Patent ID: 9571372
Date: 2017-02-14
CPC Classifications: H04L

Claim:
1. A computer-implemented method for estimating ages of network devices, at least a portion of the method being performed by a computing device comprising at least one processor, the method comprising: identifying at least one networked device that is attached to a network; identifying a media access control address of the networked device, the media access control address comprising an organizational unique identifier; querying an organizational-unique-identifier database with the organizational unique identifier and receiving, in response, device-age information relating to an estimated age of the networked device, wherein the device-age information is derived from an assignment date of the organizational unique identifier to an organization; determining the estimated age of the networked device by using the device-age information by positing that a creation of the networked device by the organization does not precede the assignment date of the organizational unique identifier to the organization and therefore limiting the estimated age of the networked device by the assignment date of the organizational unique identifier; and performing at least one of a security scan of the networked device and a compliance analysis of the networked device based at least in part on the estimated age of the networked device.