METHODS AND APPARATUS TO IMPROVE SECURITY OF A VIRTUAL PRIVATE MOBILE NETWORK

• US 20160043998A1
• Filed: 10/23/2015
• Published: 02/11/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wang, Wei, Shen, Charles
• Granted Patent: US 9,537,829 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0209 Architectural arrangements, e.g. perimeter networks or demilitarized zones
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0272 Virtual private networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/04 for providing a confidential data exchange among entities communicating through data packet networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are disclosed to prevent consecutive attacks on a virtual private mobile network. An example method includes for each of a plurality of network elements, generating virtualized slices based on a virtualized slice count value for subgroups associated with the virtual private mobile network, and assigning non-consecutive ones of the virtualized slices to the subgroups associated with the virtual private mobile network based on demand for the virtualized slices by the respective ones of the subgroups. The example method also includes, in response to a request from a mobile device to access the virtual private mobile network for a first time, assigning the mobile device to one of the virtual slices of the plurality of network elements based on (i) the subgroup associated with the mobile device, and (ii) availability of the virtual slices.

Claims

1. A method to prevent consecutive attacks on a virtual private mobile network, the method comprising:

for each of a plurality of network elements;

generating, with a hardware processor, virtualized slices based on a virtualized slice count value for subgroups associated with the virtual private mobile network, the virtualized slice count based on a multiplication factor associated with a number of subgroups defined within the virtual private mobile network; and

assigning non-consecutive ones of the virtualized slices to the subgroups associated with the virtual private mobile network based on demand for the virtualized slices by the respective ones of the subgroups; and

in response to a request from a mobile device to access the virtual private mobile network for a first time, assigning the mobile device to one of the virtual slices of the plurality of network elements based on (i) the subgroup associated with the mobile device, and (ii) availability of the virtual slices.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the demand is determined by at least one of a number of expected users of one or more of the subgroups, a number of expected mobile devices that will use one or more of the subgroups, and an expected bandwidth to be used by one or more of the subgroups.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, further including determining the availability of the virtual slices based on load balancing information.

4. A method as defined in claim 1, further including determining the availability of the virtual slices based on a threshold number of mobile devices.

5. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the assigning of the mobile device to the one of the virtual slices further includes assigning the mobile device to one of the available virtual slices based on an output of a random number generator.

6. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the non-consecutive ones of the virtualized slices are alternating.

7. An apparatus to prevent consecutive attacks on a virtual private mobile network, the apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a memory including instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to;

for each of a plurality of network elements;

generate virtualized slices based on a virtualized slice count value for subgroups associated with the virtual private mobile network, the virtualized slice count based on a multiplication factor associated with a number of subgroups defined within the virtual private mobile network; and

assign non-consecutive ones of the virtualized slices to the subgroups associated with the virtual private mobile network based on demand for the virtualized slices by the respective ones of the subgroups; and

in response to a request from a mobile device to access the virtual private mobile network for a first time, assigning the mobile device to one of the virtual slices of the plurality of network elements based on (i) the subgroup associated with the mobile device, and (ii) availability of the virtual slices.

8. An apparatus as defined in claim 7, wherein the demand is determined by at least one of a number of expected users of one or more of the subgroups, a number of expected mobile devices that will use one or more of the subgroups, and an expected bandwidth to be used by one or more of the subgroups.

9. An apparatus as defined in claim 7, further including instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to determine the availability of the virtual slices based on load balancing information.

10. An apparatus as defined in claim 7, further including instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to determine the availability of the virtual slices based on a threshold number of mobile devices.

11. An apparatus as defined in claim 7, wherein to assign the mobile device to the one of the virtual slices, the instructions cause the processor to assign the mobile device to one of the available virtual slices based on an output of a random number generator.

12. An apparatus method as defined in claim 7, wherein the non-consecutive ones of the virtualized are alternating.

13. A machine accessible storage device comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to, at least:

for each of a plurality of network elements;

generate virtualized slices based on a virtualized slice count value for subgroups associated with the virtual private mobile network, the virtualized slice count based on a multiplication factor associated with a number of subgroups defined within the virtual private mobile network; and

assign non-consecutive ones of the virtualized slices to the subgroups associated with the virtual private mobile network based on demand for the virtualized slices by the respective ones of the subgroups; and

in response to a request from a mobile device to access the virtual private mobile network for a first time, assign the mobile device to one of the virtual slices of the plurality of network elements based on (i) the subgroup associated with the mobile device, and (ii) availability of the virtual slices.

14. A machine accessible storage device as defined in claim 13, wherein the demand is determined by at least one of a number of expected users of one or more of the subgroups, a number of expected mobile devices that will use one or more of the subgroups, and an expected bandwidth to be used by one or more of the subgroups.

15. A machine accessible storage device as defined in claim 13, further including instructions that, when executed, cause the machine to determine the availability of the virtual slices based on load balancing information.

16. A machine accessible storage device as defined in claim 13, further including instructions that, when executed, cause the machine to determine the availability of the virtual slices based on a threshold number of mobile devices.

17. A machine accessible storage device as defined in claim 13, wherein to assign the mobile device to the one of the virtual slices of each of the plurality of network elements, the instructions cause the machine to assign the mobile device to one of the available virtual slices based on an output of a random number generator.

18. A machine accessible storage device as defined in claim 13, wherein the non-consecutive ones of the virtualized slices are alternating.