Method for identifying Internet users

Abstract

The method involves identifying or authenticating an Internet user when activating the access service of a provider with whom the user has a business relationship in an Internet node on the framework of access checking. An Internet user IP message is appended before relaying information identifying the user following successful positive access checks, whereby the integrity of the information is guaranteed with cryptographic measures. Independent claims are also included for the following: an Internet access node.

Description

technical field [0001] The invention relates to a method for identifying Internet users and an Internet access node. Background technique [0002] Today, Internet access providers provide Internet access for a huge market without using the service feature of "network-wide Internet user identification". But new Internet-based services require that Internet users be identified relative to service providers. This identification should also ensure that it cannot be forged and misused by other Internet users. For example, Internet telephony services and Internet-telephone network services presuppose the identification of the user of the service (ie the sender of the IP packets containing the signalized data for the service). The providers of these new Internet services are not necessarily the Internet access providers of Internet users. [0003] How have these issues been resolved so far? [0004] All hitherto known methods for secure identification (authentication) of Intern...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

[0009] 1. Most Internet users are dial-up, and their Internet access provider only assigns them a temporary IP address;

[0010] 2. IPSEC as a point-to-point method of class a) requires storage of identification and authentication data of all potential communication partners, and is therefore not suitable for the huge market of new Internet services

[0019] A disadvantage of all known methods is the enormous expense of installing, managing and maintaining different databases containing identification and authentication data of Internet users (either a central, relatively expensive certificate repository, or many distributed user databases of different service providers ), and the significant expense of managing the infrastructure that guarantees the integrity of identification data (e.g., certificate revocation lists, security policy databases)

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