UE Slice Pseudonym for 5G Privacy Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing 5G system faces privacy concerns due to the exposure of Network Slice Selection Assistance Information (NSSAI) over-the-air, which can reveal sensitive information about users or groups accessing specific network slices, compromising their privacy.
Innovation Solution
A method where a User Equipment (UE) obtains a UE-specific slice-pseudonym for requested network slices, allowing it to send this pseudonym instead of the actual NSSAI over-the-air, ensuring that only the home network can map it back to the appropriate slice, thus maintaining privacy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the UE sends the actual NSSAI over-the-air to request network slices, then the network can correctly identify and allocate the requested slices, but privacy-sensitive information about users or groups is exposed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a pseudonym as an intermediary element that replaces the actual NSSAI when transmitted over-the-air. The UE generates a pseudonym that maps to the real NSSAI through a secure mapping relationship stored in the UE. This intermediary allows the network to identify and allocate the correct network slice while preventing exposure of the actual NSSAI and associated privacy-sensitive information to eavesdroppers on the air interface.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the UE uses a pseudonym to request network slices, then privacy is protected, but the network needs additional mechanisms to map the pseudonym back to the actual slice
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-generating and storing multiple pseudonym-NSSAI mapping relationships in the UE before actual network slice requests. The UE maintains a mapping table that associates pseudonyms with their corresponding actual NSSAI values. When a slice request is needed, the UE can quickly select and use a pseudonym from its stored mappings, eliminating the need for complex real-time generation or negotiation of pseudonym mappings during the actual slice request process.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the UE generates a new pseudonym for each slice request, then privacy is better protected through variability, but computational overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic action by using pseudonyms in a cyclic or periodic manner rather than generating completely new pseudonyms for each slice request. The UE can reuse pseudonyms from its pre-generated set in a periodic fashion, or refresh pseudonyms at predetermined intervals rather than on every single request. This approach maintains the privacy benefits of pseudonym variability while significantly reducing the computational energy consumption associated with continuous pseudonym generation.
Data Source
AI summary
A wireless device requests a network slice from a network by, first, identifying at least one network slice to be requested. Based on a mapping method that is specific to the wireless device, the wireless device forms a slice pseudonym for the or each network slice to be requested. The wireless device then transmits a request message to the network, wherein the request message comprises the or each slice pseudonym. The network node receives the request message sent by the wireless device, wherein the request message comprises at least one slice pseudonym. Based on a mapping method that is used by the wireless device and that is specific to the wireless device, the network node identifies at least one requested network slice from the or each received slice pseudonym. The network node then permits use of the requested network slice.