SECURE WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS

• US 20100124332A1
• Filed: 11/18/2008
• Published: 05/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Corporate Resources Group LLC (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: ARENA, Scott D.
• Granted Patent: US 9,008,314 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 380/270
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/755 with measures against power attack
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 1/00 Secret communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 1/003 by varying carrier frequency at or within predetermined or random intervals H04K1/04 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 1/02 by adding a second signal to make the desired signal unintelligible
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 1/04 by frequency scrambling, i.e. by transposing or inverting parts of the frequency band or by inverting the whole band
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 1/10 by using two signals transmitted simultaneously or successively
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/80 Wireless network architectures or network communication protocols for wireless network security H04W12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0457 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply dynamic encryption, e.g. stream encryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for stream encryption H04L9/065
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0478 applying multiple layers of encryption, e.g. nested tunnels or encrypting the content with a first key and then with at least a second key cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements using a plurality of keys or algorithms H04L9/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/166 at the transport layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/18 using different networks or channels, e.g. using out of band channels cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution involving distinctive intermediate devices or communication paths H04L9/0827; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for authentication using a plurality of channels H04L9/3215
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/14 using a plurality of keys or algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3215 using a plurality of channels network architectures or network communication protocols using different networks H04L63/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3226 using a predetermined code, e.g. password, passphrase or PIN network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using passwords in a packet data network H04L63/083
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/00 Security arrangements; Authentication; Protecting privacy or anonymity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/033 of the user plane, e.g. user's traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/00 Wireless channel access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A system includes a sending access point and a receiving access point. The sending access point divides a data stream into sets of packets, encrypts a first set of packets using a first encryption protocol, encrypts a second set of packets using a second encryption protocol, where the second encryption protocol is different from the first encryption protocol, transmits, using a first channel over a wireless network, the first set of packets, and transmits, using a second channel over the wireless network, the second set of packets. The receiving access point receives the first set of packets and the second set of packets, decrypts the first set of packets using the first encryption protocol, and decrypts the second set of packets using the second encryption protocol.

Claims

1. An automated method, comprising:

dividing a transmission control protocol/internet protocol (TCP/IP) data stream into sets of packets;

encrypting a first set of packets using one encryption protocol;

encrypting a second set of packets using another encryption protocol;

transmitting, using one channel over a wireless network, the first set of packets; and

transmitting, using another channel over the wireless network, the second set of packets.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, using the one channel over the wireless network, first set of packets;

receiving, using the other channel over the wireless network, the second set of packets;

decrypting the first set of packets using the one encryption protocol; and

decrypting the second set of packets using the other encryption protocol.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

re-ordering the packets of the TCP/IP data stream; and

sending the TCP/IP data stream toward another device in a network.

4. The method of claim 1, where the one encryption protocol uses Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) and the other encryption protocol uses Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA).

5. The method of claim 1, where the one channel and the other channel are spatially separated so that the one channel and the other channel do not substantially interfere with each other.

6. The method of claim 1, where the encrypting first set of packets using one encryption protocol and the encrypting of the second set of packets using the other encryption protocol are performed substantially in parallel.

7. The method of claim 1, where the transmitting, using one channel over a wireless network, and the transmitting, using another channel over the wireless network, are performed substantially in parallel.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a data transmission in a non-TCP/IP format; and

converting the data transmission into the TCP/IP data stream.

9. The method of claim 1, where the sets are provided in alternating sequence for encryption using the one encryption protocol and for encryption using the other encryption protocol.

10. The method of claim 1, where each of the sets include an equal number of packets.

11. A system, comprising:

a sending access point to;

divide a data stream into sets of packets,

encrypt a first set of packets using a first encryption protocol,

encrypt a second set of packets using a second encryption protocol, where the second encryption protocol is different from the first encryption protocol,

transmit, using a first channel over a wireless network, the first set of packets, and

transmit, using a second channel over the wireless network, the second set of packets; and

a receiving access point to;

receive the first set of packets and the second set of packets,

decrypt the first set of packets using the first encryption protocol, and

decrypt the second set of packets using the second encryption protocol.

12. The system of claim 11, where the sending access point further:

transmits a third set of packets using the first encryption protocol over a third channel, and

transmits a fourth set of packets using the second encryption protocol over a fourth channel.

13. The system of claim 11, where the sending access point divides the data stream into fixed-size sets for encryption in alternating sequence.

14. The system of claim 11, where the sending access point divides the fixed-size portions between the some of the fixed-sized portions and the remainder of the fixed-sized portions in random sequence.

15. The system of claim 11, where the receiving access point further:

re-orders the packets of the data stream; and

sends the data stream toward another device in a network.

16. The system of claim 11, where the first encryption protocol uses Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) and the second encryption protocol uses Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA).

17. The system of claim 11, where the first channel and the second channel are spatially separated so that the one channel and the other channel do not substantially interfere with each other.

18. The system of claim 11, where the sending access point performs substantially in parallel the encrypting the first set of packets using the first encryption protocol and the encrypting the second set of packets using the second encryption protocol.

19. The system of claim 11, where the data stream is a transmission control protocol/internet protocol (TCP/IP) data stream.

20. A device, comprising:

means for dividing a data stream into sets of packets;

means for encrypting a first group of the sets of packets using one encryption protocol;

means for encrypting a second group of the sets of packets using a different encryption protocol;

means for transmitting, using a first channel over a wireless network, the first group of the sets of packets; and

means for transmitting, using another channel over the wireless network, the second group of the sets of packets.

21. The device of claim 20, where means for encrypting a first group of the sets of packets using one encryption protocol and the means for encrypting a second group of the sets of packets using the different encryption protocol operate substantially in parallel.

22. A method, comprising:

receiving, over a first channel in a wireless network, a first set of packets from a sending device, the first set of packets being encrypted with a first encryption protocol;

receiving, over a second channel in the wireless network, a second set of packets from the sending device, the second set of packets being encrypted with a second encryption protocol different than the first encryption protocol;

decrypting the first set of packets and the second set of packets; and

assembling the first set of packets and the second set of packets into a data stream.

23. The method of claim 22, where the first encryption protocol uses Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) and the second encryption protocol uses Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA).

24. The method of claim 22, where the decrypting the first set of packets and the decrypting the second set of packets are conducted at substantially the same time.