In order to manage the IP assets, an organization can allocate subnets of the larger network into different teams and groups of the organization. The organization can further assign particular IP addresses to the teams or groups. For example, a team is assigned a segment of sequential IP addresses. The team might use all or a portion of the IP addresses that are assigned to it. IP assets can be assigned to or unassigned from the segment of IP addresses at different times. For example, if a team acquires a new laptop, the laptop can be assigned to an IP address from the segment associated with the team. Similarly, if a laptop gets broken, the IP address can be unassigned from that broken laptop.

The IPOD 202 is configured to utilize information stored at the assigned IP addresses data storage 204 and the IP subnet allocation data storage 208 to discover ownership assignment for such IP addresses within the organization that have unknown ownership (e.g., an unassigned IP address 206). The IPOD 202 can be configured to receive the unassigned IP address 206 (e.g., from data storage). The IPOD 202 can process the unassigned IP address 206 by converting the decimal format IP addresses into numerical value. The numerical format can be a numerical value, a decimal value, or other numerical value. A numerical format can facilitate the use of computational operations on the IP addresses to, for example, compare different IP addresses to each other. The IPOD 202 can compare the unassigned IP address 206 to assigned IP addresses received from the assigned IP addresses data storage 204 in the numeric format. Based on the comparison, the IPOD 202 can determine, for each unassigned IP address, a reference IP address from among the assigned IP addresses data storage 204. For example, the reference IP address can be an assigned IP address having the closest similarity (e.g., shortest distance) to an unassigned IP address. In other words, there is a likelihood that the ownership assignment of the unassigned IP address is the same as the ownership assignment of the reference IP address. The IPOD 202 can further use information from the IP subnet allocation data storage 208 to determine whether the reference IP address and the unassigned IP address have the same subnet allocation. In an instance where the reference IP address and the unassigned IP address have the same subnet allocation, the IPOD 202 can determine that the reference IP address and the unassigned IP address have the same ownership assignment. In such instances, the IPOD 202 stores the unassigned IP address as a newly assigned IP address 210 and stores the newly assigned IP address 210 to the assigned IP addresses data storage 204.

The system 200 is configured to discover ownership assignments accurately and efficiently for a large number of unassigned IP addresses. For example, a large organization can include hundreds or thousands of unassigned IP addresses that can cause a security threat to the organization. The system 200 can thereby improve the security of the network associated with an organization by efficiently discovering ownership assignment of computer devices within the organization.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram that illustrates processes 300 for discovering ownership assignment of computer devices in a telecommunications network. The processes 300 can be performed by a computer device (e.g., a computer system 400 in FIG. 4) including a software program for performing the processes 300 (e.g., the IPOD 202 in FIG. 2). The ownership assignment is associated with devices in communication with a wireless network (e.g., the wireless network 100 in FIG. 1). The device can include at least one hardware processor and at least one non-transitory memory storing instructions. When the instructions are executed by the at least one hardware processor, the device performs the processes 300.

The processes 300 are directed to discovering ownership of unassigned IP addresses within an organization. Discovering ownership of the unassigned IP addresses includes processing the unassigned IP addresses in a format that facilitates forming computational operations that allow analyzing of the unassigned IP addresses based on assigned (e.g., having known ownership) IP addresses and subnet allocations.

At 302, the device (e.g., a device including the IPOD 202 in FIG. 2) can obtain a set of unassigned IP addresses (e.g., the unassigned IP addresses 206) for ownership assignment discovery. The ownership assignment of the set of IP addresses can be unknown.

Each IP address in the set of unassigned IP addresses can be associated with a computer device of multiple computer devices on the telecommunications network. The computer devices can include any devices that connect to a network that uses IP for communication. In some implementations, the multiple computer devices include electronic devices, server devices, and/or cloud servers in communication with the telecommunications network. The electronic devices can include computers (e.g., desktop, laptop, server, and/or tablet computers), mobile phones, wearable devices (e.g., smart watches), IoT devices, printers, gaming consoles, televisions, voice over IP (VOIP) phones, network storage devices, media streamers, etc. For example, each IP address in the set of unassigned IP addresses is associated with at least one application programming interface of a respective computer device of the multiple computer devices on the telecommunications network.

Each IP address in the set of unassigned IP addresses can be from a sequence of IP addresses associated with an organization. The multiple computer devices can be assigned to multiple teams (and/or individuals or a combination thereof) of the organization such that each team in the multiple teams is assigned to a segment of the sequence of IP addresses. For example, an organization can initially assign IP addresses to its teams so that each team is assigned to a segment of IP addresses from a sequential list of IP addresses. A segment can include any number (1,2,4,8,16,32,64,128,256,512, etc.) of IP addresses (e.g., a team is assigned to IP addresses ranging from 10.147.50.0 through 10.147.50.63). Each team is also assigned to a subnet range of the network associated with the organization.

The set of unassigned IP addresses can correspond to IP addresses that were originally assigned to a team, but the ownership assignment information has been lost during the course of the time. The assignment information can be lost, for example, due to changes such as teams being closed or their position in the organization being changed, individuals leaving the organization, IP assets being reassigned to different teams, IP assets being removed or replaced within the organization, or other reasons.

