal is authenticated using the stored list of candidate terminals, and transmitting an authentication success message to the neighboring terminal if the neighboring terminal is authenticated,

wherein the neighboring terminal performs hand-over to the access point without performing authentication upon receiving the authentication success message from the access point.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the access point includes:

a storage storing the list of candidate terminals;

a list manager updating the stored list of candidate terminals upon receiving information about the list of candidate terminals from any one of the one or more neighboring access points; and

a terminal authentication processor determining whether or not the terminal is authenticated using the list of candidate terminals of the storage when the neighboring terminal requests access, and transmitting the authentication success message to the neighboring terminal if the neighboring terminal is authenticated.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the list manager updates the list of candidate terminals with information about the neighboring terminal when performing authentication on the neighboring terminal through an authentication server, and transmits the information about the list of candidate terminals to the neighboring one or more access points.

4. The system according to claim 2, wherein the list of candidate terminals of each access point includes a Media Access Control (MAC) address of the authenticated terminal, a MAC address of the clustered access point, an encryption key, and an authentication time.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the access point and the neighboring terminal use an encryption key generated and stored in advance without generating a separate encryption key when the authentication is completed by transmitting and receiving the authentication success message.

6. The system according to claim 2, wherein the terminal authentication processor performs an existing authentication process on the neighboring terminal if the neighboring terminal is not authenticated using the list of candidate terminals.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein the access point transmits the list of candidate terminals by means of encryption.

8. A method of controlling a system for setting security in a wireless network system, the method comprising:

storing, by an access point having a cluster function, a list of candidate terminals of one or more neighboring access points, and upon receiving an access request from a neighboring terminal, determining whether or not the neighboring terminal is authenticated using the stored list of candidate terminals; and

transmitting, by the access point, an authentication success message to the neighboring terminal if the neighboring terminal is authenticated using the stored list of candidate terminals.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

performing, by the access point, authentication on the neighboring terminal through an authentication server if the neighboring terminal is not authenticated using the stored list of candidate terminals;

updating, by the access point, the list of candidate terminals with information about the authenticated terminal; and

transmitting, by the access point, information about the updated list of candidate terminals to the neighboring one or more access points.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the transmitting of information about the updated list of candidate terminals is performed through encryption.

11. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

determining, by the access point, whether or not information about an updated list of candidate terminals is received from any one of the one or more neighboring access points; and

if information about an updated list of candidate terminals is received, updating, by the access point, the stored list of candidate terminals with the received information about the updated list of candidate terminals.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein the list of candidate terminals of each neighboring access point includes a Media Access Control (MAC) address of the authenticated terminal, a MAC address of the clustered access point, an encryption key, and an authentication time.

13. A method of controlling a system for setting security in a wireless network system, the method comprising:

sending, by a terminal, an access request to a neighboring access point in order to perform hand-over;

determining, by the terminal, whether or not an authentication success message is received from the neighboring access point; and

handing-over, by the terminal, to the neighboring access point if an authentication success message is received from the neighboring access point.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the handing-over includes the terminal uses a value of a previously authenticated encryption key without generating a value of a new encryption key.

15. The method according to claim 13, further comprising enabling, by the terminal, the neighboring access point to perform authentication on the terminal through an authentication server if an authentication success message is not received from the neighboring access point.