Internet protocol multimedia subsystem (IMS) authentication for non-IMS subscribers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9326141-B2
Application number	US-201314063945-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 25, 2013
Priority date	Oct 25, 2013
Publication date	Apr 26, 2016
Grant date	Apr 26, 2016

Abstract

A call session control function (“CSCF”), of an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (“IMS”) core network, may receive a set of authentication credentials that do not include IMS authentication credentials; and may use the set of authentication credentials, which do not include IMS authentication credentials, to authenticate a user device for the IMS core network.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
receiving, by a network device and from a user device, an authentication request, the user device being associated with a first network that is different from a second network associated with the network device;
identifying, by the network device, a home subscriber server (“HSS”) associated with the first network;
requesting, by the network device, an authentication vector from the HSS;
receiving, by the network device, the authentication vector from the HSS, wherein the authentication vector does not include authentication credentials associated with an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (“IMS”);
generating, by the network device, an authentication challenge based on the authentication vector;
outputting, by the network device, the authentication challenge to the user device;
receiving, by the network device and from the user device, a response to the authentication challenge,
wherein the response from the user device includes a response computed by a Universal Subscriber Identity Module (“USIM”) integrated in the user device; and

authenticating, by the network device and based on the response, the user device for an IMS core network associated with the second network.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first network does not include an IMS core network.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the network device includes a call session control function (“CSCF”) associated with the IMS core network.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the response from the user device does not include a response computed by an IMS Services Identity Module (“ISIM”).

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
allowing traffic, associated with IMS services, to be forwarded to the user device, the allowing being based on authenticating the user device for the IMS core network.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
identifying, based on the authentication request, a device identifier associated with the user device;
wherein identifying the HSS includes using the device identifier.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the user device does not include an IMS Services Identity Module (“ISIM”).

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the authentication request comprises a Session Initiation Protocol (“SIP”) REGISTER request.

9. A network device, comprising:
a memory device configured to store a set of processor-executable instructions; and
a processor configured to execute the stored processor-executable instructions, wherein executing the stored processor-executable instructions causes the processor to:
identify, based on receiving an authentication request from a user device, a home subscriber server (“HSS”) associated with a first network that is associated with the user device, the first network being different from a second network associated with the network device;
request an authentication vector from the HSS;
receive the authentication vector from the HSS, wherein the authentication vector does not include authentication credentials associated with an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (“IMS”), wherein the authentication vector includes a message authentication code (“MAC”);
output an authentication challenge, that is based on the authentication vector, to the user device, the authentication challenge including the MAC;
receive, from the user device, a response to the authentication challenge, the user device authenticating the network device based on comparing the MAC to an expected MAC (“XMAC”), the user device outputting the response based on authenticating the network device; and
authenticate, based on the response, the user device for an IMS core network associated with the second network.

10. The network device of claim 9 , wherein the first network does not include an IMS core network.

11. The network device of claim 9 , wherein the network device includes a call session control function (“CSCF”) associated with the IMS core network.

12. The network device of claim 9 , wherein the response from the user device includes a response computed by a Universal Subscriber Identity Module (“USIM”) associated with the user device,
wherein the comparing of the MAC to the XMAC is performed by the USIM in order to authenticate the network device.

13. The network device of claim 9 , wherein the response from the user device does not include a response computed by an IMS Services Identity Module (“ISM”).

14. The network device of claim 9 , wherein executing the processor-executable instructions further causes the processor to:
allow traffic, associated with IMS services, to be forwarded to the user device, the allowing being based on authenticating the user device for the IMS core network.

15. The network device of claim 9 , wherein executing the processor-executable instructions further causes the processor to:
identify, based on the authentication request, a device identifier associated with the user device;
wherein identifying the HSS includes using the device identifier.

16. The network device of claim 9 , wherein the user device does not include an IMS Services Identity Module (“ISIM”).

17. The network device of claim 9 , wherein the authentication request comprises a Session Initiation Protocol (“SIP”) REGISTER request.

18. A method, comprising:
receiving, by a call session control function (“CSCF”) of an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (“IMS”) core network, a set of authentication credentials that do not include IMS authentication credentials; and
using, by the CSCF, the set of authentication credentials to authenticate a user device for the IMS core network, the using including:
providing, to the user device, a challenge that is based on the EPC credentials,
wherein the user device authenticates the CSCF based on information included in the challenge, and outputs a response to the challenge based on authenticating the CSCF;

receiving, from the user device, the response to the challenge; and
authenticating the user device based on the received response to the challenge.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the EPC credentials include a message authentication code (“MAC”), wherein the user device compares the MAC to an expected MAC (“XMAC”), wherein the user device authenticates the CSCF when the MAC matches the XMAC.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein a Universal Subscriber Identity Module (“USIM”), which is physically integrated in the user device, performs the comparison of the MAC to the XMAC.

Assignees

• Verizon Patent & Licensing Inc
• Cellco Partnership Dba Verizon

Inventors

• Aksu Arda
• Haynes Thomas W
• Carames Miguel A

Classifications

• H04W12/06 Primary

  Authentication · CPC title

• H04W12/065 Primary

  Continuous authentication · CPC title