Method and apparatus for authentication of mobile devices

• US 20060094401A1
• Filed: 10/21/2005
• Published: 05/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Eastlake, Donald E. III
• Granted Patent: US 7,734,280 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/411
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72502 with one base station connected to a single line
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/06 including a wireless LAN interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/0431 Key distribution or pre-distribution; Key agreement
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication

Abstract

A method and apparatus for authentication in a wireless communication network is disclosed. A secret is shared between a mobile device and a home device. When a mobile device requests a connection to a remote device and the remote device does not have knowledge of the shared secret, the remote device determines whether the mobile device can connect to the remote device by concurrently sending a challenge to the mobile device and the home device. The remote device then compares the responses from the mobile device and the home device.

Claims

1. A method for authentication in a wireless communication network comprising the steps of:

sharing a secret between a mobile device and a home device;

requesting by the mobile device a connection to a remote device;

determining whether the mobile device can connect to the remote device by

(i) sending a challenge to the mobile device and concurrently sending the challenge to the home device;

(ii) receiving a first authentication code based on the shared secret at the mobile device;

(iii) receiving a second authentication code based on the shared secret at the home device; and

(iv) comparing the first authentication code with the second authentication code.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the mobile device is associated with identification information.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of sharing is performed by at least one of a) programming the mobile device with a secret known to the home device and b) by EAP methods.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of sending a challenge adheres to at least one of a) an ANSI/EEE 802.11, 802.15.1, 802.15.3, 802.15.4, 802.16, 802.20, and 802.22 wireless standard and b) a GSM cellular standard.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of determining by a second remote device whether the mobile device can connect to the second remote device based upon a previous authentication between the remote device and the home device.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of checking service information on the home device before granting access to the remote device.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of setting up confidential communications between the mobile device and the remote device by

(i) calculating a first keying material at the mobile device based on a second shared secret at the mobile device;

(ii) calculating a second keying material at the home device;

(iii) transmitting the second keying material from the home device to the remote device; and

(iii) providing authenticated communications between the mobile device and the remote device, if the first keying material equals the second keying material.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the remote device has knowledge of the shared secret.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of determining is performed at the remote device.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the first authentication code is calculated as a first function of the shared secret and the challenge.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the first function is a keyed hash algorithm.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the second authentication code is calculated as a second function of the shared secret, the challenge, and the identification information.

13. A method for authentication in a wireless communication network comprising the steps of:

sharing a secret between a mobile device and a home device;

requesting by the mobile device a connection to a remote device wherein the remote device does not have knowledge of the shared secret;

determining by the remote device whether the mobile device can connect to the remote device by a) concurrently sending a challenge to the mobile device and the home device and b) comparing responses from the mobile device and the home device; and

setting up confidential communications between the mobile device and the remote device by

(i) calculating a first keying material at the mobile device based on a second shared secret at the mobile device;

(ii) calculating a second keying material at the home device;

(iii) transmitting the second keying material from the home device to the remote device; and

(iii) providing authenticated communications between the mobile device and the remote device, if the first keying material equals the second keying material.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the step of sharing is performed by at least one of a) programming the mobile device with a secret known to the home device and b) by EAP methods.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the remote device has knowledge of the shared secret.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein the step of determining is performed at the remote device.

17. The method of claim 13 wherein the step of transmitting is performed securely based on at least one of a) a third shared secret between the remote device and the home device and b) asymmetric cryptography.

18. The method of claim 13 wherein the keying material is a part of the authentication code.

19. The method of claim 13 wherein the second shared secret is an authentication code comprising a) a function of the first shared secret or b) a function of the challenge.

20. A system for authentication in a wireless communication network comprising:

means for sharing a secret between a mobile device and a home device;

means for requesting by the mobile device a connection to a remote device wherein the remote device does not have knowledge of the shared secret; and

means for determining by the remote device whether the mobile device can connect to the remote device by concurrently sending a challenge to the mobile device and the home device and comparing responses from the mobile device and the home device.