Patent ID: 7512969

Claim:
A method for detecting unauthorized access of a cable system by a cable modem auxiliary device (CMAD) comprising: receiving at a cable modem termination system (CMTS) a DHCP request comprising a MAC address of a CMAD seeking access to the cable system and a MAC address of a cable modem (CM) to which the CMAD is connected; forming a proffered identifier of the CMAD by combining a gateway interface address of the CMTS with the CM MAC address and the CMAD MAC address; comparing components of proffered identifier to the components of each of one or more stored identifiers stored in a datastore; making a determination whether the proffered identifier and any of the one or more stored identifiers satisfy a matching criteria comprising a same CMAD MAC address component and a different gateway interface address component; and in the event the proffered identifier and any of the one or more stored identifiers satisfy the matching criteria, selecting a remedial response, wherein the remedial response comprises denying the CMAD access to the cable system.