Methods, systems, and computer program products for intercepting, in a carrier network, data destined for a mobile device to determine patterns in the data

• US 9,125,060 B2
• Filed: 11/22/2013
• Issued: 09/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Maria, Arturo
• Primary Examiner(s): McNally, Michael S
• Application Number:
  US14/088,114
• Publication Number:
  US 20150150083A1
• Time in Patent Office: 648 Days
• Field of Search: 726/3
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0227 Filtering policies mail message filtering H04L51/212
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0245 Filtering by information in the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1441 Countermeasures against malicious traffic countermeasures against attacks on cryptographic mechanisms H04L9/002
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/306 intercepting packet switched data communications, e.g. Web, Internet or IMS communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/12 Detection or prevention of fraud
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/37 Managing security policies for mobile devices or for controlling mobile applications

Abstract

A method includes intercepting, in a carrier network, data communicated from a sending entity and destined for a mobile device, comparing the data that has been intercepted with a data pattern to determine whether the data that has been intercepted matches the data pattern, and blocking the data that has been intercepted from reaching the mobile device when the data that has been intercepted matches the data pattern.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

intercepting, in a carrier network, data communicated from a sending entity and destined for a mobile device;

comparing the data that has been intercepted with a data pattern to determine whether the data that has been intercepted matches the data pattern;

blocking the data that has been intercepted from reaching the mobile device when the data that has been intercepted matches the data pattern;

notifying the sending entity that the data that has been intercepted has been blocked from reaching the mobile device; and

modifying the data pattern responsive to action taken by the sending entity responsive to the sending entity being notified that the data that has been intercepted has been blocked from reaching the mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

quarantining the data that has been intercepted for a defined time period when the data that has been intercepted matches the data pattern.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the data that has been intercepted comprises first data, the method further comprising:

generating second data based on the first data; and

sending the second data to the mobile device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein generating the second data comprises changing the first data in a pre-defined way associated with the data pattern.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the second data comprises a pre-defined response that is associated with the data pattern.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein notifying the sending entity comprises:

sending a short message service message to a security administrator associated with the sending entity.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the short message service message comprises a portion of the data that has been intercepted.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein notifying the sending entity comprises:

sending voice over internet protocol packets to a security administrator associated with the sending entity.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the voice over internet protocol packets comprise a portion of the data that has been intercepted.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating the data pattern responsive to input from the sending entity.

11. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor and comprising computer readable program code embodied in the memory that when executed by the processor causes the processor to perform operations comprising;

intercepting, in a carrier network, data communicated from a sending entity and destined for a mobile device;

comparing the data that has been intercepted with a data pattern to determine whether the data that has been intercepted matches the data pattern;

blocking the data that has been intercepted from reaching the mobile device when the data that has been intercepted matches the data pattern;

notifying the sending entity that the data that has been intercepted has been blocked from reaching the mobile device; and

modifying the data pattern responsive to action taken by the sending entity responsive to the sending entity being notified that the data that has been intercepted has been blocked from reaching the mobile device.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise:

quarantining the data that has been intercepted for a defined time period when the data that has been intercepted matches the data pattern.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the data that has been intercepted comprises first data, the operations further comprising:

generating second data based on the first data; and

sending the second data to the mobile device.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise generating the second data by changing the first data in a pre-defined way associated with the data pattern.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise notifying the sending entity by sending a short message service message to a security administrator associated with the sending entity.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise notifying the sending entity by sending voice over internet protocol packets to a security administrator associated with the sending entity.

17. An article of manufacture, comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising instructions, which, when loaded and when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

intercepting, in a carrier network, data communicated from a sending entity and destined for a mobile device;

comparing the data that has been intercepted with a data pattern to determine whether the data that has been intercepted matches the data pattern;

blocking the data that has been intercepted from reaching the mobile device when the data that has been intercepted matches the data pattern;

notifying the sending entity that the data that has been intercepted has been blocked from reaching the mobile device; and

modifying the data pattern responsive to action taken by the sending entity responsive to the sending entity being notified that the data that has been intercepted has been blocked from reaching the mobile device.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise:

quarantining the data that has been intercepted for a defined time period when the data that has been intercepted matches the data pattern.

19. The article of manufacture of claim 17, wherein the data that has been intercepted comprises first data, the operations further comprising:

generating second data based on the first data; and

sending the second data to the mobile device.

20. The article of manufacture of claim 19, wherein the operations further comprise generating the second data by changing the first data in a pre-defined way associated with the data pattern.