Security reconfiguration in a universal mobile telecommunications system

• US 7,020,455 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2002
• Issued: 03/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Optis Cellular Technology LLC (Brevet Capital)
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Johannesson, Regina, Palm, Hakan, Krishnarajah, Ainkaran, Berggren, Anders
• Primary Examiner(s): Trinh, Sonny
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, KHAI MINH
• Application Number:
  US10/259,435
• Publication Number:
  US 20030100291A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,275 Days
• Field of Search: 455/410, 455/411, 455/452.2, 455/432.1, 455/452, 455/403, 455/422.1, 713/171, 370/503, 370/329, 379/189, 379/161, 380/247, 380/250
• US Class Current: 455/410
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2856 Access arrangements, e.g. Internet access asynchronous transfer mode networks H04L12/5601; broadband local area networks H04L12/2801; optical access or distribution networks H04Q11/0067; access to open networks H04L12/5691; digital subscriber line end-user equipment and bit-level processing of data on a PSTN-based network H04M11/00; home network gateways H04L12/2834; wireless access networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/123 received data contents, e.g. message integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/033 of the user plane, e.g. user's traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/106 Packet or message integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup

Abstract

The invention protects the security of a communication between a mobile radio and a radio access network (RAN). A connection is established through the RAN to support a communication with the mobile radio. The connection is configured with a first security configuration. One or more messages are sent over the connection using the first security configuration, each message having a message sequence number. When the connection needs to be configured to a second security configuration, an activation message sequence number associated with the reconfiguration is set. When the reconfiguration process is complete and the second security configuration is to be activated, the next message is sent over the connection with the activation message sequence number. Until that time and during the reconfiguration, when the mobile radio transmits a message with a message sequence number lower than the activation message sequence number to the RAN, it uses the first security configuration. An example of such a message is a cell update message or an area update message.

Claims

1. A method for protecting the security of a communication between a mobile radio and a radio access network (RAN), comprising:

establishing a connection through the RAN to support a communication with the mobile radio;

configuring the connection with a first security configuration;

sending one or more messages over the connection using the first security connection, each message having a message sequence number;

determining a need to reconfigure the connection to a second security configuration;

setting an activation message sequence number associated with the reconfiguration; and

when the second security configuration is to be activated, sending a next message with the activation message sequence number,

wherein the sending step is performed to apply the second security configuration even when the activation message sequence number of messages has not been transmitted at the time that the security reconfiguration is completed.

2. The method in claim 1, wherein when the second security configuration is activated, subsequent messages are sent using the second security configuration.

3. The method in claim 1, wherein the next message is sent using the second security configuration.

4. The method in claim 1, wherein during the reconfiguration, the mobile radio transmits a message with a message sequence number lower than the activation message sequence number to the RAN using the first security configuration.

5. The method in claim 4, wherein the message transmitted by the mobile radio is a cell update message or an area update message.

6. The method in claim 1, wherein the first security configuration corresponds to a first connection associated with a session involving the mobile radio and the second security configuration corresponds to a second connection associated with the session.

7. The method in claim 6, wherein the session is a multimedia session, and the first connection relates to one type of media and the second connection relates to another type of media.

8. The method in claim 1, wherein the security configuration relates to integrity protection of the message.

9. The method in claim 8, wherein the message includes a control message related to the connection.

10. The method in claim 9, wherein the first security configuration includes a first integrity protection key used to authenticate the control signal, and the second security configuration includes a second integrity protection key used to authenticate the control signal.

11. The method in claim 1, wherein the security configuration relates to confidentiality protection of the communication, and the communication includes data traffic related to the connection.

12. The method in claim 11, wherein the first security configuration includes a first encryption key used to encrypt the data traffic, and the second security configuration includes a second encryption key used to encrypt the data traffic.

13. The method in claim 1, further comprising:

setting the activation message sequence number using a maximum number of retransmissions of a message.

14. The method in claim 13, wherein the message is a cell update message or an area update message transmitted by the mobile radio to the RAN.

15. The method in claim 1, wherein the activation message sequence number corresponds to a future message sequence number greater than a next message sequence number.

16. A mobile radio configured to communicate with an entity via a connection established through a radio access network (RAN), comprising:

radio transceiving circuitry, and

data processing circuitry configured to perform the following tasks;

establish a first security configuration for the connection;

send one or more messages over the connection using the first security connection, each message having a message sequence number;

determine if the connection is to be reconfigured to a second security configuration;

determine an activation message sequence number associated with the reconfiguration; and

when the second security configuration is to be activated, send a next message with the activation message sequence number,

wherein the data processing circuitry is configured to apply the second security configuration even when the activation number of messages has not been transmitted when the security reconfiguration is completed.

