Patent ID: 7466654

Claim:
A method of detecting an intermediary communication device in a communication path of a target communication device, comprising the steps of: a) inserting a sensor in the communication path of the target communication device; b) recording at the sensor a user-definable number of communication packets to and from the target communication device; c) recording a time at the sensor for each communication packet recorded in step (b); d) identifying communication packets recorded in step (b) that are in a first user-definable interconnection layer; e) calculating a minimum latency time for the communication packets identified in step (d) using the times recorded in step (c) for the communication packets; f) identifying communication packets recorded in step (b) that are in a second user-definable interconnection layer, where the second interconnection layer is at a different communication processing level than that of the first user-definable interconnection layer; g) calculating a minimum latency time for the communication packets identified in step (f) using the times recorded in step (c) for the communication packets; and h) if an absolute difference between the results of step (e) and step (g) is above a user-definable threshold then determining that an intermediary communication device is in the communication path of the target communication device.