TRIGGERING USER AUTHENTICATION IN COMMUNICATION NETWORKS

• US 20150237499A1
• Filed: 08/23/2013
• Published: 08/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Tg, Priya, Ghosh, Ranjan
• Granted Patent: US 10,595,199 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0892 by using authentication-authorization-accounting [AAA] servers or protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/108 when the policy decisions are valid for a limited amount of time
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1425 Traffic logging, e.g. anomaly detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/082 using revocation of authorisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/126 Anti-theft arrangements, e.g. protection against subscriber identity module [SIM] cloning

Abstract

The present subject matter discloses a method for triggering re-authentication of a communication device connected to a communication network. In one implementation, a volume of data transferred between the communication device and the communication network is measured. Further, the volume of data measured is compared with a re-authentication threshold value. Subsequently re-authentication of the communication device is triggered based on the comparison.

Claims

1. A method for re-authentication of a communication device connected to a communication network, the method comprising the steps of:

measuring a volume of data transferred between the communication device and the communication network;

comparing the volume of data with a preset re-authentication threshold value; and

triggering re-authentication of the communication device based on the comparison.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises the step of obtaining the re-authentication threshold value determined by a network operator of the communication network.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of measuring further comprises determining the volume of data transferred between the communication device and the communication network over at least one of an uplink channel and a downlink channel.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

requesting authentication data from the communication device, wherein the authentication data comprises identity credentials corresponding to the communication device;

receiving the authentication data from the communication device; and

providing the authentication data to an authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) server of the communication network.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

analyzing the identity credentials corresponding to the communication device and equipment identity credentials corresponding to the communication device saved in the authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) server of the communication network;

determining if the communication device is blacklisted based on the analysis; and

blocking the communication device from accessing services provided by a network operator of the communication network based on the determining.

6. A radio network controller comprising:

a processor; and

a data measurement module coupled to the processor, the data measurement module configured to measure a volume of data transferred between a communication device and a communication network; and

a data comparison module coupled to the processor, the data comparison module configured to

compare the volume of data with a re-authentication threshold value; and

triggering re-authentication of the communication device based on the comparison.

7. The radio network controller of claim 6, wherein the data measurement module is further configured to measure the volume of data transferred between the communication device and the communication network over at least one of an uplink channel and a downlink channel.

8. The radio network controller of claim 6 further comprising an interaction module coupled to the processor, the interaction module configured to:

receive authentication data from the communication device; and

transmit the authentication data to an authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) server coupled to the radio network controller for re-authentication.

9. The radio network controller of claim 8, wherein the interaction module may be configured to:

receive an access rejection message from the AAA server, wherein the access rejection message indicates that the communication device is blacklisted; and

block services to the communication device based on the access rejection message.

11. The radio network controller of claim 6, wherein the data measurement module is further configured to reset a data measuring counter to zero upon triggering of the re-authentication.

10. (canceled)

12. A computer-readable medium having embodied thereon a non-transitory computer program for executing a method of re-authenticating a communication device connected to a communication network, the method comprising:

measuring a volume of data transferred between the communication device and the communication network;

comparing the volume of data with a preset re-authentication threshold value; and

triggering re-authentication of the communication device based on the comparison.