Practical Internet of Things Security - Second Edition

Cellular communications

LTE—often referred to as 4G cellular—is a popular option for IoT connectivity. In a typical LTE network, User Equipment (UE) such as a smart phone (or an IoT device) contains a USIM that securely stores authentication information. The authentication information stored in the USIM enables authentication with the carrier's Authentication Center (AuC). A symmetric pre-shared key is provisioned to both the USIM (at manufacture time) and the AuC (at subscribe time), which then uses that symmetric key to derive an Access Security Management Entity (ASME). The ASME is used to derive additional keys that encrypt signalling and user communications.

Future 5G communications may offer additional deployment options for IoT systems, ...