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A Blockchain-Assisted Security Protocol for Group Handover of MTC Devices in 5G Wireless Networks
Ronghao Ma1, Jianhong Zhou1, Maode Ma2
1School of Computer and Software Engineering, Xihua University, Chengdu 610039, China.
Sensors (Basel, Switzerland)
|April 13, 2024
Summary
This study introduces a secure blockchain-based handover authentication protocol for massive machine-type communication devices in 5G networks. It enhances security and efficiency by reducing signaling overhead and protecting device anonymity against attacks.
Area of Science:
- Computer Science
- Network Security
- Wireless Communication
Background:
- Fifth-generation (5G) networks support numerous Internet of Things (IoT) applications via massive machine-type communication (MTC).
- Current handover mechanisms in 5G (3GPP Release 16) face high signaling overhead and security vulnerabilities like Denial of Service (DoS) and Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks.
- Existing solutions often lack resilience against single points of failure and key escrow issues.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose an efficient and secure handover authentication protocol for groups of machine-type communication devices (MTCDs) in 5G networks.
- To leverage blockchain technology and certificateless aggregate signatures for enhanced security and reduced signaling overhead.
- To protect device anonymity and ensure resilience against prevalent cyber threats.
Main Methods:
- Development of a novel blockchain-based handover authentication protocol.
- Integration of certificateless aggregate signatures for mutual authentication between base stations and MTCDs.
- Utilization of Elliptic Curve Diffie-Hellman (ECDH) for encrypting device identities with temporary anonymous markers.
- Validation of protocol resilience using BAN logic and the Scyther tool.
Main Results:
- The proposed protocol significantly reduces signaling overhead during handover for groups of MTCDs.
- It effectively mitigates risks associated with single points of failure and key escrow.
- Device anonymity is protected through encryption with temporary anonymous identity markers, preventing linkage attacks.
- Rigorous validation confirmed the protocol's resilience against major malicious attacks.
Conclusions:
- The blockchain-supported protocol offers a secure and efficient solution for handover authentication in 5G MTC environments.
- It addresses the limitations of current 3GPP standards and existing security protocols.
- The protocol demonstrates improved authentication cost and robust security, making it suitable for large-scale IoT deployments.
