Methods and apparatuses generating a radio base station key in a cellular radio system

• US 9,294,916 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2014
• Issued: 03/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Blom, Rolf, Stattin, Magnus, Norrman, Karl
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Christopher
• Assistant Examiner(s): Baum, Ronald
• Application Number:
  US14/534,817
• Publication Number:
  US 20150065092A1
• Time in Patent Office: 502 Days
• Field of Search: 380/273
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 11/0069 Cell search, i.e. determining cell identity [cell-ID] design of multiplexing codes H04J13/00; processing access restriction or access information H04W48/16; discovery of network devices for network data management H04W8/005; sounding signals for channel estimation H04L25/0226; structure of reference signals in multicarrier modulation systems H04L27/2613; frame, time or carrier synchronisation in multicarrier modulation systems H04L27/2655
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/061 applying further key derivation, e.g. deriving traffic keys from a pair-wise master key
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0656 Pseudorandom key sequence combined element-for-element with data sequence, e.g. one-time-pad [OTP] or Vernam's cipher
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/0431 Key distribution or pre-distribution; Key agreement
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/71 Hardware identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/73 Access point logical identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

A Terminal Identity Token is created for identifying a User Equipment (UE) connected to a radio base station in a radio system. The UE communicates with the radio base station via a secure communication associated with an existing cryptographic key. The Terminal Identity Token is created based on a physical cell identity of a target cell known to both the UE and the radio base station, the terminal identity, and the existing key. By using the Terminal Identity Token, a secure communication can be established and enhanced without having to provide for additional security network components or additional signaling.

Claims

1. A method of creating a Terminal Identity Token for identifying a User Equipment (UE) connected to a radio base station in an Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) cellular radio system, wherein the UE communicates with the radio base station via a secure communication associated with an existing cryptographic key, wherein the method is performed in the UE, said method comprising:

creating the Terminal Identity Token based on an E-UTRAN physical cell identity of a target cell of the E-UTRAN cellular radio system known to both the UE and the radio base station, a terminal identity and the existing key,

transmitting the Terminal Identity Token to one of a plurality of radio base stations of the cellular radio system as an identity of the UE, said Terminal Identity Token being used during a handover of the UE between the radio base station and a target radio base station or during a reconnection of the user equipment to the E-UTRAN cellular radio system.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising using additional input parameters as input data when creating the Terminal Identity Token.

3. The method according to any claim 1, further comprising creating the Terminal Identity Token using a Pseudo Random Function.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising generating the Terminal Identity Token as a Pseudo Random Function using the terminal identity and the existing key and additional parameters as input.

5. A method in a radio base station of an Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) cellular radio system acting as a target radio base station of identifying a User Equipment (UE) wherein the UE communicates with a source radio base station via a secure communication associated with an existing cryptographic key, said method comprising:

receiving a first Terminal Identity Token from the source radio base station of the E-UTRAN cellular radio system, the first Terminal Identity Token being generated by the source radio base station based on an E-UTRAN physical cell identity of a target cell, a terminal identity, and an existing key;

receiving a second Terminal Identity Token from a UE, the second Terminal Identity Token being generated by the UE based on the E-UTRAN physical cell identity of the target cell, the terminal identity, and the existing key; and

identifying the UE to the target radio base station based on the received first and second Terminal Identity Tokens, said received first and second Terminal Identity Tokens being used during a handover of the UE between the source radio base station and the target radio base station or during a reconnection of the user equipment to the E-UTRAN cellular radio system.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising:

identifying the UE in the target radio base station by comparing the first and second Terminal Identity Tokens, wherein both the first and second Terminal Identity Tokens are created in response to the terminal identity and the existing key.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the second Terminal Identity Token is generated as a Pseudo Random Function using the terminal identity, the existing key, and other parameters as input.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the first Terminal Identity Token is generated as a Pseudo Random Function using the second Terminal identity Token and other parameters as input.

9. A User Equipment (UE) adapted to identify itself, the UE being connectable to a first radio base station in an Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) cellular radio system and adapted to communicate with a second radio base station of the E-UTRAN cellular radio system via a secure communication associated with a unique existing encryption key, said UE comprising:

a transmitter circuit and a receiver circuit configured to communicate with at least one of the first and the second radio base stations;

a processor configured to create the Terminal Identity Token based on an E-UTRAN physical cell identity of a target cell of the E-UTRAN cellular radio system known to both the UE and the first radio base station, a terminal identity and the existing key; and

transmit the Terminal Identity Token to one of the first and second radio base stations of the E-UTRAN cellular radio system as an identity of the UE, said Terminal Identity Token being used during a handover of the UE between the first radio base station and the second radio base station or during a reconnection of the user equipment to the E-UTRAN cellular radio system.

10. The UE according to claim 9, wherein the UE is configured to use additional input parameters as input data when creating the Terminal Identity Token.

11. The UE according to claim 9, wherein the use is configured to create the Terminal Identity Token using a Pseudo Random Function.

12. A method of creating a Terminal Identity Token for identifying a User Equipment (UE) connected to a radio base station in an Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) cellular radio system, wherein the UE communicates with the radio base station via a secure communication associated with an existing cryptographic key, wherein the method is performed in the radio base station acting as a source radio base station, said method comprising:

creating the Terminal Identity Token based on an E-UTRAN physical cell identity of a target cell of the E-UTRAN cellular radio system known to both the UE and the radio base station, a terminal identity and the existing key,

distributing the Terminal Identity Token to a number of target radio base stations of the E-UTRAN cellular radio system, said Terminal Identity Token being used during a handover of the UE between the radio base station and one of the target radio base stations or during a reconnection of the user equipment to the E-UTRAN cellular radio system.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising using additional input parameters as input data when creating the Terminal Identity Token.

14. The method according to any claim 12, further comprising creating the Terminal Identity Token using a Pseudo Random Function.

15. The method according to claim 12, further comprising generating the Terminal Identity Token as a Pseudo Random Function using the terminal identity and the existing key and additional parameters as input.