IP Library Granted Patent US 12,289,218
Granted Patent B2
US 12,289,218 · App. 18/666,346 · Granted Apr 29, 2025

Illicit route viewing system and method of operation

Inventors: Michael Benjamin (Broomfield, CO); Skyler J. Bingham (Superior, CO); John S. Reynolds (Westminster, CO)
Assignee: Level 3 Communications, LLC
H04L41/22H04L41/12H04L41/18H04L43/045H04L43/12H04L63/0227H04L63/0236H04L63/10H04L63/101H04L63/102H04L63/107H04L63/1425H04L63/306H04L41/28
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,289,218
App. No.
18/666,346
Granted
Apr 29, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A route viewing system includes a computing system that receives information associated with one or more routes through a network, and identifies the routes that are associated with at least one illicit user computer used by an illicit user. The computing system then obtains a source location of a source address of the routes and a destination location of a destination address of the routes, and displays the routes on a geographical display at the source location of the source address and the destination location of the destination address of each of the routes.

Claims (42)

1. A route viewing system comprising:

a computing system in communication with a network service computing device and comprising at least one memory for storing instructions that are executed by at least one processor to:

receive information associated with one or more routes through a network;

identify the routes that are associated with at least one illicit user computer;

obtain a source location of a source address of the routes and a destination location of a destination address of the routes;

filter the identified routes according to one or more weighting values; and

display the filtered routes on a geographical display including at least one of the source location of the source address and the destination location of the destination address of each of the routes.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the instructions are further executed to display each of the routes with an indicium based upon a specified type of the route.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the instructions are further executed to obtain the source location of the source address and the destination location of the destination address by obtaining latitude and longitude information associated with the source address and the destination address stored in the at least one memory.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more weighting values are associated with one or more characteristics of the route.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the characteristics of the route include at least one of a type of malicious behavior associated with the route, the illicit user associated with the route, and a geographical region associated with the route.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the instructions are further executed to display the routes that have existed during a time window comprising a range of time in the past.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the instructions are further executed to receive user input for modifying a duration of the time window and an amount of time from the present.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the instructions are further executed to:

identify the routes that are associated with each of a plurality of illicit user computers used by a corresponding plurality of illicit users;

authorize a user to view the routes of a subset of the illicit users; and

display the routes on one of a plurality of geographical displays according to the authorization.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the instructions are further executed to receive information associated with routes using network flow packets obtained from a tap, the tap comprising a netflow exporter.

10. A route viewing method comprising:

receiving, using instructions stored in at least one memory and executed by at least one processor, information associated with one or more routes through a network;

identifying, using the instructions, the routes that are associated with at least one illicit user computer;

obtaining, using the instructions, a source location of a source address of the routes and a destination location of a destination address of the routes;

filtering, using the instructions, the identified routes according to one or more weighting values; and

displaying, using the instructions, the filtered routes on a geographical display including at least one of the source location of the source address and the destination location of the destination address of each of the routes.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising displaying each of the routes with an indicium based upon a specified type of the route.

12. The method of claim 10 , further comprising obtaining the source location of the source address and the destination location of the destination address by obtaining latitude and longitude information associated with the source address and the destination address stored in the at least one memory.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the one or more weighting values are associated with one or more characteristics of the route.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the characteristics of the route include at least one of a type of malicious behavior associated with the route, the illicit user associated with the route, and a geographical region associated with the route.

15. The method of claim 10 , further comprising displaying the routes that have existed during a time window comprising a range of time in the past.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising receiving user input for modifying a duration of the time window and an amount of time from the present.

17. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

identifying the routes that are associated with each of a plurality of illicit user computers used by a corresponding plurality of illicit users;

authorizing a user to view the routes of a subset of the illicit users; and

displaying the routes on one of a plurality of geographical displays according to the authorization.

18. The method of claim 10 , further comprising receiving information associated with routes using network flow packets obtained from a tap, the tap comprising a netflow exporter.

19. Code implemented in a non-transitory, computer readable medium that when executed by at least one processor, is operable to perform at least the following:

receiving information associated with one or more routes through a network;

identifying the routes that are associated with at least one illicit user computer used by an illicit user;

obtaining a source location of a source address of the routes and a destination location of a destination address of the routes;

filtering the identified routes according to one or more weighting values; and

displaying the filtered routes on a geographical display including at least one of the source location of the source address and the destination location of the destination address of each of the routes.

20. The code of claim 19 , further operable to perform obtaining the source location of the source address and the destination location of the destination address by obtaining latitude and longitude information associated with the source address and the destination address stored in the at least one memory.

Assignments (3)
NOTICE OF GRANT OF SECURITY INTEREST IN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY (SECOND LIEN) Recorded Nov 4, 2024
From: LEVEL 3 COMMUNICATIONS, LLC; GLOBAL CROSSING TELECOMMUNICATIONS, INC
To: WILMINGTON TRUST, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 069295/0749 →
NOTICE OF GRANT OF SECURITY INTEREST IN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY (FIRST LIEN) Recorded Nov 4, 2024
From: LEVEL 3 COMMUNICATIONS, LLC; GLOBAL CROSSING TELECOMMUNICATIONS, INC.
To: WILMINGTON TRUST, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 069295/0858 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 18, 2024
From: BENJAMIN, MICHAEL; BINGHAM, SKYLER J.; REYNOLDS, JOHN S.
To: LEVEL 3 COMMUNICATIONS, LLC
Reel/Frame 067457/0615 →