Apparatus And Method For Detecting A Cloned Base Station

• US 20110151833A1
• Filed: 12/21/2009
• Published: 06/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc. (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc. (Continental AG)
• Inventors: D'Avello, Robert F., Snider, James
• Granted Patent: US 10,027,682 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/410
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/1025 preventing jamming or interference of said signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/126 the source of the received data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/108 Source integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/122 Counter-measures against attacks; Protection against rogue devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0061 of neighbour cell information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

Communications are established between a base station and a mobile unit. The mobile unit analyzes the content of at least some information received from the base station relating to neighboring cells. When the analyzing indicates that the base station is a cloned base station, a warning is initiated to the user.

Claims

1. A method of detecting the presence of a cloned base station comprising:

establishing and engaging in communications with a base station;

analyzing the content of at least some information received from the base station relating to neighboring cells;

when the analyzing indicates that the base station is a cloned base station, initiating a warning to the user.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising storing an allocation table in a memory storage device, the allocation table including information related to the operating environment of a user and wherein the analyzing comprises analyzing a content of the allocation table and determining when the base station is a cloned base station based upon the analyzing.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least some information comprises a Neighbor Cell List and the analyzing comprises determining a first power level of at least one channel included with the Neighbor Cell List and determining when the base station is a cloned base station based upon the analyzing.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the analyzing comprises initiating a warning when the first power level of the at least one channel is substantially zero.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the analyzing comprises determining a second power level of the current serving cell and only initiating a warning when the second power level of the current serving cell is above a predetermined level and the first power level of the at least one channel is substantially zero.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least some information comprises a Neighbor Cell List and the analyzing comprises determining whether a Neighbor Cell List has been received and initiating a warning when the Neighbor Cell List has not been received.

7. An apparatus for detecting the presence of a cloned base station comprising:

a communication interface configured to establish and engage in communications with a base station;

a memory coupled to the communication interface, the memory comprising an allocation table, the allocation table including information related to the operating environment of a user;

a warning indicator;

a controller coupled to the communication interface, the memory, and the warning indicator, the controller being configured to analyze a content of the allocation table and to determine when the base station is a cloned base station based upon the analyzing, the controller further configured to, when the analyzing indicates that the base station is a cloned base station, initiate a warning to the user via the warning indicator.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the controller is configured to determine that the base station is a cloned base station when no neighboring cell exists in the allocation table.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the operating environment includes at least one neighboring cell and wherein the controller is configured to determine when at least one signal strength value associated with the at least one neighboring cell is a suspect value.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the controller is configured to determine that the at least one signal strength value is a suspect value when the at least one signal strength value increases at a rate greater than a predetermined threshold rate.

11. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the base station is a valid base station and wherein the controller is configured to establish communications with a cloned base station subsequent to establishing communications with the valid base station.

12. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the warning indicator comprises an audio speaker.

13. A computer usable medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein, said computer readable program code adapted to be executed to implement a method of detecting the presence of a cloned base station, the method comprising:

establishing and engaging in communications with a base station;

analyzing the content of at least some information received from the base station relating to neighboring cells;

when the analyzing indicates that the base station is a cloned base station, initiating a warning to the user.

14. The computer usable medium of claim 13 further comprising storing an allocation table in a memory storage device, the allocation table including information related to the operating environment of a user and wherein the analyzing comprises analyzing a content of the allocation table and determining when the base station is a cloned base station based upon the analyzing.

15. The computer usable medium of claim 13 wherein the at least some information comprises a Neighbor Cell List and the analyzing comprises determining a first power level of at least one channel included with the Neighbor Cell List and determining when the base station is a cloned base station based upon the analyzing.

16. The computer usable medium of claim 15 wherein the analyzing comprises initiating a warning when the first power level of the at least one channel is substantially zero.

17. The computer usable medium of claim 15 wherein the analyzing comprises determining a second power level of the current serving cell and only initiating a warning when the second power level of the current serving cell is above a predetermined level and the first power level of the at least one channel is substantially zero.

18. The computer usable medium of claim 13 wherein the at least some information comprises a Neighbor Cell List and the analyzing comprises determining whether a Neighbor Cell List has been received and initiating a warning when the Neighbor Cell List has not been received.