Apparatus and method for providing service authentication information in a communication system

An apparatus for providing service authentication information in a communication system, the apparatus comprising:

• a Mobile Station (MS) for transmitting a Multicast/Broadcast Service (MCBCS) authentication information transmission request message to an MCBCS server, and receiving MCBCS authentication information from the MCBCS server in response to transmission of the MCBCS authentication information transmission request message;
• wherein the MCBCS authentication information is information that the MCBCS server has derived using MCBCS MS profile information managed by an Authorization, Authentication and Accounting (AAA) server according to the MCBCS authentication information transmission request message, and the MCBCS MS profile information includes a random seed allocated to at least one MCBCS channel serviceable by the MS.

An apparatus for providing service authentication information in a communication system, the apparatus comprising:

• a Multicast/Broadcast Service (MCBCS) server for receiving an MCBCS authentication information transmission request message from a Mobile Station (MS), performing an MCBCS MS profile information query operation with an Authorization, Authentication and Accounting (AAA) server in response to reception of the MCBCS authentication information transmission request message, deriving MCBCS authentication information for the MS according to the result of the MCBCS MS profile information query operation, and transmitting the derived MCBCS authentication information to the MS;
• wherein the MCBCS MS profile information includes a random seed allocated to at least one MCBCS channel serviceable by the MS.

A method for providing a Multicast/Broadcast Service (MCBCS) key in a communication system, the method comprising:

• transmitting, by an MCBCS server, information on MCBCS channels for which the MCBCS server intends to derive an MCBCS key, to an Authorization, Authentication and Accounting (AAA) server;
• and
• receiving, by the AAA server, the information on the MCBCS channels, and refreshing the MCBCS key using the information on the MCBCS channels until the AAA server receives from the MCBCS server information on changed MCBCS channels.