System and method for joint passive interception of satellite and cellular communication

• US 9,107,042 B2
• Filed: 05/18/2012
• Issued: 08/11/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cognyte Technologies Israel Ltd. (Cognyte Software Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Verint Systems Limited (Verint Systems Incorporated)
• Inventors: Nelkenbaum, Yossi, Raviv, Li-on
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, DINH
• Application Number:
  US13/474,761
• Publication Number:
  US 20120295615A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,180 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414, 455/427
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

Methods and systems for communication interception that apply joint processing to signals and information obtained from a satellite communication network and from a cellular communication network. A processing unit processes intercepted signals from the satellite and cellular networks using shared hardware. The processing unit extracts information related to target users from communication sessions conducted by the target users in the satellite and cellular networks. The processing unit may store this information in a single data structure, and in particular correlate information pertaining to the same target user in the two networks. The processing unit may correlate the different identifiers used by the target user in the different networks, and use this correlation to enhance the tracking of this user.

Claims

1. Apparatus, comprising:

a first front end receiver, which is configured to intercept first signals carrying one or more satellite communication sessions conducted in a satellite communication network;

a second front end receiver, which is configured to intercept second signals carrying one or more cellular communication sessions conducted in a cellular communication network;

a structured database; and

a processing unit, which is configured to jointly process the intercepted first and second signals so as to track at least one target user in both the satellite and cellular communication networks,

wherein the joint processing comprises extracting a first identifier of a given target user found within the satellite communication sessions, extracting a second identifier of the given target user found within the cellular communication sessions, correlating the first identifier and the second identifier, and storing the first and second identifiers and the correlation between them to a single data structure of the structured database.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit comprises at least one hardware processing module that is shared between processing of the first signals and the processing of the second signals.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the at least one hardware module comprises a Software Defined Radio (SDR) module that is configurable to process either the first signals or the second signals at any given time.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the at least one hardware module comprises deciphering hardware that is configurable to decrypt encrypted information conveyed by either the first signals or the second signals.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit is configured to record in the single data structure media content of both the satellite communication sessions and the cellular communication sessions.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit is configured to present to an operator of a joint Man Machine Interface (MMI) the first and second identifiers and the correlation.

7. A method, comprising:

intercepting first signals carrying one or more satellite communication sessions conducted in a satellite communication network;

intercepting second signals carrying one or more cellular communication sessions conducted in a cellular communication network; and

tracking at least one target user in both the satellite and cellular communication networks by jointly processing the intercepted first and second signals, wherein the joint processing comprises extracting a first identifier of a given target user found within the satellite communication sessions, extracting a second identifier of the given target user found within the cellular communication sessions, correlating the first identifier and the second identifier, and storing the first and second identifiers and the correlation to a single data structure of a structured database.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein jointly processing the intercepted signals comprises sharing at least one hardware processing module between processing of the first signals and the processing of the second signals.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein sharing the at least one hardware processing module comprises operating a Software Defined Radio (SDR) module that is configurable to process either the first signals or the second signals at any given time.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein sharing the at least one hardware processing module comprises operating deciphering hardware that is configurable to decrypt encrypted information conveyed by either the first signals or the second signals.

11. The method according to claim 7, wherein jointly processing the intercepted signals further comprises recording in the single data structure media content of both the satellite communication sessions and the cellular communication sessions.

12. The method according to claim 7, wherein jointly processing the intercepted signals further comprises presenting to an operator of a joint Man Machine Interface (MMI), the first and second identifiers and the correlation.