LAN Fingerprinting for Household Account Access Verification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Content providers face challenges in identifying the household from which a receiving device accesses a user account, particularly when users share credentials across multiple households or use virtual private networks to bypass geolocation, leading to unauthorized access and violation of business rules.
Innovation Solution
A method that builds a digital fingerprint of a local network by counting stationary electronic devices connected to it, comparing this count with a predetermined threshold, and generating a new fingerprint when significant changes occur, allowing the content provider to verify if access is from an authorized household without relying on geolocation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If geolocation methods are used to identify household, then localization accuracy is improved, but user privacy is worsened and detection reliability is reduced due to VPN usage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a network fingerprinting intermediary mechanism that mediates between the content provider and the user's local network. Instead of directly geolocating users (which can be bypassed by VPNs), the system creates a fingerprint of the local network's unique characteristics (device MAC addresses, IP addresses, network topology) and uses this intermediary representation to identify the household. This resolves the contradiction by providing reliable detection without relying on geolocation that can be falsified.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/geographic approach (geolocation based on physical location) with an informational/digital approach (network fingerprinting based on digital identifiers). Instead of using physical location data that can be masked by VPNs, the system uses digital fingerprints of the local network infrastructure. This substitution maintains measurement precision for household identification while improving reliability against VPN bypass attempts.
2Reliability
If multiple devices are monitored to build digital fingerprint, then access security is improved, but system complexity is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple individual device identifiers (MAC addresses, IP addresses, network topology data) into a single composite digital fingerprint that represents the entire local network. Instead of processing each device separately, the system combines all these elements into one unified fingerprint structure. This merging approach improves access security by monitoring multiple devices while reducing system complexity through data consolidation.
Solution Approach 2:
The digital fingerprint serves multiple functions simultaneously: it identifies the household, detects unauthorized access, monitors network changes, and provides a basis for access control decisions. By making the fingerprint multi-functional, the patent improves access security through comprehensive monitoring while avoiding the complexity of separate systems for each function.
3Measurement precision
If real-time monitoring of network changes is implemented, then detection capability is improved, but processing time is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by establishing the baseline network fingerprint during the initial setup phase before actual access control decisions are needed. The system proactively collects and stores network identifiers (device MAC addresses, IP addresses, network topology) to create the fingerprint in advance. This preliminary action enables fast comparison during actual access attempts without requiring real-time analysis, thus improving detection capability while reducing processing time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent maintains continuous monitoring of network changes while using efficient comparison algorithms that only update the fingerprint when significant changes occur. The system continuously tracks network state but processes changes selectively rather than continuously, maintaining detection capability for network changes while minimizing processing time through event-driven updates rather than constant analysis.
Data Source
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Figure 2
AI summary
A method is proposed for securing access to a user account at a content provider system by a receiving device communicatively connected to a LAN. Such method comprises: - receiving a piece of information representative of electronic devices connected to the LAN, the piece of information being associated to the user account. For at least one digital fingerprint associated to the user account, the digital fingerprint being representative of electronic devices connected to a respective LAN according to a previously received piece of information associated to the user account, the first electronic device executes: - comparing a number of stationary electronic devices connected to the LAN according to the piece of information and a number of stationary electronic devices connected to the respective LAN according to the digital fingerprint, delivering an evaluation of a difference in a number of stationary electronic devices expected to be connected to the respective LAN.