GROUP AUTHENTICATION IN BROADCASTING FOR MTC GROUP OF UES

• US 20150358816A1
• Filed: 12/04/2013
• Published: 12/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: ZHANG, Xiaowei, PRASAD, Anand Raghawa
• Application Number:
  US14/760,319
• Publication Number:
  US 20150358816A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/02 for separating internal from external traffic, e.g. firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/065 for group communications cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key management involving conference or group key H04L9/0833
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0869 for achieving mutual authentication cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for mutual authentication H04L9/3273
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0884 by delegation of authentication, e.g. a proxy authenticates an entity to be authenticated on behalf of this entity vis-à-vis an authentication entity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/069 using certificates or pre-shared keys
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]

Abstract

Each of a group of MTC UEs (10_—1 to 10_n) is configured with a first group key (Kgr) for a group GW (20) to authenticate each of the MTC UEs (10_—1 to 10_n) as a member of the group. The group GW (20) is also configured with the first group key (Kgr) for authenticating each of the MTC UEs (10_—1 to 10_n) as the member of the group. The group GW (20) can be configured with a second group key (Kgw) for an MME (30) to determine whether or not to allow the group GW (20) to broadcast a message to the MTC UEs (10_—1 to 10_n).

Claims

1. (canceled)

2. A communication system comprising:

a group of MTC devices that communicate with a server through a network; and

a gateway to the network for the MTC devices,

wherein the gateway is configured with a first group key for authenticating the MTC device as a member of the group.

3. The communication system according to claim 2, further comprising:

a node that forms the network and relays traffic between the gateway and the server,

wherein the gateway is further configured with a second group key for the node to determine whether or not to allow the gateway to broadcast a message to the MTC devices.

4. The communication system according to claim 3,

wherein the node broadcasts, to the gateway, an AV (authentication vector) containing at least a RAND (random number),

the gateway computes a RES (authentication response) on the RAND by using the second group key, and

the node verifies the RES received from the gateway upon the determination.

5. The communication system according to claim 2,

wherein the gateway is further configured to:

broadcast, to the MTC devices, an AV containing at least a RAND; and

authenticate each of the MTC devices by comparing a RES on the RAND received from each of the MTC devices and a RES on the RAND computed with the first group key.

6. The communication system according to claim 2, further comprising:

a node that forms the network and relays traffic between the gateway and the server,

wherein the gateway reports, to the node, identifiers of authenticated MTC devices.

7-10. -10. (canceled)

11. A gateway to a network for a group of MTC devices that communicate with a server through the network, the gateway comprising:

a storage unit that stores a pre-configured first group key for authenticating the MTC device as a member of the group.

12. The gateway according to claim 11, wherein the storage unit is further configured to store a pre-configured second group key for a node to determine whether or not to allow the gateway to broadcast a message to the MTC devices, the node forming the network and relaying traffic between the gateway and the server.

13. The gateway according to claim 12, further comprising:

a reception unit that receives, from the node, an AV containing at least a RAND;

a compute unit that computes, by using the second group key, a RES on the RAND; and

a send unit that sends the RES to the node in order that the node verifies the RES upon the determination.

14. The gateway according to claim 11, further comprising:

a broadcast unit that broadcasts, to the MTC devices, an AV containing at least a RAND; and

an authentication unit that authenticates each of the MTC devices by comparing a RES on the RAND received from each of the MTC devices and a RES on the RAND computed with the first group key.

15. The gateway according to claim 11, further comprising:

a report unit that reports identifiers of authenticated MTC devices to a node that forms the network and relays traffic between the gateway and the server.

16. A node that forms a network, and that relays traffic between a gateway to the network for a group of MTC devices and a server communicating with the MTC devices through the network, the node comprising:

a determination unit that determines whether or not to allow the gateway to broadcast a message to the MTC devices.

17. The node according to claim 16, further comprising:

a broadcast unit that broadcasts, to the gateway, an AV containing at least a RAND; and

a reception unit that receives a RES on the RAND from the gateway, the RES being computed by use of a pre-configured group key,

wherein the determination unit is configured to verify the RES upon the determination.

19. The node according to claim 16, comprising an MME (Mobility Management Entity), an SGSN (Serving GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) Support Node), or an MSC (Mobile Switching Centre).

18. (canceled)

20-21. -21. (canceled)

22. A method for a network including a group of MTC devices that communicate with a server through the network and a gateway to the network for the MTC devices, the method comprising:

a step that the gateway is configured with a first group key for authenticating the MTC devices as a member of the group.

25. The method according to claim 22, wherein the network includes a node that forms the network and relays traffic between the gateway and the server, the method further comprising:

configuring the gateway with a second group key for the node to determine whether or not to allow the gateway to broadcast a message to the MTC devices.

23-24. -24. (canceled)