Method of checking amount of transmitted data

• US 7,962,121 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2007
• Issued: 06/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Niemi, Valtteri, Vialen, Jukka
• Primary Examiner(s): LY, ANH VU H
• Application Number:
  US11/955,002
• Publication Number:
  US 20080090549A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,280 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 455/410
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/06 Generation of reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1408 by monitoring network traffic monitoring network traffic per se H04L43/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/106 Packet or message integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/122 Counter-measures against attacks; Protection against rogue devices

Abstract

During a connection between a network infrastructure and user equipment a first indication of the amount of data transmitted over the connection is maintained in the network infrastructure and a second indication of the amount data transmitted is maintained in the user equipment. A checking procedure is triggered in response to encountering a predetermined checking value. The checking procedure utilizes integrity protected signalling. During the checking procedure the first indication is compared with the second indication. This checking procedure enables easy discovery of an intruder who either sends and/or receives data on an authorized connection between a network infrastructure and a mobile station, the data transmission being charged from the mobile station.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising a processor and a memory operatively connected to the processor, wherein the processor is configured to:

store and update a first indication in the memory of a first amount of data transmitted over a connection with another apparatus, where the first amount of data transmitted over the connection represents an amount of data sent from the apparatus and an amount of data received at the apparatus,

receive a counter check message from the other apparatus, where the counter check message is an integrity protected signalling message comprising a second indication of a second amount of data transmitted over the connection, where the second amount of data transmitted over the connection represents an amount of data sent from the other apparatus and an amount of data received at the other apparatus,

in response to receiving the counter check message, compare the first indication with the second indication, and

cause an integrity-protected signalling message indicating the comparison result to be sent to the other apparatus.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to verify integrity of the integrity protected signalling message received from the other apparatus before performing the comparison.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to wait for said second indication a predetermined time in response to encountering a predefined checking value, and to trigger an intruder checking procedure by sending the first indication to the other apparatus in an integrity-protected signalling message if said second indication is not received within the predetermined time.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to store and update the first indication separately for uplink and downlink directions of the connection.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is one of a user equipment and a network node.

6. An apparatus comprising a processor and a memory operatively connected to the processor, wherein the processor is configured to:

store and update a first indication in the memory of a first amount of data transmitted over a connection with another apparatus, where the first amount of data transmitted over the connection represents an amount of data sent from the apparatus and an amount of data received at the apparatus,

trigger an intruder checking procedure in response to encountering a predefined checking value by sending the first indication to the other apparatus in a counter check message, where the counter check message is an integrity-protected signalling message, and

receive a comparison result during the checking procedure, said comparison result being provided by an integrity protected signalling message received from the other apparatus,

upon completion of the checking procedure, determining whether the connection is being used by an intruder based at least in part on the comparison result.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the processor is configured to trigger the intruder checking procedure after a predetermined amount of data has been transmitted between two checking procedures in succession.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the processor is configured to trigger the intruder checking procedure after a predetermined number of data has been transmitted between two checking procedures in succession.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the processor is configured to periodically trigger the intruder checking procedure.

10. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to deduce, based on the comparison result, whether to release the connection.

11. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the processor is configured to release the connection in response to a comparison result that indicates that a difference between the first indication and a second indication is an unacceptable difference, where the second indication indicates a second amount of data transmitted over the connection, where the second amount of data transmitted over the connection represents an amount of data sent from the other apparatus and an amount of data received at the other apparatus.

12. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the processor is configured to verify integrity of the integrity protected signalling message received from the other apparatus before and if the integrity is verified, to deduce, based on the comparison result, whether to release the connection.

13. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the processor is configured to decrease the checking value in response to a comparison result that indicates that there is an acceptable difference between the first and second indications.

14. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to deduce during the checking procedure whether to release the connection.

15. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the processor is configured to store and update the first indication separately for uplink and downlink directions of the connection.

16. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the apparatus is one of a user equipment and a network node.

17. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium comprising computer executable instructions thereon which, when executed by a processor of an apparatus, causes the processor:

to store and update a first indication in a memory of a first amount of data transmitted over a connection with another apparatus, where the first amount of data transmitted over the connection represents an amount of data sent from the apparatus and an amount of data received at the apparatus,

to receive a counter check message from the other apparatus, where the counter check message is an integrity protected signalling message comprising a second indication of a second amount of data transmitted over the connection, where the second amount of data transmitted over the connection represents an amount of data sent from the other apparatus and an amount of data received at the other apparatus,

in response to receiving the counter check message, to compare the first indication with the second indication; and

to cause an integrity-protected signalling message indicating the comparison result to be sent over the connection.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the first indication represents an amount of data transmitted over the connection calculated by a user equipment, and

wherein the second indication represents an amount of data transmitted over the connection calculated by a network node in a radio network subsystem.

19. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium comprising computer executable instructions thereon which, when executed by a processor of an apparatus, causes the processor:

to store and update a first indication of a first amount of data transmitted over a connection with another apparatus, where the first amount of data transmitted over the connection represents an amount of data sent from the apparatus and an amount of data received at the apparatus,

to trigger an intruder checking procedure in response to encountering a predefined checking value by sending a first indication to the other apparatus in a counter check message, where the counter check message is an integrity-protected signalling message,

to receive a comparison result during the checking procedure, said comparison result being provided by an integrity protected signalling message received from the other apparatus,

to deduce, on the basis of the comparison result whether the connection is being used only by legal users.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the processor releases the connection responsive to the comparison result.

21. An method comprising:

storing and updating a first indication in a memory of a first apparatus of a first amount of data transmitted over a connection with another apparatus, where the first amount of data transmitted over the connection represents an amount of data sent from the first apparatus and an amount of data received at the first apparatus,

receiving a counter check message from the other apparatus at the first apparatus, where the counter check message is an integrity protected signalling message comprising a second indication of a second amount of data transmitted over the connection, where the second amount of data transmitted over the connection represents an amount of data sent from the other apparatus and an amount of data received at the other apparatus,

in response to receiving the counter check message, comparing the first indication with the second indication, by a processor of the first apparatus, and

causing an integrity-protected signalling message indicating the comparison result to be sent to the other apparatus.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising verifying an integrity of the integrity protected signalling message received from the other apparatus before performing the comparison.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

in response to encountering a predefined checking value, waiting for said second indication a predetermined time and

in response to not receiving said second indication within the predetermined time, triggering an intruder checking procedure by sending the first indication to the other apparatus in an integrity-protected signalling message.

24. The method of claim 21, further comprising storing and updating the first indication separately for uplink and downlink directions of the connection.

25. An method comprising:

storing and updating a first indication in a memory of a first apparatus of a first amount of data transmitted over a connection with another apparatus, where the first amount of data transmitted over the connection represents an amount of data sent from the first apparatus and an amount of data received at the first apparatus,

in response to encountering a predefined checking value, triggering an intruder checking procedure by sending the first indication to the other apparatus in a counter check message, where the counter check message is an integrity-protected signalling message, and

receiving a comparison result during the checking procedure at the first apparatus, said comparison result being provided by an integrity protected signalling message received from the other apparatus,

upon completion of the checking procedure, determining whether the connection is being used by an intruder based at least in part on the comparison result.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising triggering the intruder checking procedure after a predetermined amount of data has been transmitted between two checking procedures in succession.

27. The method of claim 25, further comprising periodically triggering the intruder checking procedure.

28. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

in response to a comparison result that indicates that a difference between the first indication and a second indication is an unacceptable difference, releasing the connection,

where the second indication indicates a second amount of data transmitted over the connection, where the second amount of data transmitted over the connection represents an amount of data sent from the other apparatus and an amount of data received at the other apparatus.