# US 12,120,525 B2 · Concealing low power mobile device address during advertisement > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,120,525 B2 - Document ID: US12120525B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/447,537 - Filed: 2021-09-13 - Published: 2023-03-16 - Granted: 2024-10-15 - Earliest claimed: 2021-09-13 - Assignees: Cisco Technology, Inc. - Applicants: Cisco Technology, Inc. - Inventors: Nageswara Rao Majeti; Sairam Sambaraju; Manikanteswar G. Govinda Swamy; Kishore Hanumansetty; Saravanan Radhakrishnan; Bhavik P. Shah - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12120525B2 ## CPC - H04W 12/50: Secure pairing of devices - H04W 12/02: Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII] - H04W 12/06: Authentication - H04W 12/47: using near field communication [NFC] or radio frequency identification [RFID] modules - H04W 12/71: Hardware identity - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) ## Abstract In one embodiment, a method is disclosed for mobile device security that includes receiving a label ID from a low power mobile device via a first access point, wherein the label ID is a randomized value that substitutes a device address of the low power mobile device during wireless communication. The method includes mapping the label ID to the device address, and transmitting the device address to the first access point, and responsive to the transmitting, causing the first access point to pair with the low power mobile device. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for mobile device security, comprising: receiving an identifier reflecting a device address for a mobile device; verifying, based on the device address, that the mobile device is permitted to operate using a wireless communication network comprising one or more access points, comprising: verifying both the device address, and an address of at least one of the one or more access points, against a cleanlist of device addresses; and based on the verifying that the mobile device is permitted to operate using the wireless communication network, generating a label ID for the mobile device, wherein the label ID is a randomized value that substitutes for the device address of the mobile device during wireless communication on the wireless communication network; generating an expiry timer indicating an expiration status of the label ID; transmitting the label ID to the device; transmitting the expiry timer to the device; receiving the label ID from the mobile device via a first access point, of the one or more access points; mapping the label ID to the device address; and transmitting the device address to the first access point, and responsive to the transmitting, causing the first access point to pair with the mobile device. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the device address is a MAC address of the mobile device, and wherein the label ID is a random MAC address. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 further comprising: receiving the device address from the mobile device; mapping the device address to the label ID; transmitting the label ID to a second access point; and wherein transmitting the label ID to the second access point comprises communication between the mobile device and second access point using the label ID as an identifier of the mobile device. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3 wherein causing the second access point to pair with the mobile device comprises communication between the mobile device and first access point using the device address as the identifier of the mobile device. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4 wherein transmitting the label ID comprises transmitting the label ID in an encrypted form. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising determining to encrypt the device address for the mobile device, while leaving the label ID in unencrypted form, for communication with the mobile device using the wireless communication network comprising the one or more access points. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device is a low power mobile device. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein the low power mobile device is a Bluetooth® low energy mobile device. ### Claim 9 A system comprising: a mobile device comprising a label ID and a device address; a first access point; one or more memories comprising computer-readable instructions; and one or more processors coupled to the one or more memories and configured to read the computer-readable instructions that cause any combination of the one or more processors to perform operations comprising: receiving an identifier reflecting a device address for a mobile device; verifying, based on the device address, that the mobile device is permitted to operate using a wireless communication network comprising one or more access points, comprising: verifying both the device address, and an address of at least one of the one or more access points, against a cleanlist of device addresses; based on the verifying that the mobile device is permitted to operate using the wireless communication network, generating a label ID for the mobile device wherein the label ID is a randomized value that substitutes for the device address of the mobile device during wireless communication on the wireless communication network; generating an expiry timer indicating an expiration status of the label ID; transmitting the label ID to the device; transmitting the expiry timer to the device; receiving the label ID from the mobile device via a first access point, of the one or more access points; mapping the label ID to a device address; and transmitting the device address to the first access point, and responsive to the transmitting, causing the first access point to pair with the mobile device. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9 wherein the device address is a MAC address of the mobile device, and wherein the label ID is a random MAC address. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9 further comprising: a second access point; wherein the operations further comprise: receiving the device address from the mobile device; mapping the device address to a label ID; transmitting the label ID to the second access point, wherein the second access point transmits the label ID to the mobile device; and wherein transmitting the label ID to a first access point comprises communication between the mobile device and first access point using the label ID as an identifier of the mobile device. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11 wherein pairing with the mobile device comprises communication between the mobile device and access point using the device address as the identifier of the mobile device. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12 wherein transmitting the label ID comprises transmitting the label ID in an encrypted form. ### Claim 14 A non-transitory computer program product comprising: one or more non-transitory computer readable media containing, in any combination, computer program code that, when executed by operation of any combination of one or more processors, performs operations comprising: receiving an identifier reflecting a device address for a mobile device; verifying, based on the device address, that the mobile device is permitted to operate using a wireless communication network comprising one or more access points comprising: verifying both the device address, and an address of at least one of the one or more access points, against a cleanlist of device addresses; based on the verifying that the mobile device is permitted to operate using the wireless communication network, generating a label ID for the mobile device wherein the label ID is a randomized value that substitutes for the device address of the mobile device during wireless communication on the wireless communication network; generating an expiry timer indicating an expiration status of the label ID; transmitting the label ID to the device; transmitting the expiry timer to the device; receiving the label ID from the mobile device via a first access point, of the one or more access points; mapping the label ID to a device address; and transmitting the device address to the first access point, and responsive to the transmitting, causing the first access point to pair with the mobile device. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The non-transitory computer program product of claim 14 wherein the device address is a MAC address of the mobile device, and wherein the label ID is a random MAC address. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The non-transitory computer program product of claim 14 wherein transmitting the label ID to the first access point comprises communication between the mobile device and first access point using the label ID as an identifier of the mobile device. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The non-transitory computer program product of claim 16, the operations further comprising: receiving the device address from mobile device; mapping the device address to the label ID; transmitting the label ID to a second access point, wherein the second access point transmits the label ID to the mobile device; and wherein causing the first access point to pair with the mobile device comprises communication between the mobile device and first access point using the device address as the identifier of the mobile device. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The non-transitory computer program product of claim 17 wherein transmitting the label ID comprises transmitting the label ID in an encrypted form.