17. The mobile radio in claim 16, wherein when the second security configuration is activated, subsequent messages sent and received by the mobile radio use the second security configuration.

18. The mobile radio in claim 17, wherein the data processing circuitry is configured to transmit the next message using the second security configuration.

19. The mobile radio in claim 16, wherein during the reconfiguration, the data processing circuitry is configured to transmit a message with a message sequence number lower than the activation message sequence number to the RAN using the first security configuration.

20. The mobile radio in claim 19, wherein the message transmitted by the mobile radio is a cell update message or an area update message.

21. The mobile radio in claim 16, wherein the first security configuration corresponds to a first connection associated with a session involving the mobile radio and the second security configuration corresponds to a second connection associated with the session.

22. The mobile radio in claim 21, wherein the session is a multimedia session, and the first connection relates to one type of media and the second connection relates to another type of media.

23. The mobile radio in claim 16, wherein the security configuration relates to integrity protection of the message, and the message includes a control message related to the connection.

24. The mobile radio in claim 23, wherein the first security configuration includes a first integrity protection key used to authenticate the control signal, and the second security configuration includes a second integrity protection key used to authenticate the control signal.

25. The mobile radio in claim 16, wherein the security configuration relates to confidentiality protection of the communication, and the communication includes data traffic related to the connection.

26. The mobile radio in claim 25, wherein the first security configuration includes a first encryption key used to encrypt the data traffic, and the second security configuration includes a second encryption key used to encrypt the data traffic.

27. The mobile radio in claim 16, wherein the data processing circuitry is configured to set the activation message sequence number using a maximum number of retransmissions of a message.

28. The mobile radio in claim 27, wherein the message is a cell update message or an area update message transmitted by the mobile radio to the RAN.

29. The mobile radio in claim 16, wherein the activation message sequence number corresponds to a future message sequence number greater than a next message sequence number.

30. A radio access network (RAN) node for establishing a mobile radio connection through the RAN to support communications involving the mobile radio, comprising:

data processing circuitry configured to perform the following functions;

establish a first security configuration parameters for the connection;

send or receive one or more messages over the connection using the first security connection, each message having a message sequence number;

determine if the connection is to be reconfigured to a second security configuration;

send a security configuration change message to the mobile radio that indicates to the mobile radio to apply the second security configuration even when the activation number of messages has not been transmitted when the security reconfiguration is completed;

detect a next message from the mobile radio with the activation message sequence number; and

upon detecting the next message, activate the second security configuration for the connection.

31. The RAN node in claim 30, wherein when the second security configuration is activated, subsequent messages are sent using the second security configuration.

32. The RAN node in claim 31, wherein the next message is sent using the second security configuration.

33. The RAN node in claim 30, wherein the data processing circuitry is configured to transmit a security mode command to the mobile radio when the connection is to be reconfigured to the second security configuration.

34. The RAN node in claim 33, wherein the data processing circuitry is configured to detect a security mode complete message from the mobile radio, in response to the security mode command, that includes the activation message sequence number.

35. The RAN node in claim 34, wherein the data processing circuitry is configured to transmit a security mode complete acknowledge message to the mobile radio to signal to the mobile radio that the security reconfiguration is complete.

36. The RAN node in claim 30, wherein the data processing circuitry is configured to detect during the reconfiguration, a message from the mobile radio having a message sequence number lower than the activation message sequence number to the RAN using the first security configuration.

37. The RAN node in claim 36, wherein the message transmitted by the mobile radio is a cell update message or an area update message.

38. The RAN node in claim 30, wherein the security configuration relates to integrity protection of the message, and the message includes a control message related to the connection.

39. The RAN node in claim 38, wherein the first security configuration includes a first integrity protection key used to authenticate the control signal, and the second security configuration includes a second integrity protection key used to authenticate the control signal.

40. The RAN node in claim 30, wherein the security configuration relates to confidentiality protection of the communication, and the communication includes data traffic related to the connection.

41. The RAN node in claim 40, wherein the first security configuration includes a first encryption key used to encrypt the data traffic, and the second security configuration includes a second encryption key used to encrypt the data traffic.

42. The RAN node in claim 30, wherein the activation message sequence number corresponds to a future message sequence number greater than a next message sequence number.