Alcatel Lucent

Gerald Batten

Faud Ahmad Khan

Yong Sun

A system and method for identifying the number of computer hosts and types of operating systems behind a network address translation is provided. The method includes processing an internet protocol packet associated with the host computer system. The process may involve capturing the internet protocol packet and extracting key fields from the internet protocol packet to produce a fingerprint. The method continues with analyzing the fields in order to determine if a network address translator is connected between the host computer and a public network (e.g. the internet). If there is a network address translator connected, fields may be analyzed in order to determine the number of computers using the network address translator. The fields may also be analyzing in order to determine with a level of probability that the fingerprint identifies the correct operating system running the host computers. Generally, the internet protocol packet that is analyzing will be captured from an aggregation point in the carrier network.

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Ottawa, Canada

Gerald Batten