System and method for interrogating a mobile communication terminal

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9749921-B2
Application number	US-201615294257-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 14, 2016
Priority date	Oct 15, 2015
Publication date	Aug 29, 2017
Grant date	Aug 29, 2017

Abstract

Systems and methods to instruct a mobile device to switch from a first protocol to a second protocol after registering the device on a network associated with the first protocol. This may be done to obtain a cryptographic key used by the device. For example, for some communication protocols, such as 3G and 4G communication protocols, obtaining the cryptographic key is difficult. However, the 2G communication protocol uses a cryptographic key that is easier to obtain. Only after obtaining the key, the phone instructed to again switch to the first communication protocol. During the exchange of communication, the user is likely to be holding the phone at his ear, such that he is unlikely to notice that the phone is using the first communication protocol. Hence, the exchange of communication may be decrypted and monitored, without the user noticing anything amiss.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
soliciting a mobile communication terminal, which is associated with a first mobile communication network in accordance with a first communication protocol, to associate with an interrogation device; and
while the solicited mobile communication terminal is associated with the interrogation device:
instructing the mobile communication terminal to use a second communication protocol,
subsequently, registering the mobile communication terminal on a second mobile communication network that uses the second communication protocol,
subsequently, instructing the mobile communication terminal to again use the first communication protocol,
subsequently, by virtue of having registered the mobile communication terminal on the second communication network, detecting a request for an exchange of second-communication-protocol communication with the mobile communication terminal,
in response thereto, instructing the mobile communication terminal to use the second communication protocol for the exchange, and
subsequently, intermediating the exchange.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein intermediating the exchange comprises decrypting the exchange.

3. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising, following the intermediating of the exchange, instructing the mobile communication terminal to re-associate with the first mobile communication network.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein instructing the mobile communication terminal to use the second communication protocol comprises instructing the mobile communication terminal to use a second generation (2G) communication protocol.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein detecting the request for the exchange of communication comprises detecting a request that is made by the mobile communication terminal.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein detecting the request for the exchange of communication comprises detecting a request that is made by a communication terminal that is not the mobile communication terminal.

7. An interrogation device, comprising:
an antenna;
at least one transmitter-receiver (transceiver); and
a processor, configured to:
via the transceiver and the antenna, solicit a mobile communication terminal, which is associated with a first mobile communication network in accordance with a first communication protocol, to associate with the interrogation device via the transceiver and the antenna, and
while the solicited mobile communication terminal is associated with the interrogation device:
instruct the mobile communication terminal to use a second communication protocol,
subsequently, register the mobile communication terminal on a second mobile communication network that uses the second communication protocol,
subsequently, instruct the mobile communication terminal to again use the first communication protocol,
subsequently, by virtue of having registered the mobile communication terminal on the second mobile communication network, detect a request for

an exchange of second-communication-protocol communication with the mobile communication terminal,
in response thereto, instruct the mobile communication terminal to use the second communication protocol for the exchange, and
subsequently, intermediate the exchange.

8. The interrogation device according to claim 7 , wherein the processor is configured to decrypt the exchange while intermediating the exchange.

9. The interrogation device according to claim 7 , wherein the processor is further configured to, following the intermediating of the exchange, instruct the mobile communication terminal to re-associate with the first mobile communication network.

10. The interrogation device according to claim 7 , wherein the second communication protocol is a second generation (2G) communication protocol, the processor being configured to instruct the mobile communication terminal to use the 2G communication protocol.

11. The interrogation device according to claim 7 , wherein the processor is configured to detect the request by detecting a request that is made by the mobile communication terminal.

12. The interrogation device according to claim 7 , wherein the processor is configured to detect the request by detecting a request that is made by a communication terminal that is not the mobile communication terminal.

13. A computer software product comprising a tangible non-transitory computer-readable medium in which program instructions are stored, which instructions, when read by a processor of an interrogation device with which a mobile communication terminal, which was previously associated with a first mobile communication network in accordance with a first communication protocol, is associated, cause the processor to, via an antenna and a transmitter-receiver (transceiver) of the interrogation device:
instruct the mobile communication terminal to use a second communication protocol,
subsequently, register the mobile communication terminal on a second mobile communication network that uses the second communication protocol,
subsequently, instruct the mobile communication terminal to again use the first communication protocol,
subsequently, by virtue of having registered the mobile communication terminal on the second communication network, detect a request for an exchange of second-communication-protocol communication with the mobile communication terminal,
in response thereto, instruct the mobile communication terminal to use the second communication protocol for the exchange, and
subsequently, intermediate the exchange.

14. The computer software product according to claim 13 , wherein the instructions further cause the processor to, prior to instructing the mobile communication terminal to use the second communication protocol, solicit the mobile communication terminal to associate with the interrogation device.

15. The computer software product according to claim 13 , wherein the instructions cause the processor to, while intermediating the exchange, decrypt the exchange.

16. The computer software product according to claim 13 , wherein the instructions further cause the processor to, following the intermediating of the exchange, instruct the mobile communication terminal to re-associate with the first mobile communication network.

17. The computer software product according to claim 13 , wherein the instructions cause the processor to instruct the mobile communication terminal to use the second communication protocol by instructing the mobile communication terminal to use a second generation (2G) communication protocol.

18. The computer software product according to claim 13 , wherein the instructions cause the processor to detect the request for the exchange of communication by detecting a request that is made by the mobile communication terminal.

19. The computer software product according to claim 13 , wherein the instructions cause the processor to detect the request for the exchange of communication by detecting a request that is made by a communication terminal that is not the mobile communication terminal.

Assignees

• Verint Systems Ltd

Inventors

• Barlev Ishay

Classifications

• H04W60/00

  Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration · CPC title

• H04W48/18

  Selecting a network or a communication service · CPC title

• H04L63/304

  intercepting circuit switched data communications (lawful interception of wireless network communications H04W12/02) · CPC title

• H04W36/14 Primary

  Reselecting a network or an air interface · CPC title

• H04W36/1443

  between licensed networks · CPC title