Secure association and management frame verification

A computer program product for use in a station that is capable of communicating with at least one access point in a communications network, the computer program product comprising one or more computer-readable storage media storing computer-executable instructions for implementing a method for creating a secure association between the station and at least one access point, the method comprising:

• at a station that is a client device seeking access to other client devices and a network by associating with and authenticating itself to one or more access points that bridge communications between the client device and a network communications server in the communications network, obtaining discovery information from the one or more access points in the communications network, the discovery information reflecting capabilities of the one or more respective access points to facilitate communication with the station;
• selecting one of the access points to become associated with;
• and
• authenticating the selected access point, wherein authenticating the selected access point includes verifying the discovery information previously obtained from the one or more access points in the communications network by:
• sending all of the discovery information obtained from the selected access point while previously obtaining discovery information back to the selected access point as part of a discovery verification request to be verified, wherein all of the discovery information previously obtained from the access point and sent back to the selected access point includes the capabilities of the access point and is sent back with a security object;
• and
• receiving an acknowledgement receipt from the selected access point verifying that the capabilities of the access point as included in the discovery information sent back with the security object in the discovery verification request matches the capabilities of the access point as included in the discovery information provided by the selected access point during the obtaining of discovery information from the one or more access points.

In an access point that is capable of communicating with at least one station in a communications network, a method for creating a secure association between the station and at least one access point, the method comprising:

• at an access point that bridges communication between one or more stations that are client devices seeking access to other client devices and a network by associating themselves with and authenticating themselves to one or more access points, providing discovery information to one of the one or more stations, the discovery information reflecting capabilities of the access point to facilitate communication with the one of the one or more stations;
• providing a certificate with the discovery information that is used by the station to authenticate discovery information of the access point;
• receiving all of the discovery information provided by the access point to the one of the one or more stations back from the one of the one or more stations as part of a discovery verification request from the one of the one or more stations, wherein the discovery verification request includes at least part of all of the discovery information provided by the access point to the one of the one or more stations while the one of the one or more stations was previously obtaining discovery information from multiple access points, including at least the capabilities of the access point as previously provided by the access point to the one or more stations;
• and
• sending an acknowledgement receipt to the station, thereby verifying to the one of the one or more stations that the received capabilities of the access point included in the discovery information sent back as part of the discovery verification request matches the capabilities of the access point included in the discovery information originally provided while the one of the one or more stations was obtaining discovery information from multiple access points.

A computer program product for use in an access point that is capable of communicating with at least one station in a communications network, the computer program product comprising one or more computer-readable storage media storing computer-executable instructions for implementing a method for creating a secure association between the station and at least one access point, the method comprising:

• at an access point that bridges communication between one or more stations that are client devices seeking access to other client devices and a network by associating themselves with and authenticating themselves to one or more access points, providing discovery information to the one of the one or more stations, the discovery information reflecting available transfer rate capabilities of the access point to facilitate communication with the one of the one or more stations;
• providing a certificate with the discovery information that is used by the station to authenticate discovery information of the access point;
• receiving all of the discovery information provided by the access point to the one of the one or more stations, back from the one of the one or more stations as part of a discovery verification request from the one of the one or more stations, wherein the discovery verification request includes at least the available transfer rate capabilities of the access point as provided by the access point to the one of the one or more stations while the one of the one or more stations was previously obtaining discovery information from multiple access points;
• and
• sending an acknowledgement receipt to the station, thereby verifying to the one of the one or more stations that the received discovery information sent back as part of the discovery verification request matches the discovery information originally provided while the one of the one or more stations was obtaining discovery information from multiple access points.