Method and apparatus for providing an adaptable security level in an electronic communication
First Claim
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1. A method comprising:
- a communication device preparing a plurality of frames, each frame having a header, data, and a plurality of security features;
on a frame-by-frame basis, said communication device processing each frame by;
determining a frame type of the frame based on a type of transmission being sent in the frame, wherein a policy indicates appropriate security features for said frame type; and
including frame type data in said header of the frame, the frame type data indicating, based on said frame type, the type of transmission;
wherein said frame type is one of a plurality of predetermined frame types, the plurality of predetermined frame types includes two or more of data-type, command-type, acknowledgement-type, and beacon-type, the header includes a representation of a key and an indication of a security level, said policy indicates an acceptable frame type for said key, and said policy indicates an acceptable frame type for said security level; and
said communication device providing the plurality of frames for transmission.
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Abstract
A method of communicating in a secure communication system, comprises the steps of assembling a message at a sender, then determining a frame type, and including an indication of the frame type in a header of the message. The message is then sent to a recipient and the frame type used to perform a policy check.
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Citations
46 Claims
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1. A method comprising:
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a communication device preparing a plurality of frames, each frame having a header, data, and a plurality of security features; on a frame-by-frame basis, said communication device processing each frame by; determining a frame type of the frame based on a type of transmission being sent in the frame, wherein a policy indicates appropriate security features for said frame type; and including frame type data in said header of the frame, the frame type data indicating, based on said frame type, the type of transmission; wherein said frame type is one of a plurality of predetermined frame types, the plurality of predetermined frame types includes two or more of data-type, command-type, acknowledgement-type, and beacon-type, the header includes a representation of a key and an indication of a security level, said policy indicates an acceptable frame type for said key, and said policy indicates an acceptable frame type for said security level; and said communication device providing the plurality of frames for transmission. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method performed by a communication device, said method comprising:
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said communication device receiving a plurality of frames, each frame having a header, data, and a plurality of security features, the header of each frame including; frame type data indicating a type of transmission sent by the frame; a representation of a key; and an indication of a security level; and for each frame, said communication device; identifying a frame type of the frame based on the type of transmission indicated by the frame type data in the header of the frame, wherein said frame type is one of a plurality of predetermined frame types, and the plurality of predetermined frame types includes two or more of data-type, command-type, acknowledgement-type, and beacon-type; and comparing said frame type for the frame to a policy to determine whether the security features of the frame are appropriate for said frame type, wherein said policy indicates an acceptable frame type for said key and for said security level. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A system comprising a communication device that is operable to perform operations comprising:
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preparing a plurality of frames, each frame having a header, data, and a plurality of security features; and on a frame-by-frame basis, processing each frame by; determining a frame type of the frame based on a type of transmission being sent in the frame, wherein a policy indicates appropriate security features for said frame type, said frame type is one of a plurality of predetermined frame types, and the plurality of predetermined frame types includes two or more of data-type, command-type, acknowledgement-type, and beacon-type; including frame type data in said header of the frame, the frame type data indicating, based on said frame type, the type of transmission; including a representation of a key in said header of the frame, said policy indicating an acceptable frame type for said key; and including an indication of a security level in said header of the frame, said policy indicating an acceptable frame type for said security level; providing the plurality of frames for transmission. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
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38. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions that are operable to cause a communication device to perform operations comprising:
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receiving a plurality of frames, each frame having a header, data, and a plurality of security features, the header of each frame including; frame type data indicating a type of transmission sent by the frame; a representation of a key; and an indication of a security level; and for each frame; determining a frame type of the frame based on the type of transmission indicated by the frame type data in the header of the frame, wherein said frame type is one of a plurality of predetermined frame types, and the plurality of predetermined frame types includes two or more of data-type, command-type, acknowledgement-type, and beacon-type; and comparing said frame type for the frame to a policy to determine whether the security features of the frame are appropriate for said frame type, wherein said policy indicates an acceptable frame type for said key and an acceptable frame type for said security level. - View Dependent Claims (39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46)
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Specification