IP Library Granted Patent US 10,339,326
Granted Patent B2
US 10,339,326 · App. 15/458,510 · Granted Jul 2, 2019

Cable modem anti-cloning

Inventors: Ali Negahdar (Duluth, GA); Wade E. Carter (Johns Creek, GA)
Assignee: ARRIS Enterprises LLC
G06F21/602H04L9/0869H04L12/2801H04L12/2898H04L63/0876H04L63/1466
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,339,326
App. No.
15/458,510
Granted
Jul 2, 2019
Kind
B2
Abstract

Methods, systems, and computer readable media can be operable to facilitate the encryption of a device identifier using an identification property of a SoC. A unique identifier of a cable modem may be encrypted using a unique key or other unique property of a SoC associated with the cable modem. When an authentication process is initiated at the cable modem, the encrypted unique identifier of the cable modem may be decrypted using the unique key or other unique property of the SoC, thereby producing the unique identifier of the cable modem. The decrypted unique identifier of the cable modem may be output from the cable modem to an upstream controller during the authentication process. In embodiments, an obfuscation key may be used to encrypt and decrypt the unique identifier of the cable modem, and the obfuscation key may be generated using a unique identifier of the SoC.

Claims (49)

1. A method comprising:

retrieving a unique identifier associated with a cable modem, wherein the unique identifier associated with the cable modem is retrieved by a security engine of a system-on-a-chip that is associated with the cable modem;

retrieving a unique key associated with the system-on-a-chip, wherein the unique key associated with the system-on-a-chip is retrieved by the security engine;

producing, at the security engine, an encrypted unique identifier, wherein the encrypted unique identifier is produced by using the unique key as an encryption key to encrypt the unique identifier associated with the cable modem;

storing the encrypted unique identifier at the cable modem;

initiating an authentication process at the cable modem;

producing, at the security engine, the unique identifier associated with the cable modem, wherein the unique identifier associated with the cable modem is produced by using the unique key as a decryption key to decrypt the encrypted unique identifier; and

outputting the unique identifier associated with the cable modem to an upstream controller, wherein the unique identifier associated with the cable modem is output as an authorization request message.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the unique key associated with the system-on-a-chip comprises a hardware based device key associated with the system-on-a-chip.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein retrieving the unique key associated with the system-on-a-chip comprises:

retrieving a unique identifier associated with the system-on-a-chip; and

using the unique identifier associated with the system-on-a-chip as a seed to generate the unique key associated with the system-on-a-chip.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

storing the encrypted unique identifier within non-volatile random-access memory of the cable modem.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the unique identifier associated with the cable modem comprises a media access control address associated with the cable modem.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the upstream controller comprises a cable modem termination system.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the authorization request message comprises a baseline privacy interface plus authorization request message.

8. A cable modem comprising a system-on-a-chip having a security engine, the security engine being configured to:

retrieve a unique identifier associated with the cable modem;

retrieve a unique key associated with the system-on-a-chip;

produce an encrypted unique identifier by using the unique key as an encryption key to encrypt the unique identifier associated with the cable modem;

store the encrypted unique identifier at the cable modem; and

in response to an initiation of an authentication process at the cable modem:

produce the unique identifier associated with the cable modem by using the unique key as a decryption key to decrypt the encrypted unique identifier; and

output the unique identifier associated with the cable modem to an upstream controller, wherein the unique identifier associated with the cable modem is output as an authorization request message.

9. The cable modem of claim 8 , wherein the unique key associated with the system-on-a-chip comprises a hardware based device key associated with the system-on-a-chip.

10. The cable modem of claim 8 , wherein retrieving the unique key associated with the system-on-a-chip comprises:

retrieving a unique identifier associated with the system-on-a-chip; and

using the unique identifier associated with the system-on-a-chip as a seed to generate the unique key associated with the system-on-a-chip.

11. The cable modem of claim 8 , further comprising storage configured to store the encrypted unique identifier.

12. The cable modem of claim 8 , wherein the unique identifier associated with the cable modem comprises a media access control address associated with the cable modem.

13. The cable modem of claim 8 , wherein the authorization request message comprises a baseline privacy interface plus authorization request message.

