Public Key Identifier Encryption in Wireless Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Communication systems face challenges in protecting identifiers, such as IMSI, from being tracked or compromised, especially in insecure signaling environments, as existing encryption methods do not adequately safeguard identifiers during transmission over air interfaces or when the network lacks decryption capabilities.
Innovation Solution
A method where a network entity requests and sends a public key to user equipment, which then encrypts at least part of the identifier using the public key, enabling secure processing and transmission, and optionally uses identity-based cryptography to authenticate and encrypt identifiers without relying on certificate provisioning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If identifiers are transmitted in clear text for network processing, then network entities can identify and process user equipment, but user privacy is compromised and identifiers can be tracked or misused
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary encryption of the identifier using public key cryptography before transmission. The user equipment encrypts the identifier with the network entity's public key in advance, so that when the identifier reaches the network entity, it is already in encrypted form, preventing tracking and misuse during transmission.
Solution Approach 2:
Public key cryptography acts as an intermediary mechanism between the user equipment and network entity. The public key serves as a mediator that allows the network entity to receive and process encrypted identifiers without requiring the network to have decryption capabilities, thus protecting user privacy while maintaining network functionality.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If traditional symmetric encryption is used to protect identifiers, then transmission security is improved, but key management and certificate provisioning complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts the key management burden from the user equipment by using public key infrastructure. Instead of managing symmetric keys locally, the user equipment only needs to obtain and use the network entity's public key for encryption, while the network entity maintains the private key for decryption, significantly simplifying key management at the user equipment side.
Solution Approach 2:
The network entity provides its own public key to user equipment for encryption purposes. The network entity serves itself by making its public key available, allowing any user equipment to encrypt identifiers without requiring complex key exchange protocols or certificate provisioning at the user side.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If identifiers are encrypted to prevent tracking, then user privacy is protected, but network entities unable to decrypt cannot process the identifiers
Solution Approach 1:
Public key cryptography serves as an intermediary that enables privacy protection while maintaining network processing capability. The network entity's public key acts as a mediator that allows encrypted transmission, and the corresponding private key held by the network entity enables decryption and processing when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the cryptographic parameters from symmetric encryption to asymmetric encryption. This parameter change allows the identifier to be encrypted with a public key that can be freely distributed, while only the holder of the corresponding private key (the network entity) can decrypt and process it, thus maintaining both privacy protection and processing capability.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and apparatus including units configured to send a request from a first network entity to a user equipment for an identifier and receive a message indicating that a public key is required from the user equipment by the first network entity. The method and apparatus also includes units configured to send, by the first network entity, the public key to the user equipment and receive an encrypted identifier by the first network entity, wherein upon authenticating the public key, the user equipment encrypts at least part of the identifier using the public key, thereby enabling further processing between the network entity and the user equipment.