Patent ID: 8806565

Claim:
A client system comprising: one or more processors configured to generate a first nonce used as a first freshness indicator; an output device circuitry configured to send a network request to an access node of a communications network, the access node being certified by a common root certification authority, the request containing the first nonce; a memory configured to store network settings based on information received from at least one other access node different from the access node, the other access node having been certified and bound into one logical network location with the access node by the common root certification authority of the access nodes; an input device circuitry configured to receive a signed message from the access node of the communications network, the signed message comprising a signature, a location identifier, a public key, and at least a second nonce used as second freshness indicator comprising; and the one or more processors being further configured to: parse the signed message to obtain the second nonce, the signature, and the public key; compare the first nonce with the second nonce; validate the second nonce based on the comparison of the first nonce and the second nonce; verify the signature of the signed message using the public key, and allow the client computing device to access the stored network settings for use within the network, in response to a successful validation of the second nonce and a successful verification of the signature.