Secure communication mechanisms for GSM networks

TL;DR: A secure communication architecture for the GSM network is proposed that uses public-key cryptography for user authentication and stream cipher for message encryption and decryption and an authentication protocol and a key generation method are presented.

Abstract: With the advance of wireless communications technology, mobile communications has become more convenient than ever. However, because of the openness of wireless communications, the protection of the privacy between communicating parties is becoming a very important issue. We focus on the security of the Global System for Mobile communication (GSM) networks. A secure communication architecture for the GSM network is proposed. In the proposed architecture, we use public-key cryptography for user authentication and stream cipher for message encryption and decryption. An authentication protocol and a key generation method are presented in conjunction with the proposed architecture. Cryptanalysis and operational analysis show that the authentication protocol is secure and efficient. Simulation results indicate that the key generation method can always produce key strings of evenly distributed 0s and 1s and with infinite period.

Summary

1. INTRODUCTION

• Mobile communications has hecome more popular and easier for the past few years.
• Nowadays, people call communicate with each other all allY place at any (ime.

Contrihuted Paper

• The security architecture of GSM is intended 10 prevent unauthorized network access, disallow subscriber impersonation, protect conridentiality, and provide privacy.
• The m,tior problem of stream cipher cryp tography is the difficulty of generating a long unpredictable bit pattern .
• An ideal kcystre<lm ill one-time pad is purely random and has infinite length.
• The keystreClm can not be generated by the rcceiving end, and can not be distributed to the receiving end either.

2.3 The X.509 Three-way Exchange (2l]

• The X.509 three-way exchange, described ill ITU-T Recommendations X.50C), is a novel example of a public-key based authentication protocol.
• Key management of this protocol is seclJI'er than those of the protocols lIsing symmetric cryptography.
• The X,509 three-wa y exchange has some noticeable problems.
• Since the X . 50,) three way exchange performs encryption before signiug, the attacker Illay remove the signature from the ellClypted message and replace it with his own [21.
• Furthermore, the X.509 three-way exchange docs not provide pe/feet jf'IVlJrd secrecy so that the disclosure of the private key may compromise the session k ey.

2.4.1 Replay Attack [lJ

• An attacker can lise this attack to capture legitimate messages and retransmit them for illegal purpose, To defeat such an attack.
• Non-repeated random /lumbers arc ollen used to ensure that all replayed messages will be detected.
• Time stamp, sequcnce number, and challenge-response arc three different types of nonccs.

2.4.2 Guessing Attack III

• Authentication usillg password is widely used by many security systems.
• Password is vulnerable under the dictionary attack by which an attacker can guess the password successfully.
• Public-key clyptography provides a means for preventing the guessing attack .

3.4 Message EncryptionlDecryption(C5)

• The (2) base station attack if all attacker pretendee!.
• As thc mobile uscr, he/she could !lot modify CA 's sign<1lmC on mobile 11ser's ide11lily.
• In the third step of the eOIlIlcctioll phase, since an attacker call llut sign R.'_ without mobile user's private key, he/she is llut able tu pretend as the mobile user.

4.1.2 Operational Analysis

• Protocol is one less than that of the X.509 three-way exchange.
• With rega rd to signing/verification, the C3 protocol is more efficient than the X.509 three-way exchange.

4.2.1 Security Analysis

• Two metrics, randomness and period, arc selected for security evaluation.
• Four different types of input messages (ms) are also considered.

Period

• The authors consider four different pairs of (1M, 1m).
• Where 1M and In' represent the length (the number of bytes) of the initial keystream M and the input message tn, respectively.
• For Type-I M and Ill, their period is equal to 1M and 1m, respectively.
• For Type-2 M and I ,(] and Chen; Secure COllllllunicatioll Mccillllli,\lllS ror GSM.

Figures

Fig. 4. Release Phase of the CJ Protocol

Fig, 2, The Pqlposed Architecture

Table 4. Comparison betwecn the current architecture aud the proposed architccture

Table 2(b). Simulation results of M2

Table 2(b). Simulation results of M2

Full text

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             
        
             
           
                 
  
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 
     
        
     
   
      
       
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       
       
      
        
        
      
     
       
    
        
     
      
       
        
         
       
   
        
      
  
  
  
       
       
     

        
    
     
     
 
        
         
       
       
          
          
      
     
  

 
           
       
        
        
          
 




   

   
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
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
 
 


 
   
        
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
 
   
     
     
          
         
       
        
         
        

     
  
        
       
         
          
       
          

  
        
      
         
      
   
   
      

     
      
        
     

       


     
       
         
  
         

  


     
 

   
        
    
   
      
  

    
        
       
        
 
   
       
      
 

  
   
     
        
     

  
      
         
       

     
        
         
  

   
       
 

       
     
      
    
  
  

   








 


   

 
     
    
 

   
       
       
      
         
        
 


  
 
   
  
  

        
         
         
       
     
         
         
        
       
     
      
      
       
         
  
  
      
  

       
    
       
       
  
  
        
        
      

   

 
 
  
     
         
   

    
       
    
  



   
    
         

       
   
      
          

 



 
  

   
 
          

    

 

        
     
       
      
        
         

 
    
          
         
      
           
         
  

    

  

  
     
  



          

    
     
  
    

    
      
      
          

 
   
         
       
   


   
        

       

          
      
     
  

       

         

        
 
     

 
   

         
       
          
       
       
        
   
        
      
 


        

    
   


 

     
       


        
         
             
            
            

         



  

 



 
      
   
   

   

  
   
            
   

         

 
      
  

      

     
   
 
  
 
   

         
         
         
         
   
 
  
        
       

  

       
       
         

  
         
       


    
        
       
         
    
        
 
 
        
  
 
 
 
    
   
  
 

         
      
       
        
       
      



       

        
      
       
     
       


 
 






     
   
      
     
   

   





 








 




  







      
      
          
 
         
      
          
       
       
        

   
         
      
         
       
  

 
        
         
         
       
       
      

 
      
     
          
       
  
   
    
         

  
           
       
         
     


       



        
     
           
 

    

  
 
   

 









 





 

 

�-




    

   

        
 
   












  

 

   







 











   





         
  
       
           
         
        
         
      

   
           
         
         

  

         
          
        
        
          
          

Frequently asked questions

Q1. What are the contributions mentioned in the paper "Secure communication mechanisms for gsm networks" ?

In this paper, a secure communication architecture for the Glohal System for Mohile communication ( GSM ) networks is proposed.