# US 2018/0324583 A1 · Identity request control for user equipment > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2018/0324583 A1 - Document ID: US20180324583A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/588,039 - Filed: 2017-05-05 - Published: 2018-11-08 - Earliest claimed: 2017-05-05 - Assignees: Alcatel-Lucent USA Inc.; Nokia Technologies Oy - Applicants: Alcatel-Lucent USA Inc.; Nokia Technologies OY - Inventors: Suresh P. Nair; Anja Jerichow - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20180324583A1 ## CPC - H04L 63/1458: {Denial of Service} - H04W 12/02: Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII] - H04W 12/033: of the user plane, e.g. user's traffic - H04W 12/122: Counter-measures against attacks; Protection against rogue devices - H04W 12/126: Anti-theft arrangements, e.g. protection against subscriber identity module [SIM] cloning - H04W 48/14: using user query {or user detection} - H04W 64/00: Locating users or terminals {or network equipment} for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management - H04W 76/11: Allocation or use of connection identifiers - H04W 88/02: Terminal devices - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) ## Abstract Techniques are provided for protecting the privacy of user equipment during identity request operations in a communication system. In one example, a method includes receiving a current identity request at given user equipment of a communication system. The method further includes making a determination at the given user equipment whether or not to respond to the current identity request in a manner requested based on a count of previous identity requests received by the given user equipment. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method comprising: sending an attach request from a given user equipment to a mobility management element of a communication system, the attach request comprising a protected identifier of the given user equipment, the protected identifier of the given user equipment comprising at least one of: a pseudonym of a subscription identifier of the given user equipment and an encrypted version of the subscription identifier of the given user equipment; receiving, at the given user equipment, a current identity request for the protected identifier of the given user equipment responsive to the mobility management element failing to locate the subscription identifier of the given user equipment using the protected identifier in at least one of the attach request and a response to a previous identity request; and determining at the given user equipment whether or not to respond to the current identity request in a manner requested based on a count of previous identity requests received by the given user equipment; wherein the given user equipment comprises a processor and memory configured to execute the above steps. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the determining step further comprises comparing the count of previous identity requests received by the given user equipment to a permissible number of identity requests to which the given user equipment can respond. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, further comprising: permitting the given user equipment to respond to the current identity request when the comparison indicates that the count is below the permissible number; and preventing the given user equipment from responding to the current identity request in a manner requested when the comparison indicates that the count is at or above the permissible number. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein the preventing step further comprises the given user equipment withholding its identity in response to the current identity request. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein the preventing step further comprises the given user equipment providing its identity in response to the current identity request by an out-of-band mechanism. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein determining step further comprises determining at the given user equipment whether or not to respond to the current identity request based on the count of previous identity requests received by the given user equipment within a given time period. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein the determining step further comprises maintaining a timer at the given user equipment to track the given time period. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the determining step further comprises maintaining a counter at the given user equipment to track the count of previous identity requests received by the given user equipment. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the determining step further comprises resetting the counter following occurrence of an event. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the event comprises the given user equipment attaching to the communication system. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the event comprises the expiration of a given time period. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the given user equipment receives the current identity request from the mobility management element of the communication system. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the given user equipment receives the current identity request from a malicious entity. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the communication system comprises a 5G system. ### Claim 15 An apparatus comprising: given user equipment in a communication system configured to: send an attach request from the given user equipment to a mobility management element of the communication system, the attach request comprising a protected identifier of the given user equipment, the protected identifier of the given user equipment comprising at least one of: a pseudonym of a subscription identifier of the given user equipment and an encrypted version of the subscription identifier of the given user equipment; receive, at the given user equipment, a current identity request for the protected identifier of the given user equipment responsive to the mobility management element failing to locate the subscription identifier of the given user equipment using the protected identifier in at least one of the attach request and a response to a previous identity request; and determine at the given user equipment whether or not to respond to the current identity request in a manner requested based on a count of previous identity requests received by the given user equipment; wherein the given user equipment comprises a processor and memory configured to execute the above operations. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the given user equipment is further configured to make the determination whether or not to respond by comparing the count of previous identity requests received by the given user equipment to a permissible number of identity requests to which the given user equipment can respond. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the given user equipment is further configured to: permit the given user equipment to respond to the current identity request when the comparison indicates that the count is below the permissible number; and prevent the given user equipment from responding to the current identity request in a manner requested when the comparison indicates that the count is at or above the permissible number. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the given user equipment is further configured to prevent response in the manner requested by one of: withholding its identity in response to the current identity request; and providing its identity in response to the current identity request by an out-of-band mechanism. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the given user equipment is further configured to determine whether or not to respond to the current identity request based on the count of previous identity requests received by the given user equipment within a given time period. ### Claim 20 An article of manufacture comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having embodied therein executable program code that when executed by a processor causes the processor to: send an attach request from a given user equipment to a mobility management element of a communication system, the attach request comprising a protected identifier of the given user equipment, the protected identifier of the given user equipment comprising at least one of: a pseudonym of a subscription identifier of the given user equipment and an encrypted version of the subscription identifier of the given user equipment; receive, at the given user equipment, a current identity request for the protected identifier of the given user equipment responsive to the mobility management element failing to locate the subscription identifier of the given user equipment using the protected identifier in at least one of the attach request and a response to a previous identity request; and determine at the given user equipment whether or not to respond to the current identity request in a manner requested based on a count of previous identity requests received by the given user equipment.