Association MAC Identifier for WLAN Privacy

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

In WLAN environments, the use of unencrypted MAC addresses for wireless network devices makes them easily trackable, violating privacy and security requirements, as the same MAC address can be used across multiple networks or associations, allowing for device tracking even with MAC randomization.

Innovation Solution

The generation of a unique Association Media Access Control (AMAC) identifier, which is specific to each association between a wireless network device and an access point, using an association identifier (AID) and the access point's Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID), ensuring that the identifier changes with each association, preventing tracking across different access points.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a MAC address is used as a unique identifier for wireless network devices, then device identification is achieved, but privacy and security are compromised due to tracking across networks

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedevice identification reliabilityVSAvoidtracking and privacy violation

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the identifier functionality by introducing a new Association MAC address that is specific to each association between a wireless device and access point, separating it from the global device MAC address. This allows the device to be identified reliably within each association context while preventing cross-network tracking, as each association gets a unique identifier segment

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism - the Association MAC address generated from the association identifier (AID) - that mediates between the need for reliable device identification and the need to prevent tracking. This intermediary identifier serves as a local proxy that satisfies identification requirements without exposing the global device identity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Object-affected harmful factors

If MAC randomization is implemented to prevent tracking, then privacy is improved, but device identification consistency deteriorates across associations

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetracking preventionVSAvoiddevice identification consistency

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements dynamic identifier assignment where the Association MAC address changes based on the association context (different access points or associations). The identifier is dynamically generated from the AID which is assigned during each association process, allowing the system to adapt the identifier to each specific association while maintaining consistency within that association

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies local quality by making the identifier specific to each local association context rather than global. The Association MAC address has different values for different associations, providing the right level of consistency - consistent within an association but varying across associations to prevent tracking

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

3Reliability

If the same MAC address is used across multiple networks for device consistency, then device recognition is improved, but vulnerability to tracking increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedevice recognition consistencyVSAvoidtracking vulnerability

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent adds a new dimension to identifier usage by introducing the association context as a differentiating factor. Instead of using a single global identifier, the system now uses identifiers that are differentiated by the association dimension - the same device gets different Association MAC addresses when associated with different access points, adding the association context as a new dimension to identifier uniqueness

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Data Source

PatentUS20230084715A1Utilizing aid to set a station mac address in a WLAN system

Publication Date: 2023.03.16 RUCKUS IP HOLDINGS LLC

AI summary

To protect and ensure security and/or privacy, an access point and a wireless network device can exchange capabilities information. The capabilities information can indicate that each of the access point and the wireless network device support generation of an association identifier association media access control (A-AMAC) identifier. The A-AMAC identifier is based on an association identifier (AID) (that is assigned by the access point and associated with the wireless network device) and any other information exchanged between the access point and the wireless network device. The A-AMAC identifier once generated can be stored by the access point. The A-AMAC identifier is then used for post association communications between the access point and the wireless network device. As the A-AMAC identifier is a unique identifier for the association of the access point and the wireless network device, tracking of the wireless network device is thwarted or inhibited.