MoCA Network Node Admission via Controller Authentication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing communication networks, such as MoCA networks, lack a secure and reliable method for adding new nodes, leading to inefficiencies and potential security vulnerabilities in network access.
Innovation Solution
The system allows new nodes to securely join a network by detecting beacon signals, exchanging protected setup parameters, and determining compatibility, enabling secure password exchange or admission without passwords if necessary, with nodes assuming roles like network controllers for beaconing and password management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional methods are used for adding new nodes to MoCA networks, then the network can accept new nodes, but security vulnerabilities and unreliable access control occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary authentication actions before allowing new nodes to join the network. The network controller pre-establishes security credentials and performs authentication checks before admitting new nodes, ensuring security is built into the node addition process from the start rather than as an afterthought.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a network controller as an intermediary that mediates between new nodes and the existing network. This controller manages the authentication process, verifies credentials, and controls the admission of new nodes, providing a secure gateway that prevents unauthorized access while maintaining ease of operation.
2Reliability
If secure authentication protocols are implemented, then network security is improved, but the complexity of the node addition process increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables new nodes to perform self-authentication by automatically presenting their credentials to the network controller. The authentication process is designed so that nodes can verify their own security credentials without requiring manual intervention or complex configuration, reducing the perceived complexity for users while maintaining strong security.
Solution Approach 2:
Security credentials are pre-configured in nodes before they attempt to join the network. This preliminary preparation eliminates the need for complex real-time credential distribution and simplifies the authentication process, as nodes already have the necessary security information ready for verification.
3Reliability
If comprehensive compatibility checks are performed, then network reliability is improved, but the time required for node admission increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs compatibility checks as preliminary actions during the node authentication process. The network controller verifies whether new nodes are compatible with existing network protocols and configurations before admitting them, preventing future compatibility issues while completing checks efficiently as part of the initial admission sequence.
Solution Approach 2:
The authentication and compatibility check process provides immediate feedback to new nodes about their admission status. The network controller communicates acceptance or rejection decisions in real-time, allowing incompatible nodes to be quickly identified and rejected without prolonging the admission process for compatible nodes.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for securing a network, for admitting new nodes into an existing network, and/or securely forming a new network. As a non-limiting example, an existing node may be triggered by a user, in response to which the existing node communicates with a network controller node. Thereafter, if a new node attempts to enter the network, and also for example has been triggered by a user, the network controller may determine, based at least in part on parameters within the new node and the network controller, whether the new node can enter the network.