Method and Arrangement For Authentication and Privacy

• US 20080215888A1
• Filed: 07/07/2005
• Published: 09/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Barriga, Luis, Castellanos-Zarnora, David
• Application Number:
  US11/994,935
• Publication Number:
  US 20080215888A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/176
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0807 using tickets, e.g. Kerberos cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using tickets or tokens H04L9/3213
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/0431 Key distribution or pre-distribution; Key agreement
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication

Abstract

The present invention improves privacy protection and authentication over prior art GAA/GBA system specifying a Bootstrap Server Function (BSF) that creates an Authentication Voucher asserting to a network application function NAF authentication of a. BSF generates keys Ks and Ks NAF with corresponding key identifiers B_TID and B_TID_NAF. In order to prevent tracking of user by collusion between several NAF entities B_TID_NAF and the Voucher can be unique for each NAF. The interface Ua is further protected by encryption using key Ks and the Ub interface is further protected against man-in-the-middle attacks by using signatures with key Ks and provision of freshness.

Claims

1. A method in a network for communication that implements GAA/GBA (Generic Authentication Architecture/Generic Bootstrapping Architecture) and wherein a BSF (Bootstrapping Server Function) network node performs initial steps at least comprising authorizing a user entity UE and establishing at least one security key, shared with UE, comprising first key Ks and associated key identifier B_TID, and at least one second key Ks_NAF derived from Ks and associated with at least one network application function NAF, for improved privacy protection and authentication support comprising the steps:

the network node BSF further generating an Authentication Voucher asserting that UE has been authenticated;

generating at least one key identifier B_TID_NAF associated with said at least one second derived key, the key identifier being unique for each NAF;

the network node BSF sending the identifiers B_TID and the at least one identifier B_TID_NAF to UE;

a network application function NAF, in response to an access for services by UE including the at least one identifier B_TID_NAF, providing at least said identifier B_TID_NAF to BSF;

the network node BSF identifying, in response to said identifier B_TID_NAF, the Authentication Voucher of UE, for enabling establishment of authentication status of UE.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the user entity UE is identified, over the Ub interface between BSF-UE, by said identifier B_TID.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of sending the key identifier B_TID and the at least one identifier B_TID_NAF from BSF to UE further comprises encrypting the identifiers using the key Ks.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the Authentication Voucher is unique for each NAF and identified by said at least one identifier B_TID_NAF.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of providing further includes provision of a signature of B_TID_NAF, the signature being created by UE using the key Ks and included in said access for services.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the signature includes a freshness token.

7. The method of claim 5 further comprising the step of BSF verifying the signature of B_TID_NAF.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of NAF establishing authentication status by requesting the Authentication Voucher from the network node BSF.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of BSF establishing authentication status by analysis of the Authentication Voucher.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein NAF in said providing further includes request for the key Ks_NAF.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the Authentication Voucher includes information on at least one of time of validity, time for authentication, and authentication method.

12. The method of claim 8 further comprising the steps:

NAF presenting to the network node BSF additional requirements for accepting validity of authorization;

BSF verifying to NAF which of the additional requirements are fulfilled.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of BSF sending to UE the Authentication Voucher in conjunction with the sending of identifiers or separate there from.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the Authentication Voucher is made unique for each NAF and identified by said at least one identifier B_TID_NAF.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the Authentication Voucher is made unique by BSF encrypting it using the key Ks and a selected random number (Rand) different for each NAF according to the formula Encr(Ks, Voucher-Rand), where Encr is an encryption function and wherein said method further comprises establishing authentication status by:

sending the encrypted Authentication Voucher to BSF;

BSF decrypting the Authentication Voucher and verifying its validity;

BSF selecting a new random number (Rand2) and re-encrypts the Authentication Voucher twice with the key Ks as;

Encr(Ks, Encr(Ks, Voucher, Rand2));

BSF returning the re-encrypted Authentication Voucher to UE through NAF;

UE decrypting the received Authentication Voucher once to obtain;

Encr(Ks, Voucher, Rand2);

UE using the once decrypted Authentication Voucher in a subsequent access to a NAF.

16. In a network for communication that implements the GAA/GBA-architecture a network node BSF performing authentication of a user entity UE and negotiating a shared key Ks with UE, the network node BSF further comprising:

means for generation of an identifier B_TID associated with Ks;

means for generation of at least one derived key Ks_NAF, associated with at least one network application function NAF, and for generation of at least a corresponding identifier B_TID_NAF, the identifier being unique for each NAF;

means for generation of an Authentication Voucher asserting that UE has been authenticated;

means for storing the keys, key identifiers, and Authentication Voucher and for linking these entities to UE;

means for sending B_TID and the at least one B_TID_NAF to UE;

means for retrieving, in response to reception of at least one identifier B_TID_NAF related to a user equipment UE, a corresponding Authentication Voucher to enable establishment of authentication status of UE.

17. The network node according to claim 16 further comprising means for encryption using the key Ks and an encryption algorithm (Encr).

18. The network node according to claim 17 comprising means for generation of a random number Rand and wherein said means for encryption is used to encrypt the Authentication Voucher in the form Encr(Ks, Voucher, Rand).

19. The network node according to claim 16 comprising means for receiving and responding to a request from NAF concerning details of the authentication of a user entity UE obtained from means analysing the Authentication Voucher.

20. The network node according to claim 19 wherein said request concerns any or all of time for authentication, method for authentication, or lifetime of authentication.

21. A system for providing improved privacy protection and authentication in a communications network implementing a GAA/GBA infrastructure the system comprising:

a bootstrap server function BSF that provides an Authentication Voucher asserting authentication of a user entity UE and identifiers B_Ti DJsIAF of keys Ks_NAF associated with at least one network application function NAF, the identifiers being unique for each NAF;

an interface Ub between BSF-UE that is further protected by encryption using key Ks shared by BSF and UE;

an interface Ua between UE-IMAF that is further protected against man-in-the-middle attacks fc>

y signing messages using key Ks and freshness token;

at least one network application function NAF arranged to communicate with BSF about validity of an Authentication Voucher such as to prevent several NAF entities from colluding in order to track a user entity UE.

22. The system according to claim 21 wherein said arrangement comprises:

means for limiting information in the Authentication Voucher to include only an assertion that authentication has taken place;

means for providing for NAF to specify further requirements related to the authentication of a user and means at BSF for verification of the fulfillment of each further requirement.

The system according to claim 21 wherein said arrangement comprises means for encrypting the Authentication Voucher using key Ks and in dependence of a random number such as to form a unique Authentication Voucher for each NAF.