Wireless Resume Identifier Concealment Between Network Nodes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Malicious wireless terminals can intercept resume identifiers like I-RNTI and send forged resume requests, revealing the source network node identity, leading to unnecessary signaling and resource exhaustion.
Innovation Solution
A concealing key is shared between the source and target network nodes to conceal the resume identifier, allowing only authorized nodes to identify the source network node, preventing illegitimate identification.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the resume identifier (I-RNTI) is transmitted in clear text from the source network node to the wireless terminal and then to the target network node, then the resumption procedure is simple and fast, but the source network node identity can be intercepted and revealed by malicious wireless terminals
Solution Approach 1:
A concealing key is introduced as an intermediary element between the source network node and the resume identifier. The concealing key is used to obfuscate the resume identifier before transmission to the wireless terminal, and the same key is used by the target network node to de-conceal it. This intermediary mechanism protects the source network node identity from being intercepted while maintaining the resumption procedure's functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The resume identifier is transformed from its original clear-text form to a concealed form using the concealing key. This parameter change modifies the representation of the resume identifier without changing its fundamental purpose, allowing it to protect the source network node identity while still enabling legitimate resumption procedures when the correct key is applied.
2Reliability
If the resume identifier is concealed using a shared concealing key between source and target network nodes, then unauthorized identification is prevented, but the complexity of key management and synchronization increases
Solution Approach 1:
The concealing key is pre-established and shared between the source and target network nodes before the resumption procedure begins. This preliminary action of key distribution and synchronization ensures that both nodes are ready to perform concealment and de-concealment operations without requiring complex real-time key management during the actual resumption process.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If malicious terminals can intercept and analyze resume identifiers, then they can send forged resume requests causing unnecessary signaling and resource exhaustion, but implementing concealment increases processing overhead
Solution Approach 1:
The concealment process transforms the resume identifier using the concealing key through cryptographic operations. While this does increase processing overhead compared to clear-text transmission, the transformation is designed to be computationally efficient, providing strong protection against interception and forgery with minimal impact on system performance.
Data Source
AI summary
A method performed by a source network node, for preventing agents from illegitimately identifying the source network node when resuming a wireless terminal in a target network node in a wireless communications network is provided. The source network node obtains a concealing key, which concealing key is shared with the target network node. The source network conceals a resume identifier with the obtained concealing key, which resume identifier identifies the source network node. When releasing the wireless terminal, the source network node sends the concealed resume identifier to the wireless terminal, which concealed resume identifier is to be sent by the wireless terminal to the target network node upon requesting resumption of the wireless terminal, wherein the resume identifier is only identifiable from the concealed resume identifier by using the shared concealing key, thereby preventing agents from illegitimately learning the source network node identity.