Network address verification

• US 9,300,625 B1
• Filed: 01/02/2013
• Issued: 03/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/02/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Potlapally, Nachiketh Rao, Brandwine, Eric Jason, Cullen, Patrick Brigham
• Primary Examiner(s): JACOBS, LASHONDA T
• Application Number:
  US13/733,019
• Time in Patent Office: 1,182 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/224, 709/245
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/50 Address allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/04 for providing a confidential data exchange among entities communicating through data packet networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0876 based on the identity of the terminal or configuration, e.g. MAC address, hardware or software configuration or device fingerprint
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/12 Applying verification of the received information cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for data integrity or data verification H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/164 at the network layer

Abstract

Data payloads that may not be accessible to customer computing devices may be utilized to verify network address ownership. In some examples, a first payload may be provided to a computing device having an address. Additionally, a second payload may be received from the computing device. Based at least in part on a relationship between the first payload and the second payload, an action associated with the address may be performed.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for verifying an address of a computing device, comprising:

receiving, by one or more computer systems, one or more Internet Protocol addresses associated with a customer account, each Internet Protocol address identifying a respective computing device of a plurality of computing devices associated with the customer account;

generating, by the one or more computer systems, a first data payload;

providing the first data payload to at least a subset of each respective computing device by sending a packet with the first data payload addressed to the Internet Protocol address associated with each respective computing device of the subset;

receiving, in response to the first data payload being provided to at least one of the plurality of computing devices, a second data payload from the at least one of the plurality of computing devices;

verifying, by the one or more computer systems, ownership of at least one Internet Protocol address of the one or more Internet Protocol addresses based at least in part on the first data payload corresponding to the second data payload; and

reconfiguring a computing system to associate ownership of the at least one Internet Protocol address with the customer account based at least in part on the verified ownership.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first data payload corresponds to the second data payload when the second data payload matches a hash of the first data payload.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising indicating a hash function to be utilized by the respective computing device to enable generation of the hash of the first data payload.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising providing information regarding to which respective computing devices the first data payload is provided.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein each respective computing device of the subset is provided a different first data payload.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein providing the first data payload includes causing a third party computing device to send the first data payload to at least the subset of each respective computing device or transmitting, from the one or more computer systems located at a plurality of different geographic locations, the first data payload to at least the subset of each respective computing device.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising re-verifying, after a period of time, ownership of a verified Internet Protocol address based at least in part on a new provided data payload matching a new received data payload.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising enabling a user of the customer account that has been verified as an owner of at least one of the one or more Internet Protocol addresses to configure access information associated with the customer account.

9. A computer-implemented method for verifying an address of a computing device, comprising:

providing, by one or more computer systems, a first data payload to a computing device of an account corresponding to a customer by sending a packet with the first data payload addressed to a network address received from the computing device of the account corresponding to the customer, an address of the computing device identified by the network address;

receiving, in response to the first data payload being provided to the computing device, a second data payload from the computing device; and

verifying, by the one or more computer systems, ownership of the network address with relation to the account corresponding to the customer based at least in part on the first data payload corresponding to the second data payload.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the network address includes at least an Internet Protocol version 4 or version 6 address.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, further comprising receiving, from the computing device, an indication that the network address identifies the computing device.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the first data payload includes information to which the computing device lacks access until receipt of the first data payload.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein the first data payload is provided as an Internet Control Message Protocol message, a User Datagram Protocol message, or a Transmission Control Protocol message.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the second data payload includes a hash value generated to form a cryptographic hash of the first data payload.

15. A system for verifying an address of a computing device, comprising:

at least one memory that stores computer-executable instructions; and

at least one processor configured to access the at least one memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to collectively at least;

manage a set of network addresses associated with a computing device that provided the network address, the computing device corresponding to an account of a customer;

transmit a payload to the computing device of the account by sending the payload to at least one of the set of network addresses, the at least one of the set of network addresses identifying the computing device corresponding to the customer;

in response to transmitting the payload to the computing device, receive, from the customer, proof that the computing device received the payload at the network address; and

indicate an ownership association between the at least one of the set of network addresses with relation to the associated computing device based at least in part on the received proof.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising generating each payload independently.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the payload is associated with at least metadata corresponding to at least one of the network address, the computing device, the account, the customer, or the payload, the metadata being necessary for enabling the computing device to indicate the proof.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the metadata includes a sequence number associated with the payload.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the metadata includes an identifier associated with the computing device, the account, or the customer.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the payload is associated with at least the metadata by including at least the metadata.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein the payload is associated with at least the metadata by deriving a value for the metadata based at least in part on the payload.

22. The system of claim 17, wherein the metadata includes state information for determining when the received proof indicates ownership of the network address by the associated computing device.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the received proof includes a second payload that corresponds to the provided payload.

24. One or more computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions for verifying an address of a computing device that, when executed by one or more computer systems, configure the one or more computer systems to:

provide a packet having a first payload to an address associated with a computing device;

receive, in response to providing the packet having the first payload, a second payload from the computing device;

verify ownership of the address by comparing the first payload to the second payload; and

perform an action associated with the address based at least in part the verified ownership.

25. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 24, wherein the address is an Internet Protocol version 4 address of the computing device or an Internet Protocol version 6 address of the computing device.

26. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 24, wherein the instructions further configure the one or more computer systems to generate information to be included in the first payload, wherein the computing device lacks access to the information until receipt of the first payload.

27. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 24, wherein the information includes a randomly generated number.

28. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 24, wherein the relationship includes at least the first payload matching the second payload.

29. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 28, wherein the action includes at least validating a correspondence between the first payload and the second payload.

30. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 29, wherein the action further includes associating the address with the computing device.