Authentication and Key Agreement (AKA) is a
security protocol used in
3G networks. AKA is also used for
one-time password generation mechanism for
digest access authentication. AKA is a
challenge–response based mechanism that uses
symmetric cryptography
Symmetric-key algorithms are algorithms for cryptography that use the same cryptographic keys for both the encryption of plaintext and the decryption of ciphertext. The keys may be identical, or there may be a simple transformation to go between th ...
.
AKA in CDMA
AKA – Authentication and Key Agreement a.k.a. 3G Authentication, Enhanced Subscriber Authorization (ESA).
The basis for the 3G authentication mechanism, defined as a successor to
CAVE-based authentication, AKA provides procedures for
mutual authentication of the Mobile Station (
MS) and serving system. The successful execution of AKA results in the establishment of a security association (i.e., set of security data) between the MS and serving system that enables a set of security services to be provided.
Major advantages of AKA over CAVE-based authentication include:
*Larger authentication keys (128-bit )
*Stronger hash function (
SHA-1)
*Support for mutual authentication
*Support for signaling message data integrity
*Support for signaling information encryption
*Support for user data encryption
*Protection from rogue MS when dealing with
R-UIM
AKA is not yet implemented in
CDMA2000
CDMA2000 (also known as C2K or IMT Multi‑Carrier (IMT‑MC)) is a family of 3G mobile technology standards for sending voice, data, and signaling data between mobile phones and cell sites. It is developed by 3GPP2 as a backwards-compatible ...
networks, although it is expected to be used for
IMS Ims is a Norwegian surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Gry Tofte Ims (born 1986), Norwegian footballer
* Rolf Anker Ims (born 1958), Norwegian ecologist
See also
* IMS (disambiguation) Ims is a Norwegian surname. Notable people wit ...
. To ensure interoperability with current devices and partner networks, support for AKA in CDMA networks and handsets will likely be in addition to CAVE-based authentication.
Air interface support for AKA is included in all releases following CDMA2000 Rev C.
TIA-41 MAP support for AKA was defined in TIA-945 (
3GPP2
The 3rd Generation Partnership Project 2 (3GPP2) is a collaboration between telecommunications associations to make a globally applicable third generation ( 3G) mobile phone system specification within the scope of the ITU's IMT-2000 project. In ...
X.S0006), which has been integrated into TIA-41 (3GPP2 X.S0004).
For information on AKA in roaming, see CDG Reference Document #138.
AKA in UMTS
AKA a mechanism which performs authentication and session key distribution in
Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) networks. AKA is a challenge–response based mechanism that uses
symmetric cryptography
Symmetric-key algorithms are algorithms for cryptography that use the same cryptographic keys for both the encryption of plaintext and the decryption of ciphertext. The keys may be identical, or there may be a simple transformation to go between th ...
. AKA is typically run in a UMTS
IP Multimedia Services Identity Module (ISIM), which is an application on a
UICC (Universal Integrated Circuit Card). AKA is defined in RFC 3310.
Security
An attack against all variants of AKA has been reported, including
5G.
See also
*
Evil twin (wireless networks)
*
Cellphone surveillance
Cellphone surveillance (also known as cellphone spying) may involve tracking, bugging, monitoring, eavesdropping, and recording conversations and text messages on mobile phones. It also encompasses the monitoring of people's movements, which can b ...
*
Mobile phone tracking
*
Stingray phone tracker
References
External links
Illustrated Master thesis of Authentication and Key Agreement (AKA) procedures and security aspects in UMTS
Cryptographic protocols
Code division multiple access
{{Authentication APIs