Trust-Aware Service Proxy for 5G Network Function Authentication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing 5G systems lack a robust mechanism for trust-based authentication and service interaction between network functions, leading to potential security and reliability issues in service-centric communication.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a trust-index-aware service communication proxy (TIASCP) that evaluates and authenticates network functions based on trust indices, including security, privacy, and performance metrics, to facilitate secure and reliable service operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional authentication mechanisms are used in 5G systems, then the system architecture remains simple, but security and reliability of service interactions deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a Trust Management Function (TMF) as an intermediary component that centrally manages trust evaluation and authentication. The TMF retrieves trust indices for both service consumers and service providers, making the authentication process more reliable without requiring complex distributed trust verification at each service interaction point.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs trust evaluation and authentication actions in advance before service interactions occur. By retrieving and evaluating trust indices beforehand, the system ensures that only trusted service consumers and providers can establish service communication, enhancing security without adding complexity during the actual service execution.
2Reliability
If trust index retrieval and authentication operations are performed for every service interaction, then security is improved, but processing time and system overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The Trust Management Function retrieves and evaluates trust indices in advance before service interactions occur. This preliminary action ensures that trust information is ready when needed, reducing the time required during actual service authentication without compromising security.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors and updates trust indices based on service interactions, creating a feedback loop that improves future authentication decisions. This feedback mechanism allows the system to learn from past interactions and make more efficient trust evaluations over time.
3Measurement precision
If multiple trust indicators and metrics are evaluated, then authentication accuracy is improved, but system complexity and computational overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the trust evaluation process into distinct components: separate trust indicators for service consumers and service providers, with the TMF managing each aspect independently. This segmentation allows accurate multi-factor evaluation while reducing the complexity at individual service interaction points.
Solution Approach 2:
The Trust Management Function acts as an intermediary that centralizes the complex evaluation of multiple trust indicators. By consolidating this functionality in a dedicated TMF, the system achieves accurate multi-dimensional trust measurement without burdening individual service consumers or providers with complex evaluation logic.
Data Source
AI summary
A trust-index-aware service communication proxy (TIASCP) may be configured to receive, from a function entity service consumer (FESC), a first service operation request message that comprises a service operation request, send, to a trust management function (TMF), a FESC trust index retrieval request message, and receive, from the TMF, a FESC trust index retrieval response message that comprises a trust index of the FESC. The TIASCP may be configured to select a function entity service provider (FESP) based on the trust index of the FESC and to authenticate the service operation request based on the trust index of the FESC. The TIASCP may be configured to send, to the TMF, a FESP trust index retrieval request message and receive, from the TMF, a FESP trust index retrieval response message that includes a trust index of the FESP and authenticate the FESP based on the trust index of the FESP.