System and method for location assurance of a mobile device

• US 9,648,460 B2
• Filed: 01/30/2014
• Issued: 05/09/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: TeleCommunication Systems Inc (Comtech Telecommunications Corporation)
• Original Assignee: TeleCommunication Systems Inc (Comtech Telecommunications Corporation)
• Inventors: Harper, Neil
• Primary Examiner(s): HUYNH, NAM TRUNG
• Application Number:
  US14/168,818
• Publication Number:
  US 20140148202A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,195 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/03 Cooperating elements; Interaction or communication between different cooperating elements or between cooperating elements and receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/215 issues related to spoofing
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/42 Determining position
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/48 by combining or switching between position solutions derived from the satellite radio beacon positioning system and position solutions derived from a further system
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/12 Detection or prevention of fraud
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/63 Location-dependent; Proximity-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A method for forging location measurements at a wireless device can include determining, at the wireless device, a Cell-ID for a cell in a vicinity of a false location. The method can also include receiving, at the wireless device, an identification of a set of satellites that are within view from the false location. The method can further include generating, at the wireless device, forged location measurements that characterize satellite signals from a subset of the set of satellites that would be received at the false location. The method can still further include providing, from the wireless device, the forged location measurements.

Claims

1. A method for forging location measurements at a wireless device, comprising:

determining, at the wireless device, a Cell-ID for a cell in a vicinity of a false location;

receiving, at the wireless device, an identification of a set of satellites that are within view from the false location;

generating, at the wireless device, forged location measurements that characterize satellite signals from a subset of the set of satellites that would be received at the false location; and

providing, from the wireless device, the forged location measurements.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the subset of the set of satellites is a proper subset of the set of satellites.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating further comprises introducing random errors into the forged location measurements.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the random errors includes a simulated clock error.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the random errors include a simulated ionosphere error.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the random errors include a simulated troposphere error.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining comprises querying a cell database to retrieve the Cell-ID for the cell in the vicinity of the false location.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless device is located in a cell with a different Cell-ID than the false location.

9. A wireless device for forging location measurements, comprising:

a memory for storing machine executable instructions; and

a processor to execute the machine executable instructions, the machine executable instructions configured to;

determine an identification of a set of satellites that are within view from a false location;

generate forged location measurements that characterize satellite signals from a subset of the set of satellites that would be received at the false location;

introduce random errors into the forged location measurements; and

output the forged location measurements.

10. The wireless device of claim 9, wherein the identification of the set of satellites is received from a secure user plan location (SULP) location platform (SLP).

11. The wireless device of claim 9, wherein the subset of the set of satellites is a proper subset of the set of satellites.

12. The wireless device of claim 9, wherein the random errors includes a simulated clock error.

13. The wireless device of claim 9, wherein the random errors include a simulated ionosphere error.

14. The wireless device of claim 9, wherein the random errors include a simulated troposphere error.

16. The wireless device of claim 9, wherein the wireless device is located in a cell with a different Cell-ID than the false location.

15. A wireless device for forging location measurements, comprising:

a memory for storing machine executable instructions; and

a processor to execute the machine executable instructions, the machine executable instructions configured to;

determine an identification of a set of satellites that are within view from a false location;

query a cell database to retrieve a Cell-ID for a cell in the vicinity of the false location;

generate forged location measurements that characterize satellite signals from a subset of the set of satellites that would be received at the false location; and

output the forged location measurements.

17. A system for forging location measurements, the system comprising:

a computer having a location based application (LBA) executing thereon, the LBA being configured to provide a request for a location of a secure user plan location (SULP) enabled terminal (SET) to an SULP location platform (SLP);

the SLP being configured to provide a location request message to the SET in response to receiving the request of the location of the SET;

the SET being configured to;

receive, from the SLP, the location request message;

determine a Cell-ID for a cell in a vicinity of a false location in response to the location request message;

determine an identification of a set of satellites that are within view from the false location;

generate forged location measurements that characterize satellite signals from a subset of the set of satellites that would be received at the false location; and

provide the forged location measurements to the SLP.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the SLP is further configured to provide data characterizing the falsified location to the LBA in response to the request for the location of the SET.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the subset of the set of satellites is a proper subset of the set of satellites.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the SET is further configured to introduce random errors into the forged location measurements.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein the SET is located in a cell with a different Cell-ID than the false location.