14. One or more non-transitory computer readable media having instructions operable to cause one or more processors to perform the operations comprising:

retrieving a unique identifier associated with a cable modem, wherein the unique identifier associated with the cable modem is retrieved by a security engine of a system-on-a-chip that is associated with the cable modem;

retrieving a unique key associated with the system-on-a-chip, wherein the unique key associated with the system-on-a-chip is retrieved by the security engine;

producing, at the security engine, an encrypted unique identifier, wherein the encrypted unique identifier is produced by using the unique key as an encryption key to encrypt the unique identifier associated with the cable modem;

storing the encrypted unique identifier at the cable modem;

initiating an authentication process at the cable modem;

producing, at the security engine, the unique identifier associated with the cable modem, wherein the unique identifier associated with the cable modem is produced by using the unique key as a decryption key to decrypt the encrypted unique identifier; and

outputting the unique identifier associated with the cable modem to an upstream controller, wherein the unique identifier associated with the cable modem is output as an authorization request message.

15. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 14 , wherein the unique key associated with the system-on-a-chip comprises a hardware based device key associated with the system-on-a-chip.

16. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 14 , wherein retrieving the unique key associated with the system-on-a-chip comprises:

retrieving a unique identifier associated with the system-on-a-chip; and

using the unique identifier associated with the system-on-a-chip as a seed to generate the unique key associated with the system-on-a-chip.

17. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 14 , wherein the instructions are further operable to cause the one or more processors to perform the operations comprising:

storing the encrypted unique identifier within non-volatile random-access memory of the cable modem.

18. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 14 , wherein the unique identifier associated with the cable modem comprises a media access control address associated with the cable modem.

19. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 14 , wherein the upstream controller comprises a cable modem termination system.

20. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 14 , wherein the authorization request message comprises a baseline privacy interface plus authorization request message.

Assignments (8)
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Apr 8, 2026
From: ARRIS ENTERPRISES LLC; RUCKUS IP HOLDINGS LLC
To: CITIBANK, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 075476/0814 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST AT REEL/FRAME 049905/0504 Recorded Dec 19, 2024
From: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
To: ARRIS ENTERPRISES LLC (F/K/A ARRIS ENTERPRISES, INC.); ARRIS TECHNOLOGY, INC.; ARRIS SOLUTIONS, INC.; COMMSCOPE, INC. OF NORTH CAROLINA; COMMSCOPE TECHNOLOGIES LLC; RUCKUS WIRELESS, LLC (F/K/A RUCKUS WIRELESS, INC.)
Reel/Frame 071477/0255 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Dec 17, 2024
From: ARRIS ENTERPRISES LLC; COMMSCOPE TECHNOLOGIES LLC; COMMSCOPE INC., OF NORTH CAROLINA; OUTDOOR WIRELESS NETWORKS LLC; RUCKUS IP HOLDINGS LLC
To: APOLLO ADMINISTRATIVE AGENCY LLC
Reel/Frame 069889/0114 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Nov 19, 2021
From: ARRIS SOLUTIONS, INC.; ARRIS ENTERPRISES LLC; COMMSCOPE TECHNOLOGIES LLC; COMMSCOPE, INC. OF NORTH CAROLINA; RUCKUS WIRELESS, INC.
To: WILMINGTON TRUST
Reel/Frame 060752/0001 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Jul 3, 2019
From: ARRIS ENTERPRISES LLC
To: WILMINGTON TRUST, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 049820/0495 →
ABL SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Jul 3, 2019
From: COMMSCOPE, INC. OF NORTH CAROLINA; COMMSCOPE TECHNOLOGIES LLC; ARRIS ENTERPRISES LLC; ARRIS TECHNOLOGY, INC.; RUCKUS WIRELESS, INC.; ARRIS SOLUTIONS, INC.
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.
Reel/Frame 049892/0396 →
TERM LOAN SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Jul 3, 2019
From: COMMSCOPE, INC. OF NORTH CAROLINA; COMMSCOPE TECHNOLOGIES LLC; ARRIS ENTERPRISES LLC; ARRIS TECHNOLOGY, INC.; RUCKUS WIRELESS, INC.; ARRIS SOLUTIONS, INC.
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.
Reel/Frame 049905/0504 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 11, 2017
From: NEGAHDAR, ALI; CARTER, WADE E.
To: ARRIS ENTERPRISES LLC
Reel/Frame 041960/0168 →
Continuity (3)
Provisional Application 62404804 · Oct 6, 2016
Provisional Application 62307922 · Mar 14, 2016
Related Publication 20170262637A1 · Sep 14, 2017