At 304, the device can convert each unassigned IP address in the set of unassigned IP addresses into a numerical value (e.g., an integer value or a decimal value) representative of the respective IP address. In some implementations, converting each IP address in the set of unassigned IP addresses into a numerical value includes converting each of the IP addresses into a binary representation, concatenating the binary representation into a binary string, and converting the binary string into the numeric.

At 306, the device can obtain a set of assigned IP addresses from an assigned IP address database (e.g., from the assigned IP addresses data storage 204 in FIG. 2). The ownership assignments of the set of assigned IP addresses are known.

At 308, the device can obtain a subnet allocation for each IP address in the set of assigned IP addresses from a subnet allocation database (e.g., the IP subnet allocation data storage 208 in FIG. 2). In some implementations, the subnet allocation database stores ownership information for the IP addresses associated with the telecommunications network. The information can be stored at the time when an organization has assigned IP addresses to the different teams. The subnet allocation can be based on segments of the sequence of IP addresses assigned to the multiple teams.

In some implementations, obtaining the subnet allocation for each IP address in the set of assigned IP addresses includes determining a subnet mask for each of the IP addresses based on a network class (e.g., classes A, B, C) or a network scheme (e.g., subnetting) associated with the telecommunications network. The device can determine a subnet for each of the IP addresses based on the determined subnet mask and the respective IP address. For example, subnet masks are involved in the creation and assignment of IP addresses within the organization. The organization can determine a subnet mask allocation for a team based on the number of required subnets and hosts and assign an IP address range based on the subnet mask.

At 310, the device can determine a reference IP address from the set of assigned IP addresses for a particular IP address of the set of unassigned IP addresses. The determination can include determining a shortest absolute distance between a numerical value associated with the particular IP address and a numerical value associated with the reference IP address. For example, the device converts the set of assigned IP addresses into respective integer values and calculates the distances between the numeric value corresponding to the particular unassigned IP address and the numeric values of the set of assigned IP addresses.

At 312, the device can determine whether the particular IP address and the reference IP address have a same subnet allocation. In some instances, when the particular IP address is at or near a borderline of the assigned IP address segments, the reference IP address can in fact be assigned to a different team than the particular IP address. Therefore, in order to verify that the ownership assignment is correct, the device further determines whether the particular IP address and the reference address have the same subnet allocation. Such two-step ownership assignment determination increases the reliability and accuracy of the ownership assignment.

In some implementations, determining whether the particular IP address and the reference IP address have the same subnet allocation includes determining a subnet mask for the particular IP address based on a network class or a network scheme associated with the telecommunications network. Determining the subnet mask can also include determining a subnet for the particular IP address based on the determined subnet mask and the particular IP address.

At 314, responsive to a determination that the particular IP address and the reference IP address have the same subnet allocation, the device can determine that the ownership assignment of the particular IP address is the same as the ownership assignment of the reference IP address. For example, the device determines that a computer device of the multiple computer devices is assigned to a same team of the organization as the reference IP address.

In some implementations, responsive to determining the ownership assignment of the particular IP address, the device can store the assigned ownership assignment and the particular IP address in the assigned IP address database. For example, as described with respect to FIG. 2, the IPOD 202 stores the newly assigned IP addresses 210 to the assigned IP addresses data storage 204.

At 316, responsive to a determination that the particular IP address and the reference IP address do not have the same subnet allocation, the device can determine an additional reference IP address from the set of assigned IP addresses. For example, if the particular IP address and the reference IP address do not have the same subnet allocation, the device can determine that the ownership assignment of the particular IP address cannot be the same as the ownership assignment of the reference IP address. In such instances, the device determines the additional reference IP address that is different from the reference IP address. The additional reference IP address can be determined by determining a second shortest absolute distance between the numeric value associated with the particular IP address and a numerical value associated with the additional reference IP address. The second shortest absolute distance can be greater than the shortest absolute distance. The device can determine whether the particular IP address and the additional reference IP address have a same subnet allocation. Responsive to a determination that the particular IP address and the additional reference IP address have the same subnet allocation, the device can determine that the ownership assignment of the particular IP address is the same as the ownership assignment of the additional reference IP address. Further, the process of determining additional reference IP addresses and the determining the subnet allocations can be repeated until a reference IP having the same subnet allocation as the particular IP address is found.

Table 1 below provides exemplary assignment data determined by the processes 300. The first column includes a set of unassigned IP addresses and the second column includes the date and time of the last observation of the unassigned IP addresses (e.g., when was the IP address last used). The third column includes a subnet allocation of the unassigned IP addresses. The fourth column includes a reference IP for each of the unassigned IP addresses, where the reference IPs are from a set of assigned IP addresses and have the same subnet allocation as their respective unassigned IP addresses. The last column includes an assignment group for each of the unassigned IP addresses that is determined based on the respective reference IP addresses in the fourth column.

TABLE 1

Exemplary assignment data

Unassigned IP

Assignment

addresses
Last Observed
Subnet
Reference IP
Group

10.145.116.68
2024 May 8 05:09:17
10.145.116.0/24
10.145.116.66
Team 1

10.145.122.16
2024 May 8 05:09:02