Patent ID: 8559636

Claim:
A communication device, comprising: a wireless transceiver; a memory to store computer instructions; and a processor coupled to the wireless transceiver and to the memory, wherein the processor, responsive to executing the computer instructions, performs operations comprising: establishing communications with a wireless base station; generating an encrypted message request; transmitting to a server by way of the wireless base station the encrypted message request; receiving from the server by way of the wireless base station an encrypted message response; decrypting the encrypted message response, resulting in a decrypted message response; determining that the wireless base station is an approved network element of a communication system providing communication services to the communication device based on at least two conditions comprising information included in the decrypted message response and an ability of the wireless base station to deliver to the communication device the encrypted message response transmitted by the server; establishing communications with a second wireless base station; generating a second encrypted message request; transmitting the second encrypted message request to the server by way of the second wireless base station; detecting a communication fault based on a failure to receive from the server by way of the second wireless base station an expected second encrypted message response; and determining from the communication fault that the second wireless base station is not a approved network element of the communication system.