5G Authentication Commit Message Exchange for DoS Mitigation

The patent applies preliminary action by having the UE compute and include a commit message (cryptographic puzzle solution) in the authentication request before the server performs heavy decryption operations. This preliminary computational step by the UE prepares the authentication context in advance, allowing the server to verify authenticity without immediately engaging in computationally intensive asymmetric decryption for every authentication attempt.

The commit message acts as an intermediary mechanism between the UE and the authentication server. Instead of directly performing expensive SUPI decryption on every authentication request, the server first verifies the commit message, which serves as a lightweight preliminary verification layer that filters out invalid requests before committing server resources to full authentication processing.

The commit message mechanism serves as a preliminary action that requires the UE to perform computational work before initiating full authentication. This creates a deterrent against DoS attacks because attackers would need to invest computational resources in generating valid commit messages for each targeted authentication attempt, rather than simply flooding the server with authentication requests that require expensive asymmetric decryption.

The patent converts the computational intensity of asymmetric cryptography from a vulnerability (DoS susceptibility) into a security feature. By requiring UEs to perform similar computational work (generating commit messages) as the server performs (verification and decryption), the system creates a more balanced security model where both parties demonstrate computational commitment, thereby filtering out automated DoS attacks that cannot sustain the required computational effort.