Systems and methods of detecting non-colocated subscriber devices

• US 8,577,998 B2
• Filed: 07/08/2008
• Issued: 11/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ver Steeg, William C., Briggs, Peter G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Backer, Firmin
• Assistant Examiner(s): EDWARDS, JAMES A
• Application Number:
  US12/169,012
• Publication Number:
  US 20100011094A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,946 Days
• Field of Search: 709/220
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/604 Address structures or formats
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/668 Internet protocol [IP] address subnets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/107 wherein the security policies are location-dependent, e.g. entities privileges depend on current location or allowing specific operations only from locally connected terminals

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method comprises receiving address configuration information for each of a plurality of subscriber devices associated with the same customer account. The method also comprises identifying, using the address configuration information, any of the subscriber devices that are not colocated with the other subscriber devices associated with the same customer account.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving address configuration information for each of a plurality of subscriber devices associated with a customer account, wherein the address configuration information comprises IP address of each of the plurality of subscribers devices;

determining whether the IP address of each of the plurality of subscribers include network address translated (NAT) flag;

determining, when the IP address include NAT flag, whether the IP address of each of the plurality of subscribers devices are the same; and

setting a caution level to high for a subscriber device, when one of the IP addresses of the plurality of subscriber devices are not the same, wherein the caution level is indicative of a likelihood of the subscriber device not being colocated.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the caution level associated with one of the subscriber devices is set;

responsive to the caution level determination, receiving second address configuration information for each of the subscriber devices associated with the same customer account; and

confirming, using the second address configuration information, that the selected subscriber device is not colocated with the other subscriber devices.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the address configuration information further comprises receiving an IP address of a last hop router for the corresponding subscriber device, and further comprising:

determining whether the IP address of the last hop router for each of the plurality of subscribers devices are same; and

setting the caution level to medium for a subscriber device, when a IP address of the last hop router of the subscriber device is not same.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the address configuration information comprises a MAC address of a first hop router for the corresponding subscriber device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the address configuration information further comprises receiving a hop list of IP addresses representing every hop between the corresponding subscriber device and a device performing the method.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein each subscriber device belongs to an IGMP group and the address configuration information comprises a MAC address of the corresponding subscriber device and a list of MAC addresses for other subscriber devices within the IGMP group.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving configuration information for each of the subscriber devices during a log-on by the corresponding subscriber device, and

wherein the identifying is performed responsive to receiving the configuration information.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

examining a routing table from a last hop router for each identified subscriber device to find a physical location for each identified subscriber device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the address configuration information for each of the plurality of subscriber devices associated with the customer account, comprises:

sending a request to each of the plurality of subscriber devices associated with the customer account to provide the configuration information in a first order;

receiving the address configuration information from each of the plurality of subscriber devices in a second order, wherein the first order and second order are different.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the address configuration information for each of the plurality of subscriber devices associated with the customer account, comprises:

sending a request to each of the plurality of subscriber devices associated with the customer account to provide the configuration information with a same time stamp;

receiving the address configuration information from each of the plurality of subscriber devices.

11. A digital network control system non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising:

a registration manager configured to;

receive address configuration information for each of a plurality of subscriber devices associated with a same customer account, wherein receiving address configuration information for each of the plurality of subscriber devices comprises receiving IP address of each of the plurality of subscribers devices; and

a non-colocation detector configured to;

determine whether the IP address of each of the plurality of subscribers devices belong to a same IP subnet; and

set a caution level to low for a subscriber device, when the subscriber devices does not have the same IP subnet, wherein the caution level is indicative of a likelihood of the subscriber device not being colocated.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein each subscriber device belongs to an IGMP group and the address configuration information comprises a MAC address of the corresponding subscriber device and a list of MAC addresses for other subscriber devices within the IGMP group.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein receiving the address configuration information further comprises receiving an IP address of a last hop router for each of the plurality of subscriber devices, and wherein the non-colocation detector is further configured to:

determine whether the IP address of the last hop router for each of the plurality of subscribers devices are same; and

set the caution level to medium for a subscriber device, when a IP address of the last hop router of the subscriber device is not same.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein receiving the address configuration information further comprises receiving a hop-by-hop trail from each of the plurality of subscriber devices to a forwarding device, and wherein the non-colocation detector is further configured to:

compare the hop-by-hop trail of each of the plurality of subscribers devices; and

set the caution level to medium for a subscriber device, when a hop-by-hop trail for the subscriber device is not same.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein receiving the address configuration information further comprises receiving an IP address of a DHCP server associated with each of the plurality of subscriber devices, and wherein the non-colocation detector is further configured to:

determine whether the IP address of the DHCP server for each of the plurality of subscribers devices are same; and

set the caution level to medium for a subscriber device, when a IP address of the DHCP server of the subscriber device is not same.

16. A digital network control system comprising:

a processor programmed to;

receive address configuration information of a subscriber device associated with a customer account, wherein receiving address configuration information comprises receiving a multicast group discovery result, wherein multicast group discovery result comprises a list of subscriber devices which are part of the multicast group of the subscriber device;

compare the list of subscriber devices from the multicast group discovery result with a list of subscriber devices associated with the customer account; and

set a caution level to high for a subscriber device in the list associated with the customer account and not listed in the list of the subscriber devices from the multicast group discovery, wherein the caution level is indicative of a likelihood of the subscriber device not being colocated.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine whether the caution level associated with one of the subscriber devices is set;

receive second address configuration information for each of the subscriber devices associated with the same customer account in response to the processor determining whether the caution level associated with one of the subscriber devices is set; and

confirm, using the second address configuration information, that the selected subscriber device is not colocated with the other subscriber devices.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein receiving the address configuration information further comprises receiving an IP address of a last hop router for each of the plurality of subscriber devices, and wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine whether the IP address of the last hop router for each of the plurality of subscribers devices are same; and

set the caution level to medium for a subscriber device, when a IP address of the last hop router of the subscriber device is not same.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein receiving the address configuration information further comprises receiving a hop-by-hop trail from each of the plurality of subscriber devices to a forwarding device, and wherein the processor is further configured to:

compare the hop-by-hop trail of each of the plurality of subscribers devices; and

set the caution level to medium for a subscriber device, when a hop-by-hop trail for the subscriber device is not same.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein receiving the address configuration information further comprises receiving a hop-by-hop trail from each of the plurality of subscriber devices to a forwarding device, and wherein the processor is further configured to:

compare the hop-by-hop trail of each of the plurality of subscribers devices; and

set the caution level to medium for a subscriber device, when a hop-by-hop trail for the subscriber device is not same.