LoRaWAN Key Segmentation for Confidentiality
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current LoRaWAN protocols face issues with data confidentiality between terminals and telecommunications network operators, as the network server has knowledge of the application session key used for encrypting exchanges between terminals and application servers.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a communication system where the terminal and network server share a secret network root key for generating network session keys, and the terminal and application server share a secret application root key for generating application session keys, ensuring these keys are kept separate and independent from each other, thus maintaining confidentiality and allowing secure end-to-end communication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single root cryptographic key is used for generating both network session key and application session key, then the system complexity is reduced and key management is simplified, but the confidentiality of application data with regard to the telecommunications network operator is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the single root key into two separate root keys: a network root key for generating network session keys and an application root key for generating application session keys. This segmentation ensures that the telecommunications network operator only possesses the network root key and cannot derive application session keys, thereby preserving application data confidentiality while maintaining manageable key separation.
Solution Approach 2:
The application session key generation process is extracted from the network server's control. The application root key is stored separately in the terminal device, and application session keys are generated independently using this extracted key material, removing the network operator's ability to access application-level encryption keys.
2Reliability
If the network server has knowledge of the application session key, then the network server can verify the integrity of all communications passing through it, but the confidentiality of exchanges between terminal and application server with regard to the network operator is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The verification function is segmented into two independent layers: network-level verification using network session keys derived from the network root key, and application-level verification using application session keys derived from the application root key. The network server can verify network layer integrity while the application layer maintains confidential verification independent of network operator knowledge.
3Loss of information
If separate root keys are used for network and application levels, then data confidentiality is ensured, but the key management system becomes more complex and requires independent storage and generation mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
Different key management qualities are applied locally to different security levels: the network root key is stored in the network server with network-level access controls, while the application root key is stored in the terminal device with application-level access controls. This local quality differentiation simplifies management by assigning appropriate security responsibilities to each party rather than requiring centralized control of all keys.
Data Source
AI summary
A communication system which includes a terminal, a telecommunications network server able to provide a network service to the terminal; and an application server able to provide application services to the terminal via the network and the network server. The terminal and the network server share and store a same network root key kept secret from the application server and are configured to generate, on the basis of this network root key, a network session key used to sign and verify the integrity of messages exchanged on the network between the terminal and the network server. The terminal and the application server share and store a same application root key kept secret from the network server, and configured to generate, on the basis of this application root key, an application session key used to encrypt and decrypt messages exchanged between the terminal and this application server via the network.