Patent ID: 9572125
Date: 2017-02-14
CPC Classifications: G01S,H04L,H04W

Claim:
1. A computer-implemented method for locating unrecognized computing devices, at least a portion of the method being performed by a computing device comprising at least one processor, the method comprising: identifying a plurality of cooperating computing devices on a wireless network that are each configured with a device location application, wherein none of the cooperating computing devices comprise a wireless access point; determining, at least in part by the device location application on the plurality of cooperating computing devices, a physical location for each cooperating computing device within the plurality of cooperating computing devices; receiving, from the device location application on the plurality of cooperating computing devices, data about packets intercepted by the plurality of cooperating computing devices that are directed to the wireless network by an unrecognized computing device that is not registered on a list of recognized computing devices; determining that the packets intercepted by the plurality of cooperating computing devices were sent by the same unrecognized computing device at least in part by determining, by comparing a timestamp of the packets, that the packets comprise the same timestamp; locating the unrecognized computing device based exclusively on information received from the plurality of cooperating computing devices and without receiving information from any wireless access points or the unrecognized computing device, wherein the information identifies both the physical location for each cooperating computing device and signal strengths of the packets intercepted by the plurality of cooperating computing devices; and performing a security action in response to detecting, by tracking the location of the unrecognized computing device over a period of time, abnormal behavior by the unrecognized computing device, wherein the security action comprises at least alerting an administrator of the wireless network that the unrecognized computing device has performed the abnormal behavior.