WLAN STA OTA MAC Updates Using Pre-Shared Secret Data
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for changing the over-the-air (OTA) MAC address of a station (STA) device in a wireless local area network (WLAN) to prevent privacy leakage require excessive signaling interactions, which consume resources and are inefficient.
Innovation Solution
A method where the STA and access point (AP) devices use predetermined secret information to generate new information, such as OTA-TID, MAC frame SN, MAC frame PN, and PPDU scrambler seed, without the need for additional signaling by agreeing on a generating algorithm, ensuring consistency in information updates.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If existing methods are used to change the OTA MAC address to prevent privacy leakage, then privacy protection is improved, but signaling interactions and resource consumption increase excessively
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-establishing a secret key between the STA and AP before the MAC address change occurs. This pre-configured secret key enables both devices to independently and consistently generate the new tracking elements (OTA-TID, MAC frame SN, MAC frame PN, PPDU scrambler seed) without requiring additional signaling interactions during the privacy protection process, thereby reducing resource consumption while maintaining privacy protection.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If existing methods are used to change the OTA MAC address to prevent privacy leakage, then privacy protection is improved, but signaling interactions increase excessively
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies self-service by enabling the STA and AP to independently generate the new tracking elements using the pre-shared secret key and the changed MAC address. Each device performs the generation operation locally without requiring communication between them, eliminating the need for additional signaling interactions while ensuring both devices use consistent values for the updated tracking elements.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the STA device changes its OTA MAC address to avoid being tracked, then privacy protection is improved, but information consistency between devices becomes difficult to maintain
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies feedback by using the changed MAC address and the pre-shared secret key as inputs to generate new tracking elements that both the STA and AP can independently compute. This feedback mechanism ensures that both devices arrive at the same updated tracking element values without requiring explicit coordination, thereby maintaining information consistency while enabling MAC address changes for privacy protection.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a method for updating information, wherein the method is applicable to a communication device, the communication device being one of a station (STA) device or an access point (AP) device in a wireless local area network (WLAN), and the method includes: updating new first information of the STA device based on first secret information along with a change in an over-the-air (OTA) medium access control (MAC) address of the STA device; wherein the first information is information used during data transmission between the STA device and the AP device, and the first secret information is information predetermined by the STA device and the AP device.