Emergency Call Identity Validation for Spoofed Device Screening

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Solution Overview

Problem

Communication networks are vulnerable to malicious emergency calls from attackers using spoofed identities, leading to overloading of emergency services and preventing genuine callers from getting through.

Innovation Solution

Implementing an identity validation system that checks the validity of caller and device identities using an identity validation database, and sends invalid requests to a designated PSAP or discards them, thereby preventing overload on emergency services.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If emergency calls are accepted without identity validation, then service availability is maintained, but network security deteriorates due to spoofed identities

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenetwork securityVSAvoididentity validation system
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs identity validation before processing emergency calls by checking caller and device identities against validation databases. This preliminary action filters out malicious calls before they can overload emergency services, resolving the contradiction by preventing security breaches without requiring complex real-time analysis during call handling.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an intermediary validation system that acts as a mediator between the emergency call request and the emergency services. This intermediary layer validates identities using databases and returns validation results, allowing the main emergency service system to remain simple while gaining enhanced security through the intermediary validation layer.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If identity validation is performed for all emergency calls, then network security is improved, but call processing time increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenetwork securityVSAvoidcall processing time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

Identity validation is performed as a preliminary action before call processing begins. By validating identities in advance using pre-existing databases, the system avoids time-consuming real-time analysis during call handling, thus improving security without significantly increasing call processing time.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses copies of validated identity information from databases rather than performing complex verification during call processing. This allows rapid lookup of validated identities without requiring time-consuming verification operations at the time of call handling.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

3Reliability

If invalid identities are rejected, then service quality is improved, but legitimate calls may be blocked

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveservice qualityVSAvoidcall accessibility
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system provides feedback about identity validation results to the call processing system. When identities are validated, the system returns confirmation information that allows legitimate calls to proceed smoothly. This feedback mechanism ensures that service quality is improved through validation while maintaining ease of operation for legitimate users.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The validation system acts as an intermediary that clearly distinguishes between valid and invalid identities. By providing clear validation feedback, the system enables the emergency services to confidently accept legitimate calls while rejecting malicious ones, maintaining both service quality and call accessibility.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentEP4668727A1Methods, apparatus and computer programs
Publication Date: 2025.12.24 NOKIA SOLUTIONS & NETWORKS OY
  • EP4668727A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4668727A1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4668727A1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Receiving one or more requests for an emergency call, the request comprising information about one or more identities such as caller identifier or device identifier; checking the validity of identities; sending, when one or more of the identities is invalid, the respective request for the emergency call to a PSAP with information that one or more of the identities is invalid. The PSAP may reject the call based on the validity information.