LTE Standards

4

LTE Security. SIM/USIM Subsystem

4.1. LTE security

It is necessary to ensure that Long Term Evolution (LTE) security measures provide the level of security required without impacting the user as this could drive users away. LTE must provide authentication, ciphering, encryption and identity protection.

With the level of sophistication of security attacks becoming increasingly imaginative, it is necessary to ensure that LTE security allows users to operate freely and without fear of attack from hackers. In addition, the network must also be organized in such a way that it is secure against a variety of attacks.

– LTE security had to provide at least the same level of security that was provided by second generation (2G) and third generation (3G) services.

– The LTE security measures should not affect user convenience.

– The LTE security measures taken must provide defense from attacks from the Internet.

– The security functions provided by LTE should not affect the transition from existing 3G services to LTE.

– The Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM) currently used for (3G) services should still be used.

Security has to take into account some functions outside the core operation of LTE:

– lawful interception of sessions and signaling in the core network;

– emergency calls management with mobiles that are unable to be authenticated, thus the session has no ciphering nor integrity control;

– broadcasted warning messages, e.g. tsunami or earthquake advice.

LTE security ...