Detection of cloned identifiers in communication systems
First Claim
1. A method of identifying cloned identifiers comprising:
- receiving a first identifier relating to the identity of a communication device and a second identifier relating to the identity of a subscriber at the time of a connection attempt to a network; and
determining whether one of the identifiers has been cloned, the determination being made in part through information obtained from a connection history database, and in part through information obtained from a network element,in which the connection history database stores previously received first and second identifiers, andin which determining whether one of the identifiers has been cloned comprises determining whether the first identifier has been cloned, the method further comprising;
determining from the connection history database whether the received first identifier has previously attempted to connect to the network with a number of second identifiers other than the received second identifier, and where it is so determined, obtaining those other second identifiers, anddetermining from the network element whether any of the other second identifiers are currently connected to the network.
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Accused Products
Abstract
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method, in a communication system having a plurality of communication devices each having a first and second identifier associated therewith at the time of a connection attempt to the network, of identifying when one of the identifiers has been cloned, the connection status of the first identifier being obtainable from a network element, comprising receiving the first and second identifiers of a communication device, determining whether one of the identifiers has been cloned, the determination being made in part through information obtained from a connection history database, and in part through information obtained from the network element.
15 Citations
14 Claims
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1. A method of identifying cloned identifiers comprising:
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receiving a first identifier relating to the identity of a communication device and a second identifier relating to the identity of a subscriber at the time of a connection attempt to a network; and determining whether one of the identifiers has been cloned, the determination being made in part through information obtained from a connection history database, and in part through information obtained from a network element, in which the connection history database stores previously received first and second identifiers, and in which determining whether one of the identifiers has been cloned comprises determining whether the first identifier has been cloned, the method further comprising; determining from the connection history database whether the received first identifier has previously attempted to connect to the network with a number of second identifiers other than the received second identifier, and where it is so determined, obtaining those other second identifiers, and determining from the network element whether any of the other second identifiers are currently connected to the network. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14)
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9. An apparatus for determining if an identifier has been cloned, comprising:
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a receiver for receiving via a network a first identifier relating to the identity of a communication device and a second identifier relating to the identity of a subscriber associated with a communication device; a first interface for accessing a network element for providing the connection status of the first identifier; a second interface for accessing a connection history database, the connection history database being configured to store, in response to a connection attempt by a communication device, connection data related to the first and second identifiers associated with that communication device; and a processor for determining whether one of the received identifiers has been cloned, the determination being made in part through data obtained from the connection history database, and in part through data obtained from the network element, in which the processor further determines whether the second identifier has been cloned by determining from the connection history database whether the last connection attempt for the received second identifier was with a first identifier other than the received first identifier; and
determining from the network element whether the received second identifier is currently connected to the network.
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10. A system for identifying cloned identifiers comprising:
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mobile switching center (MSC) configured to determine an international mobile equipment identity (IMEI) and an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) associated with a mobile station; an equipment identity register (EIR) configured to classify IMEI numbers; an equipment identity register proxy (EIR proxy) electronically coupled between the MSC and the EIR; and a connection history database configured to store a number of IMEI and IMSI pairs, in which the EIR proxy is configured to receive the IMEI and the IMSI from the MSC, and access the connection history database to determine whether the IMEI or the IMSI have been cloned. - View Dependent Claims (11)
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Specification