Systems and methods for detecting a wireless communication repeater

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11510057-B2
Application number	US-202017247313-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 7, 2020
Priority date	Dec 7, 2020
Publication date	Nov 22, 2022
Grant date	Nov 22, 2022

Abstract

A device may receive a wireless communication that is provided to a wireless network by a user equipment. The device may identify a value of a parameter of the wireless communication. The device may obtain an expected value of the parameter. The device may compare the value and the expected value. The device may determine, based on comparing the value and the expected value, that the wireless communication was relayed by a wireless communication repeater. The device may determine that the wireless communication repeater is unauthorized to relay the wireless communication. The device may perform an action associated with the wireless communication repeater relaying the wireless communication and based on the wireless communication repeater being unauthorized to relay the wireless communication.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
receiving, by a device, a wireless communication associated with a user equipment having a location within a wireless network;
identifying, by the device, a value of a parameter of the wireless communication;
obtaining, by the device, an expected value of the parameter that is associated with the location of the user equipment;
determining, by the device, that a difference between the value and the expected value of the parameter satisfies a threshold difference;
determining, by the device and based on the difference satisfying the threshold difference, that the wireless communication was relayed via a wireless communication repeater that received the wireless communication from the user equipment;
determining, by the device, that the wireless communication repeater is unauthorized to relay the wireless communication;
wherein determining that the wireless communication repeater is unauthorized to relay the wireless communication is based on determining that the location of the user equipment is not associated with a location identified in a registry of locations; and

performing, by the device, an action based on determining that the wireless communication repeater is unauthorized to relay the wireless communication.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the value is identified in the wireless communication.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the parameter comprises at least one of:
a signal strength of a signal received by the user equipment; or
a timing advance of the wireless communication.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the location of the user equipment is determined relative to a location of a base station that received the wireless communication.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the expected value is associated with one or more previous values of the parameter from one or more previous wireless communications received from one or more user equipment at the location.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining that the wireless communication repeater is unauthorized to relay the wireless communication comprises:
accessing the registry of locations associated with authorized wireless communication repeaters;
determining that the location of the user equipment is not associated with the location identified in the registry of locations; and
determining that the wireless communication repeater is unauthorized to relay the wireless communication based on the location not being identified in the registry.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein performing the action comprises at least one of:
sending a notification to the user equipment; or
sending an alert to a management system indicating a location of the unauthorized repeater.

8. A device, comprising:
one or more processors configured to:
receive a wireless communication that is provided to a wireless network by a user equipment;
identify a value of a parameter of the wireless communication;
obtain an expected value of the parameter;
compare the value and the expected value;
determine, based on comparing the value and the expected value, that the wireless communication was relayed by a wireless communication repeater;
determine that the wireless communication repeater is unauthorized to relay the wireless communication,
wherein the one or more processors are configured to:
determine that the wireless communication repeater is unauthorized to relay the wireless communication based on determining that a location associated with the wireless communication repeater is not associated with a location identified in a registry that identifies locations of authorized wireless communication repeaters; and

perform an action associated with the wireless communication repeater relaying the wireless communication and based on the wireless communication repeater being unauthorized to relay the wireless communication.

9. The device of claim 8 , wherein the parameter comprises at least one of:
a signal strength; or
a timing advance.

10. The device of claim 8 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:
prior to obtaining the expected value, determine a location of the user equipment,
wherein the expected value is associated with a historical value of the parameter from a plurality of one or more user equipment at the location.

11. The device of claim 8 , wherein the expected value is associated with a previous value of the parameter from a previous wireless communication received from the user equipment by a base station that received the wireless communication from the wireless communication repeater.

12. The device of claim 8 , wherein the parameter is associated with a timing advance and a signal strength, and the expected value is associated with a previous wireless communication between the user equipment and a base station of the wireless network that received the wireless communication.

13. The device of claim 8 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:
prior to performing the action, access the registry;
determine the location associated with the wireless communication repeater; and
determine whether the wireless communication repeater is authorized to relay the wireless communication based on whether the location associated with the wireless communication repeater is identified in the registry,
wherein the action is performed based on determining whether the wireless communication repeater is authorized to relay the wireless communication.

14. The device of claim 8 , wherein the one or more processors, when performing the action, are configured to:
send a notification to the user equipment to indicate that the wireless communication repeater is unauthorized; or
send an alert to a management system to indicate the location of the wireless communication repeater that is unauthorized.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a set of instructions, the set of instructions comprising:
one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a device, cause the device to:
receive a wireless communication associated with a user equipment,
wherein the user equipment has a location within a wireless network;

identify a value of a parameter of the wireless communication;
compare the value of the parameter with an expected value of the parameter;
determine, based on comparing the value and the expected value, a probability that the wireless communication was relayed from a wireless communication repeater that received the wireless communication from the user equipment;
determine, based on the probability indicating that the wireless communication was relayed from the wireless communication repeater, that the wireless communication repeater is unauthorized to relay the wireless communication,
wherein the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to determine that the wireless communication repeater is unauthorized to relay the wireless communication, cause the one or more processors to:
determine that the wireless communication repeater is unauthorized to relay the wireless communication based on determining that a location associated with the wireless communication repeater is not associated with a location identified in a registry that identifies locations of authorized wireless communication repeaters; and

perform an action to mitigate or obviate the wireless communication repeater based on the wireless communication repeater being unauthorized to relay the wireless communication.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , where

Assignees

• Verizon Patent & Licensing Inc

Inventors

• Weisbrod Fred
• Christopherson Corey J
• Polehn Donna L

Classifications

• H04W16/26 Primary

  Cell enhancers {or enhancement}, e.g. for tunnels, building shadow · CPC title

• H04W12/08 Primary

  Access security · CPC title

• H04W12/122

  Counter-measures against attacks; Protection against rogue devices · CPC title

• H04W64/003

  locating network equipment · CPC title

• H04W64/00

  Locating users or terminals {or network equipment} for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management · CPC title