PSCell Access Sequencing for MR-DC Security and Throughput
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Solution Overview
Problem
In multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC) scenarios, the conditional handover (CHO) feature is limited by the inability of a target master node (MN) to prepare multiple target primary secondary cells (PSCells) for a user equipment (UE), leading to potential security issues and phishing attacks due to undefined order of random-access message transmission to target PCell and PSCell.
Innovation Solution
The UE is enabled to transmit target PCell and target PSCell random-access preambles in a specific order, such as one before the other, or to send the target PCell preamble before the target PSCell preamble, or to send the target PSCell preamble only after completion of access to the target PCell, thereby addressing security concerns and ensuring proper handover execution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the SN random-access is triggered before the MN random-access to improve access speed, then the user throughput is improved, but security issues arise leading to target PSCell random-access failure and enabling phishing attacks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by requiring the MN random-access to be completed before the SN random-access is triggered. This sequencing ensures that security credentials are established with the master node first, creating a secure foundation before allowing faster SN access to occur, thus preventing phishing attacks while maintaining improved access speed
2Loss of energy
If the target SN allocates the same preamble for different CHO configurations to save resources, then resource efficiency is improved, but the target SN cannot identify the UE after reception of the random-access preamble
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses the MN random-access procedure as an intermediary step that occurs before SN random-access. During this intermediary MN access phase, the UE establishes secure communication and provides identification information that allows the target SN to correctly identify the UE context, even when preambles are reused across different CHO configurations
3Ease of operation
If C-RNTI is used to identify the UE at CBRA procedure, then the identification process is simplified, but any UE can indicate the C-RNTI of another UE creating exposure to phishing attacks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by establishing secure MN-UE communication before allowing SN identification procedures. The C-RNTI indication at the SN is only possible after the UE has successfully completed MN random-access with proper security credentials, preventing unauthorized UE impersonation while maintaining simplified identification
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus comprising means for sending a response to the first target master node based on the received first request in response to receiving a first secondary node addition request for the user equipment from a first target master node, means for sending a response to the second target master node based on the received second request in response to receiving a second secondary node addition request from a second target master node for the same user equipment; and means for enabling, in response to receiving a physical uplink shared channel message from the user equipment, decoding of the physical uplink shared channel message received from the user equipment based on a first target master node key associated with the first target master node in case no information is available whether user equipment accessed first or second target master node, and, if decoding with the first key not successful, decoding based on a second target master node key associated with the second target master node.