Method for Lawfully Intercepting Communication IP Packets Exchanged Between Terminals

• US 20110208859A1
• Filed: 03/10/2011
• Published: 08/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Media Patents S.L.
• Original Assignee: Media Patents S.L.
• Inventors: Fernández Gutierrez, Alvaro
• Granted Patent: US 8,190,739 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/306 intercepting packet switched data communications, e.g. Web, Internet or IMS communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2281 Call monitoring, e.g. for law enforcement purposes; Call tracing; Detection or prevention of malicious calls

Abstract

A method for lawfully intercepting communication IP packets exchanged between terminals is provided. The method involves assigning an IP address associated with a telecommunication service provider to, for example, a sending terminal for use as its IP address in communications with a receiving terminal, the telecommunication service provider providing SIP proxy services for establishing communication between the sending and receiving terminals. The communication IP packets are intercepted in such a way that the terminals are unaware of the interception.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for lawfully intercepting communication IP packets exchanged between a first terminal having a first IP address and a second terminal having a second IP address, the first and second terminals connected via the Internet, the method comprising:

a first equipment in a data network of a first communication service provider transmitting data to the first terminal useable to establish a communication tunnel between the data network and the first terminal,

receiving in the data network via the communication tunnel first communication session establishment messages from the first terminal, the first communication session establishment messages useable to establish a communication session between the first and second terminals, the first equipment and/or a second equipment in the data network receiving at least some of the communication IP packets; and

intercepting the communication IP packets in the data network.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the data is a third IP address associated with the data network designated to be incorporated into a field of the first communication establishment messages.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the first communication session establishment messages are first SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) messages and the field is a SDP (Session Description Protocol) connection field of the SIP messages.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the data is a third IP address associated with the data network designated to be incorporated into a field of the communication IP packets.

5. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the first equipment and/or the second equipment removing the first IP address of the first terminal from the communication IP packets received from the first terminal before the communication IP packets are transmitted to the second terminal.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the communication IP packets are RTP (Real Time Protocol) packets.

7. A method according to claim 3, wherein the communication IP packets are RTP (Real Time Protocol) packets.

8. A method according to claim 2, wherein the IP address is associated with the first equipment.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein the first equipment has one or more network interfaces, the IP address being an IP address of one of the one or more network interfaces.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein the communication IP packets are intercepted by lawful intercepting equipment in the data network which is connected to a law enforcement agency.

11. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the first equipment and/or the second equipment in the data network receiving second communication establishment messages from the second terminal, the second communication establishment messages received in IP packets having the data as a destination address.

12. A method according to claim 3, further comprising the first equipment and/or the second equipment in the data network receiving second SIP messages from the second terminal, the second SIP messages received from the second terminal in IP packets having the third IP address as a destination address.

13. A method according to claim 1, wherein the communication IP packets comprise the first communication session establishment messages and media packets.

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein the communication IP packets are intercepted in the data network upon the first equipment and/or the second equipment and/or third equipment in the data network detecting an identifier of a user of the first terminal.

15. A method according to claim 14, wherein the identifier is a URI (Uniform Resource Identifier).

16. A method according to claim 3, wherein the communication IP packets comprise the first SIP messages and media packets.

17. A method according to claim 16, wherein the communication IP packets are intercepted in the data network upon the first equipment and/or the second equipment and/or third equipment in the data network detecting an identifier of a user of the first terminal, the identifier being a SIP URI (Session Initiation Protocol Uniform Resource Identifier).

18. A computer-implemented method for lawfully intercepting communication IP packets exchanged between a first terminal and a second terminal connected via the Internet, the first terminal having a first IP address and connected to the Internet by a first WIFI router, the second terminal having a second IP address and connected to the Internet by a second WIFI router, the method comprising:

a first equipment in a data network of a first communication service provider transmitting first data through the first WIFI router to the first terminal, the first data useable to establish a first communication tunnel between the data network and the first terminal,

receiving in the data network via the first communication tunnel first communication session establishment messages from the first terminal, the first communication session establishment messages useable to establish a communication session between the first and second terminals,

the first equipment and/or second equipment in the data network receiving at least some of the communication IP packets; and

intercepting the communication IP packets in the data network.

19. A method according to claim 18, wherein the first data is a third IP address associated with the data network designated to be incorporated into a field of the first communication establishment messages.

20. A method according to claim 19, wherein the first communication session establishment messages are first SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) messages and the field is a SDP (Session Description Protocol) connection field of the SIP messages.

21. A method according to claim 18, wherein the first data is a third IP address associated with the data network designated to be incorporated into a field of the communication IP packets.

22. A method according to claim 18, further comprising the first equipment and/or the second equipment removing the first IP address from the communication IP packets received from the first terminal before the communication IP packets are transmitted to the second terminal.

23. A method according to claim 18, wherein the communication IP packets are RTP (Real Time Protocol) packets.

24. A method according to claim 20, wherein the communication IP packets are RTP (Real Time Protocol) packets.

25. A method according to claim 19, wherein the third IP address is associated with the first equipment.

26. A method according to claim 25, wherein the first equipment has one or more network interfaces, the third IP address being an IP address of one of the one or more network interfaces.

27. A method according to claim 18, wherein the communication IP packets are intercepted by lawful intercepting equipment in the data network which is connected to a law enforcement agency.

28. A method according to claim 18, further comprising the first equipment and/or the second equipment in the data network receiving a second communication establishment message from the second terminal, the second communication establishment message received in IP packets having the first data as a destination address.

29. A method according to claim 20, further comprising the first equipment and/or the second equipment in the data network receiving second SIP messages from the second terminal, the second SIP message received from the second terminal in IP packets having the first IP address as a destination address.

30. A method according to claim 20, wherein the communication IP packets comprise the first SIP messages and media packets.

31. A method according to claim 30, wherein the communication IP packets are intercepted in the data network upon the first equipment and/or the second equipment and/or third equipment in the data network detecting an identifier of a user of the first terminal.

32. A method according to claim 31, wherein the identifier is a URI (Uniform Resource Identifier).

33. A method according to claim 31, wherein the identifier is a SIP URI (Session Initiation Protocol Uniform Resource Identifier).