Intermediate Entity Communication Identifier Masking

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Solution Overview

Problem

In telecommunications networks, especially those using the QUIC protocol, intermediate entities face challenges in managing communications due to varying communication identifiers, which complicates resource optimization and security, as they lack the means to correlate and associate encrypted identifiers with the same communication, leading to performance issues and security weaknesses.

Innovation Solution

An intermediate entity checks the conformity of communication identifiers against a communication identifier mask, allowing it to handle data packets without needing to perform encryption or decryption operations, and without requiring a control entity to inform it of identifier modifications, thus enabling efficient management and security compliance.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the QUIC protocol varies communication identifiers during communication to enhance security and traceability resistance, then security is improved, but the ability of intermediate entities to manage and correlate communications deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovesecurityVSAvoidintermediate entity management capability

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a control entity as an intermediary that coordinates identifier variations between communication devices and intermediate entities. This mediator maintains the mapping between original and varied identifiers, enabling intermediate entities to manage communications effectively while security is preserved through identifier variation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The control entity receives notifications from communication devices about identifier variations and propagates this information to relevant intermediate entities. This feedback mechanism ensures that intermediate entities can correlate communications using the varied identifiers while maintaining security through the controlled identifier variation process.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Ease of operation

If intermediate entities are involved in encryption/decryption operations to access communication data, then management capability is improved, but performance deteriorates due to computational overhead

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemanagement capabilityVSAvoidperformance

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the encryption/decryption functionality from intermediate entities and concentrates it in the control entity. Intermediate entities only need to perform lightweight operations on varied identifiers without computational overhead of cryptographic operations, while the control entity handles the complex encryption/decryption tasks.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Ease of operation

If a control entity is introduced to notify intermediate entities of identifier modifications, then communication management is improved, but signaling traffic and migration time increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecommunication managementVSAvoidsignaling traffic and migration time

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The control entity pre-establishes mapping relationships between original and varied identifiers before communications occur. This preliminary action allows intermediate entities to be prepared for identifier variations in advance, reducing the need for real-time signaling and decreasing migration time when identifiers change.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

4Reliability

If communication identifiers are encrypted to prevent intermediate entity access, then security is improved, but the ability to apply deterministic processing deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovesecurityVSAvoiddeterministic processing capability

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the identifier system into varied identifiers for secure communication and mapping relationships maintained by the control entity. This segmentation allows deterministic processing to operate on the mapping data rather than encrypted identifiers, preserving processing capability while maintaining security through identifier encryption.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentUS20230179578A1Method implemented by an intermediate entity for managing communication between two communication devices

Publication Date: 2023.06.08 ORANGE SA

AI summary

A method for managing communication between at least one first communication device and at least one second communication device in a communication network is implemented by an intermediate entity positioned on at least one path taken by data packets of said communication. The method includes a step of obtaining a communication identifier included in a data packet exchanged during the communication, and a step of processing the data packet depending on the result of a check of the compliance of the communication identifier with at least one communication identifier mask accessible to the intermediate entity.