METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR USE IN AN IP MULTIMEDIA SUBSYSTEM

摘要

A method is provided for use in an IP Multimedia Subsystem, IMS, in which a Serving 5 Call Session Control Function, S-CSCF, of the IMS cooperates with a Home Subscriber Server, HSS, of the IMS, to lock a user following a predetermined number of failed authentications of the user at the S-CSCF and/or to unlock that user thereafter, with any request received from the user at a node of the IMS where the lock is in effect and requiring an authentication challenge being caused by the node to be rejected. In one example, a locking signal is sent from the S-CSCF to the HSS, following the predetermined number of failed authentications, to indicate to the HSS that the user should be locked at the HSS. The locking signal could be carried by a Server Assignment Request, SAR, message. In another example, the user is unlocked at the S-CSCF in response to receipt of an unlock signal sent from the HSS to the S-CSCF. The unlock signal could be carried by a Registration Termination Request, RTR, message.