The invention relates to a method for operating a slice management entity (100) configured to manage a network slice of a cellular network, the method comprising: periodically determining a trust level of the network slice based on time dependent trust values of network components used by the network slice, determining whether the determined trust level of the network slice is lower than a minimum threshold level, wherein in the affirmative, adapting a controlling of at least one of the network components of the network slice to obtain a new trust value for the at least one network component, wherein the new trust level of the network slice is above the minimum threshold level and is calculated taking into account the new trust value of the adapted controlling of the at least one network component.

Techniques for securely identifying applications in a communication network are disclosed. For example, a method comprises receiving, at user equipment, a data item associated with an application program that is installed or being installed on the user equipment. The method further comprises storing, by the user equipment, the data item with an identifier of the application program. The method still further comprises utilizing, by the user equipment, the stored data item when deciding to apply a route selection rule for data traffic associated with the application program.

A UE can enable a VoWIFI service, receive hidden SSID information, and register with a core network via a RAN. The UE can monitor a first signal strength of a first signal from the RAN. The UE can scan for a second signal from a WLAN, and when found, can measure a second signal strength of the second signal. The UE can determine whether the first signal strength is at or below a first threshold. If so, and if the WLAN is untrusted, the UE can probe it with the hidden SSID information. If the untrusted WLAN responds, the UE can send an access request to an untrusted WLAN access point. The UE can receive, via the untrusted WLAN access point, an authentication challenge from an ePDG. If the UE passes the authentication challenge, the UE can register with the core network via the untrusted WLAN and the ePDG.

A method at a network element for processing a first message destined for an intelligent transportation system station, the method including receiving from a sending entity, or generating, the first message at the network element; based on a source or contents of the first message, performing one of: discarding the first message; or modifying the first message to provide an indication to the intelligent transportation system station of checks the intelligent transportation system does not need to perform, thereby creating a second message; and forwarding the second message to the intelligent transportation system station.

In some embodiments, the present disclosure is directed to an exemplary process including: displaying, by a processor of a computing device, an access controller interface element and an access code on a screen of the computing device; where the access controller interface element is: communicatively coupled to a cellular network hosted access controlling schema and operationally linked to an access-restricted digital resource; transmitting, by the processor of the computing device, in response to the at least one activity, an access request having data that includes: the access code and an identity linked to the computing device; where at least one part of the data is configured to be accepted by the cellular network hosted access controlling schema; accessing, by the processor of the computing device, the access-restricted digital resource after the at least one part of the data has been accepted by the cellular network hosted access controlling schema.

Embodiments of the invention are directed to the utilization of trust tokens to perform secure message transactions between two devices. A trust token transmitted in a message from one device may include first data that is digitally signed by a trust provider computer, and second data that is digitally signed by the device itself. Upon receipt of a message containing a trust token, the recipient may utilize the first data to verify with the trust provider computer that the sender of the message is a trusted party. The trust provider computer may provide the recipient device the public key of the sender. The recipient may utilize the second data and the provided public key to verify that the sender signed the message and that the message is unaltered. These techniques may increase detection of relay, replay, or other man-in-the-middle attacks, decreasing the likelihood that such attacks will be successful.

System and techniques for opportunistic encryptions of a communication are described herein. An identification of a communication that is not encrypted can be received along with a contextual element that corresponds to the communication. Network data can be selected based on the contextual element and processed to produce an encryption decision for the communication. A network segment of the communication can then be encrypted in response to the encryption decision.

Systems and methods are described for seamlessly connecting devices based on relationships between the users of the respective devices. A media guidance application may determine that a first user has entered an environment (e.g., his/her mother's home) and may determine a frequency with which the first user enters the environment (e.g., daily). In response to determining that the first user visits frequently, the media guidance application may identify a second device in the environment (e.g., a smart TV) that a second user (e.g., the first user's mother) is authorized to grant access rights for. The media guidance application may determine a likelihood that the second user will grant the access rights for the second device to the first user, based on interaction data between the first user and the second user. In response to determining a high likelihood, the media guidance application may transmit the access rights.

Disclosed herein are techniques for enabling a user to activate a new device with a Mobile Network Operator (MNO) without requiring the user to provide MNO authentication credentials that are easily forgotten. The user activates the new device using credentials from an existing device (associated with the user) that is trusted by the MNO and also using a trust score provided by a third-party server that has knowledge of associations between the user and the existing device. The new device can be a supplemental device, such as a wearable device to a cellular phone, where both devices remain capable of accessing services provided by the MNO after the new device is activated with the MNO. The new device can also be a replacement device, such as a new phone, tablet, or wearable device, where the new device supplants access to services provided by the MNO for an existing device.

An apparatus comprising a network communication interface to communicatively couple the apparatus to a network, a processor coupled to the network communication interface, and a memory coupled to the processor. The processor is configured to execute instructions to cause the apparatus to determine an indicator of a trusted nature of data for transmission through the network, write the data to a frame of a data stream, write the indicator to an inter-packet gap of the data stream, and transmit the data stream to the network via the network communication interface.