Systems, Methods, Media, and Means for User Level Authentication

A method for authenticating a mobile device and a user, comprising:

• receiving a first register message as a result of a request associated with the user and the mobile device seeking network authentication at a SIP registrar;
• and
• sending a request for subscriber information to a subscriber interface from the SIP registrar;
• retrieving the subscriber information from a subscriber database at the subscriber interface;
• and
• sending the subscriber information to the SIP registrar from subscriber interface;
• sending challenge information including a password request and a request for predetermined response information previously selected by the user to the mobile device from the SIP registrar;
• receiving a second register message including user response information in response to the challenge information from the mobile device at the SIP registrar;
• authenticating the mobile device and the user based at least in part on whether the user response information matches the predetermined response information at the SIP registrar;
• and
• sending notification of authentication to the subscriber interface from the SIP registrar.

A gateway in a communications network, comprising:

• means for receiving a first register message as a result of a request associated with a user and a mobile device seeking network authentication at a SIP registrar;
• means for sending a request for subscriber information to a subscriber interface from the SIP registrar;
• means for retrieving the subscriber information from a subscriber database at the subscriber interface;
• means for sending the subscriber information to the SIP registrar from subscriber interface;
• means for sending challenge information including a password request and a request for predetermined response information previously selected by the user to the mobile device from the SIP registrar;
• means for receiving a second register message including user response information in response to the challenge information from the mobile device at the SIP registrar;
• means for authenticating the mobile device and the user based at least in part on whether the user response information matches the predetermined response information at the SIP registrar;
• and
• means for sending notification of authentication to the subscriber interface from the SIP registrar.

A gateway in a communications network comprising:

• a subscriber interface residing in the gateway in communication with a serving-call session control function (S-CSCF) and a subscriber database to register and authenticate a mobile device and a user;
• the S-CSCF caches subscriber information in the gateway including a password and predetermined response information previously selected by the user and received from the subscriber database through the subscriber interface and challenges the mobile device with challenge information including a request for the password and a request for the predetermined response information;
• and
• the S-CSCF authenticates a response to the challenge information and updates the cache.