Using shared secret data (SSD) to authenticate between a CDMA network and a GSM network

• US 8,064,880 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2004
• Issued: 11/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Collins, Bruce, Jain, Nikhil
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; David Q
• Application Number:
  US11/013,034
• Publication Number:
  US 20050096014A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,534 Days
• Field of Search: 455/411, 455/43.51, 455/550.1, 370/337, 370/328, 340/5.21, 340/5.24, 380/242, 380/220, 380/249, 435/432.1, 213/120
• US Class Current: 455/411
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/71 Hardware identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/72 Subscriber identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/24 between backbone network devices

Abstract

A general global gateway (GGG) uses shared secret data to authenticate between a CDMA network and a GSM network such that a mobile station having a subscription in a GSM network can roam into a CDMA network and be authenticated to use the CDMA network without having a complete ANSI-41 subscription. The goal of authenticating a GSM subscriber in an ANSI-41 network using GSM authentication credentials is achieved by substituting encryption key Kc as SSD-A in the standard ANSI-41 computation of AUTHR using a CAVE algorithm.

Claims

1. A mobile station, comprising:

means for receiving a random number (RAND) from a first network;

means for generating an encryption key using the received RAND; and

means for using the generated encryption key as both an encryption key and as an authentication key used in an algorithm to authenticate the mobile station, which is subscribed in the first network, to communicate using a second network.

2. The mobile station of claim 1, wherein the first network is General Packet Radio Services (GPRS).

3. The mobile station of claim 1, wherein the first network is Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UTMS).

4. The mobile station of claim 1, wherein the second network is a CDMA network.

5. The mobile station of claim 4, wherein the CDMA network is cdma2000-1x.

6. The mobile station of claim 4, wherein the CDMA network is cdma2000-1x EV-DO.

7. The mobile station of claim 1, wherein the first network comprises a CDMA network.

8. The mobile station of claim 7, wherein the CDMA network is cdma2000-1x.

9. The mobile station of claim 7, wherein the CDMA network is cdma2000-1xEV-DO.

10. The mobile station of claim 7, wherein the second network is a GSM network.

11. The mobile station of claim 7, wherein the second network is General Packet Radio Services (GPRS).

12. The mobile station of claim 7, wherein the second network is Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS).

13. The mobile station of claim 1, wherein the first network is a GSM network.

14. The mobile station of claim 1, wherein the encryption key is 64 bits long and is a credential obtained from a Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) authentication process.

15. The mobile station of claim 14, wherein the algorithm to authenticate the mobile station is a Cellular Authentication and Voice Encryption (CAVE) algorithm in which the authentication key is a secret shared data (SSD) key 64 bits long.

16. A processor-implemented method of authenticating a mobile station, comprising:

receiving a random number (RAND) from a first network;

generating, on the processor, an encryption key using the received RAND; and

using the generated encryption key as both an encryption key and as an authentication key used in an algorithm to authentication the mobile station, which is subscribed in the first network, to communicate using a second network.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first network is General Packet Radio Services (GPRS).

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the first network in Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS).

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the second network is a CDMA network.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the CDMA network is cdma2000-1x.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the CDMA network is cdma2000-1x EV-DO.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein the first network comprises a CDMA network.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the CDMA network is cdma2000-1x.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the CDMA network is cdma2000-1xEV-DO.

25. The method of claim 16, wherein the second network is a GSM network.

26. The method of claim 16, wherein the second network is General Packet Radio Services (GPRS).

27. The method of claim 16, wherein the second network is Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS).

28. The method of claim 16, wherein the encryption key is 64 bits long and is a credential obtained from a Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) authentication process.

29. The method of claim 16, wherein the algorithm to authenticate the mobile station is a Cellular Authentication and Voice Encryption (CAVE) algorithm in which the authentication key is secret shared data (SSD) key 64 bits long.