Method and apparatus for preventing theft of service in a communication system

• US 7,995,994 B2
• Filed: 09/22/2007
• Issued: 08/09/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ribbon Communications Operating Company, Inc. (Ribbon Communications, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Kineto Wireless Incorporated (Ribbon Communications, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tao, Patrick, Gupta, Rajeev, Gallagher, Michael D., Markovic, Milan, Khetawat, Amit
• Primary Examiner(s): Edouard; Patrick N
• Assistant Examiner(s): PEREZ, JULIO R
• Application Number:
  US11/859,771
• Publication Number:
  US 20080076386A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,417 Days
• Field of Search: 455/411, 455/410, 455/435.1, 370/389, 370/230, 370/310
• US Class Current: 455/410
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/16 with lock-out or secrecy provision in party-line systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B

Abstract

A method of preventing theft of service in a communication system that includes a first wireless communication system and a second wireless communication system that includes a Femtocell access point (FAP) and a network controller that can communicatively couple the FAP to the first wireless communication system. The method creates an authorized session that includes a session identify for a first user equipment (UE). The UE is recognized by the first communication as an authorized UE to use the FAP. The method rejects a request by the FAP to register a second UE when the identity of the second UE does not match any identity in the set of first UE identities. The rejected request includes the session identity of the authorized session and the identity of the second UE. The second UE is not recognized by the first communication system as an authorized UE to use the FAP.

Claims

1. A method of preventing theft of service by a compromised access point and detecting unauthorized identifiers in a communication system comprising (i) a first communication system comprising a core network and a licensed radio access network, and (ii) a wireless second communication system comprising a particular access point that operates using licensed wireless frequencies covering a short-range distance and a network controller communicatively coupling the particular access point to the core network, the network controller maintaining a list of UE identities recognized by the core network to use the particular access point, the method comprising:

creating a session comprising a session identity for a first user equipment (UE), said session for communicatively coupling the first UE with the core network through the particular access point, the first UE comprising an identity included in the list of UE identities recognized by the core network to use the particular access point;

associating the identity of the first UE with the session as an identity of a UE authorized to use the session; and

rejecting a message routed from the particular access point to the network controller when said message comprises (i) the session identity of the session for the first UE and (ii) an identity of a second UE, the second UE comprising an identity different than the identity of the first UE associated with the session, wherein the message is an attempt by the particular access point to steal service based on the identity of the second UE by reusing the session of the first UE and replacing the identity of the first UE with the identity of the second UE.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the identity of the first UE comprises an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) of the first UE.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the identity of the first UE comprises a temporary mobile subscriber identity (TMSI) for circuit switched (CS) services assigned by the core network to the first UE.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the identity of the first UE comprises a temporary mobile subscriber identity for packet switched (PS) services (P-TMSI) assigned by the core network to the first UE.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising deregistering said session for the first UE.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the session is a first session, the method further comprising creating a second session using the identity of the first UE.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first UE is communicatively coupled to the particular access point using a licensed wireless frequency.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless second communication system comprises a broadband IP network, wherein the network controller is an access network controller.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the network controller is communicatively coupled to the core network through a universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS) terrestrial radio access network (UTRAN) Iu interface.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the particular access point is a Femtocell access point (FAP).

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the wireless second communication system is a Femtocell communication system.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the session identity comprises a context associated with an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) of the first UE.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the session identity is associated with the first UE identity during a registration of the first UE with the network controller.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the particular access point acquires the identity of the second UE when the particular access point intercepts a registration request transmitted toward the core network from the second UE.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the first UE is a member of a private user group defined by the list of UE identities and the second UE is not a member of the private user group.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the network controller is communicatively coupled to the core network through a Global System for Mobile communications (GSM)/EDGE Radio Access Network (GERAN) A/Gb interface.

17. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a computer program for execution by a network controller, the computer program for preventing theft of service and for detecting unauthorized identifiers in a communication system comprising (i) a first communication system comprising a core network and a licensed radio access network, and (ii) a wireless second communication system comprising a particular access point that operates using licensed wireless frequencies covering a short-range distance and the network controller, the network controller communicatively coupling the particular access point to the core network, the network controller maintaining a list of UE identities recognized by the core network to use the particular access point, the computer program comprising:

a set of instructions for creating a session comprising a session identity for a first user equipment (UE) when the first UE comprises an identity included in the list of UE identities recognized by the core network to use the particular access point, said session for communicatively coupling the first UE with the core network through the particular access point;

a set of instructions for associating the identity of the first UE with the session as an identity of a UE authorized to use the session; and

a set of instructions for rejecting a message routed from the particular access point to the network controller when (i) said message comprises the session identity of the session for the first UE and an identity of a second UE and (ii) the second UE comprises an identity different than the identity of the first UE associated with the session, wherein the message is an attempt by the particular access point to steal service based on the identity of the second UE by reusing the session of the first UE and replacing the identity of the first UE with the identity of the second UE.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the identity of the first UE comprises an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) of the first UE.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the identity of the first UE comprises a temporary mobile subscriber identity (TMSI) for circuit switched (CS) services assigned by the core network to the first UE.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the identity of the first UE comprises a temporary mobile subscriber identity for packet switched (PS) services (P-TMSI) assigned by the core network to the first UE.

21. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the computer program further comprises a set of instructions for deregistering said authorized session for the first UE.

22. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the session is a first session, wherein the computer program further comprises a set of instructions for creating a second session using the identity of the first UE.

23. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the first UE is communicatively coupled to the particular access point using a licensed wireless frequency.

24. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the wireless second communication system is a broadband IP network, wherein the network controller is an access network controller.

25. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the network controller is communicatively coupled to the core network through a universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS) terrestrial radio access network (UTRAN) Iu interface.

26. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the session identity comprises a context associated with an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) of the first UE.

27. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the session identity is associated with the first UE identity during a registration of the first UE with the network controller.

28. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the network controller is communicatively coupled to the core network through a Global System for Mobile communications (GSM)/EDGE Radio Access Network (GERAN) A/Gb interface.

29. A network controller operable in a communication system comprising (i) a first communication system comprising a core network and a licensed radio access network, and (ii) a wireless second communication system comprising a particular access point that operates using licensed wireless frequencies covering a short-range distance and the network controller, the network controller for communicatively coupling the particular access point to the core network, the network controller for maintaining a list of UE identities recognized by the core network to use the particular access point, the network controller comprising:

an interface established between the particular access point and the network controller for communicatively coupling the particular access point and a plurality of user equipments (UEs) coupled to the core network; and

a processor;

to create a session comprising a session identity for a first UE, said session for communicatively coupling the first UE with the core network through the particular access point when the first UE comprises an identity included in the list of UE identities recognized by the core network to use the particular access point,

to associate the identity of the first UE with the session as an identity of a UE authorized to use the session, and

to reject a message routed from the particular access point to the network controller when (i) said message comprises the session identity of the session for the first UE and an identity of a second UE and (ii) the second UE comprises an identity different than the identity of the first UE associated with the session, wherein the message is an attempt by the particular access point to reuse the session of the first UE and to replace the identity of the first UE with the identity of the second UE to steal service based on the identity of the second UE.

30. The network controller of claim 29, wherein the identity of the first UE comprises an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) of the first UE.

31. The network controller of claim 29, wherein the session identity comprises a context associated with an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) of the first UE.

32. The network controller of claim 29, wherein the session identity is associated with the first UE identity during a registration of the first UE with the network controller.

33. The network controller of claim 29, wherein the network controller is communicatively coupled to the core network through a universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS) terrestrial radio access network (UTRAN) Iu interface.

34. The network controller of claim 29, wherein the network controller is communicatively coupled to the core network through a Global System for Mobile communications (GSM)/EDGE Radio Access Network (GERAN) A/Gb interface.