System for binding a device to a gateway to regulate service theft through cloning

• US 8,335,917 B2
• Filed: 08/12/2008
• Issued: 12/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ford, Alan, Lee, Steve, Zabala, Jamie
• Primary Examiner(s): Barron, Jr., Gilberto
• Assistant Examiner(s): Okeke, Izunna
• Application Number:
  US12/190,548
• Publication Number:
  US 20100040055A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,589 Days
• Field of Search: 713/151, 713/152, 713/153, 713/160, 713/161, 713/187, 726/12, 726/28, 726/29, 726/30, 726/32, 380/201
• US Class Current: 713/153
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/622 Layer-2 addresses, e.g. medium access control [MAC] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/28 Restricting access to network management systems or functions, e.g. using authorisation function to access network configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5014 using dynamic host configuration protocol [DHCP] or bootstrap protocol [BOOTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42684 Client identification by a unique number or address, e.g. serial number, MAC address, socket ID network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming H04L61/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/437 Interfacing the upstream path of the transmission network, e.g. for transmitting client requests to a VOD server flow control in data networks H04L47/10; streaming protocols, e.g. RTP or RTCP, H04L65/65; scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests in data packet switching networks H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6168 involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem

Abstract

In one example, a Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) combines a value identifying itself with a cable modem Media Access Control (MAC) address stored in a provisioning request. The CMTS then relays the modified provisioning request to a provisioning server, which analyzes the value to identify a CMTS associated with the cable modem MAC address. Then, to regulate cable modem cloning or for other reasons, the provisioning server selects provisioning information for the cable modem according to the identified CMTS-MAC address association.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) configured to;

receive a provisioning request for a cable modem, the provisioning request containing a first field for a physical address of the cable modem, wherein the first field contains a six octet value;

obtain an identifier that is different than an IP address of the CMTS;

attach the obtained identifier to the six octet value within the first field, wherein said obtained identifier is inserted into the first field via said attachment, and wherein a greater than six octet value is contained in the first field after the attachment; and

relay the provisioning request containing the greater than six octet value to the provisioning server.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the six octet value comprises an actual, reachable address for the cable modem, wherein the actual, reachable address for the cable modem is a Media Access Control (MAC) address for the cable modem.

6. The system of claim 3 wherein the CMTS is further configured to:

in addition to attaching the obtained identifier to the six octet value within the first field, insert an address for the CMTS into a second different field of the provisioning request prior to relaying the provisioning request.

2. A system, comprising:

a Cable Modem Termination System configured to;

receive a provisioning request containing a six octet value corresponding to a Media Access Control (MAC) address for a cable modem, the six octet value being an actual, reachable address for the cable modem;

obtain an identifier that is different than an IP address of the CMTS;

attach the obtained identifier to the six octet value to generate a greater than six octet value, wherein the generated greater than six octet value is different than the actual, reachable address for the cable modem; and

relay the provisioning request containing the greater than six octet value to a provisioning server.

7. The system of claim 2, wherein the provisioning server contains circuitry configured to:

receive the relayed provisioning request and observe the greater than six octet value contained therein;

compare information represented by the greater than six octet value to a table that indicates valid access routers for different cable modem physical addresses; and

respond back to the CMTS with provisioning information, wherein the provisioning information included in the response is selected according to the comparison.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the provisioning information included with the response is configured to prevent the cable modem from completing ranging.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the provisioning information included with the response is configured to bring the cable modem online if the greater than six octet value identifies a valid CMTS-MAC address combination.

10. The system of claim 2, wherein the CMTS is further configured to:

receive back a response to the provisioning request from the provisioning server; and

replace addressing information contained in the response with addressing information for the CMTS to mask the provisioning server from the cable modem.

17. The system of claim 2, wherein said attaching further comprises inserting the obtained identifier into a client hardware field of a Dynamic Host Control Protocol (DHCP) discover.

18. The system of claim 2, wherein the attaching further comprises hashing the obtained identifier with the six octet value, wherein the provisioning request comprises a DHCP discover, and wherein a result of the hashing is located in a client hardware field of the DHCP discover.

19. The system of claim 2, wherein the attaching further comprises prepending the obtained identifier to the six octet value, wherein the provisioning request comprises a DHCP discover, and wherein a result of the prepending is located in a client hardware field of the DHCP discover.

20. The system of claim 2, wherein the attaching further comprises appending the obtained identifier to the six octet value, wherein the provisioning request comprises a DHCP discover, and wherein a result of the appending is located in a client hardware field of the DHCP discover.

4. A method, comprising:

receiving a provisioning request at an access router;

providing an identifier that is different than an IP address of the CMTS;

combining the provided identifier corresponding to the access router with a six octet value contained in the received provisioning request to generate a greater than six octet value; and

relaying the provisioning request having the greater than six octet value over a network and to a provisioning device;

wherein the greater than six octet value is located in a field designated by a provisioning protocol for identifying a requestor address, and wherein the greater than six octet value located in said field comprises a non-address.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the six octet value comprises a physical address.

14. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

receiving a response to the provisioning request, the response including information identifying an address for the provisioning device;

modifying the information in the response to mask the address for the provisioning device; and

relaying the response having the modified information to the device connected to the access router.

15. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

generating a table associating physical addresses with access routers;

comparing information represented by the greater than six octet value included in the relayed provisioning request to the generated table; and

determining whether the device requesting provisioning is associated with cable modem cloning according to the comparison.

16. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

comparing information represented by the greater than six octet value to stored associations of physical addresses to access routers; and

controlling an amount of bandwidth provided to a device connected to the access router according to the comparison.

11. A system, comprising:

a Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) comprising circuitry configured to;

receive from a cable modem a broadcast Dynamic Host Control Protocol (DHCP) discover containing a six octet value in a client hardware field thereof, wherein the six octet value comprises an actual, reachable address of the cable modem;

obtain an identifier that is different than an IP address of the CMTS;

attach the obtained identifier to the six octet value to generate a greater than six octet value, wherein the greater than six octet value is not an actual, reachable address of the cable modem;

relay the broadcast Dynamic Host Control Protocol (DHCP) discover containing the greater than six octet value in the client hardware field thereof to the provisioning server.

12. An apparatus, comprising:

a processing device; and

a memory storing instructions that, if executed by the processing device, are operable to perform operations comprising;

receiving a provisioning request at an access router;

obtaining an identifier that is different than an IP address of the access router;

combining the obtained identifier with a six octet value contained in the received provisioning request to generate a greater than six octet value; and

relaying the provisioning request having the greater than six octet value over a network and to a provisioning device;

wherein the greater than six octet value is located in a field designated by a provisioning protocol for identifying a requestor address, and wherein the greater than six octet value located in said field comprises a non-address.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the obtained identifier is appended to the six octet value.

21. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the six octet value comprises a physical address.