Robust Authentication and Key Agreement Protocol for Net-Generation Wireless networks

A method for facilitating authentication in a wireless network comprising:

• (a) receiving an initial nonce value from a user device;
• (b) transmitting the initial nonce value to a home environment associated with the user;
• (c) receiving an authentication vector from the home environment, the authentication vector including a subsequent nonce value derived from a function that is shared by the user device and the home environment;
• and
• (d) transmitting the authentication vector to the user device.

A method for facilitating authentication in a wireless network comprising generating an ordered set of sequence numbers, wherein:

• i) each sequence number in the ordered set is associated with the authentication vector transmitted to the serving mobile network in connection with authentication of the serving mobile network to the user device;
• ii) an initial sequence number in the ordered set is obtained from the user device through the serving mobile network;
• and
• iii) a subsequent sequence number in the ordered set is equal to the result of evaluating a function shared by the user device with a previous sequence number in the ordered set as input.

A method for facilitating authentication in a wireless network comprising receiving an ordered set of sequence numbers, wherein:

• i) each sequence number in the ordered set is associated with an authentication vector received from a home environment corresponding to a user device in connection with authentication to the user device;
• ii) an initial sequence number in the ordered set originated from the user device;
• and
• iii) a subsequent sequence number in the ordered set is equal to the result of evaluating a function shared by the user device and the home environment with a previous sequence number in the ordered set as input.

A signal, embedded in a medium, representing data including an ordered set of sequence numbers, wherein:

• i) each sequence number in the ordered set is associated with an authentication vector transmitted to a serving network in connection with authentication of the serving network to a user device;
• ii) an initial sequence number in the ordered set originated from the user device;
• and
• iii) a subsequent sequence number in the ordered set is equal to the result of evaluating a function shared by the user device and a home environment corresponding to the user device with a previous sequence number in the ordered set as input.

An apparatus for facilitating authentication in a wireless network comprising:

• (a) means for receiving an initial nonce value from a user device;
• (b) means for transmitting the initial nonce value to a home environment associated with the user;
• (c) means for receiving an authentication vector from the home environment, the authentication vector including a subsequent nonce value derived from a function that is shared by the user device and the home environment;
• and
• (d) means for transmitting the authentication vector to the user device.

An apparatus for facilitating authentication in a wireless network comprising means for generating an ordered set of sequence numbers, wherein:

• i) each sequence number in the ordered set is associated with the authentication vector transmitted to a serving mobile network in connection with authentication of the serving mobile network to the user device;
• ii) an initial sequence number in the ordered set is obtained from the user device through the serving mobile network;
• and
• iii) a subsequent sequence number in the ordered set is equal to the result of evaluating a function shared by the user device with a previous sequence number in the ordered set as input.

An apparatus for facilitating authentication in a wireless network comprising means for receiving an ordered set of sequence numbers, wherein:

• i) each sequence number in the ordered set is associated with an authentication vector received from a home environment corresponding to a user device in connection with authentication to the user device;
• ii) an initial sequence number in the ordered set originated from the user device;
• and
• iii) a subsequent sequence number in the ordered set is equal to the result of evaluating a function shared by the user device and the home environment with a previous sequence number in the ordered set as input.

A computer-readable medium housing stored thereon instructions, which when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method comprising:

• (a) receiving an initial nonce value from a user device;
• (b) transmitting the initial nonce value to a home environment associated with the user;
• (c) receiving an authentication vector from the home environment, the authentication vector including a subsequent nonce value derived from a function that is shared by the user device and the home environment;
• and
• (d) transmitting the authentication vector to the user device.

A computer-readable medium housing stored thereon instructions, which when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method comprising generating an ordered set of sequence numbers, wherein:

• i) each sequence number in the ordered set is associated with the authentication vector transmitted to a serving mobile network in connection with authentication of the serving mobile network to the user device;
• ii) an initial sequence number in the ordered set is obtained from the user device through the serving mobile network;
• and
• iii) a subsequent sequence number in the ordered set is equal to the result of evaluating a function shared by the user device with a previous sequence number in the ordered set as input.

A computer-readable medium housing stored thereon instructions, which when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method comprising receiving an ordered set of sequence numbers, wherein:

• i) each sequence number in the ordered set is associated with an authentication vector received from a home environment corresponding to a user device in connection with authentication to the user device;
• ii) an initial sequence number in the ordered set originated from the user device;
• and
• iii) a subsequent sequence number in the ordered set is equal to the result of evaluating a function shared by the user device and the home environment with a previous sequence number in the ordered set as input.

A method for facilitating authentication in a wireless network comprising:

• (a) transmitting an initial nonce value to a serving mobile network from a user device;
• (b) receiving an authentication vector from the serving mobile network, the authentication vector comprising a subsequent nonce value, a first value and a second value, wherein the second value was generated by a home environment associated with the user device;
• (c) generating a third value based on the first value and a first function that is shared with the home environment;
• (d) determining whether the third value equals the second value;
• (e) determining whether the subsequent nonce value is in a list of at least one value generated based on the initial nonce value and a second function that is shared with the home environment;
• and
• (f) engaging in communications through the serving mobile network, based on the determining steps.

A method for facilitating authentication in a wireless network comprising:

• (a) storing a plurality of sets of nonces, each set comprising one or more values;
• (b) receiving an authentication vector from a serving mobile network, the authentication vector originating from an authentication center in a home environment network associated with a device storing the plurality of sets of nonces;
• (c) extracting a nonce from the authentication vector;
• (d) determining whether the extracted nonce is either an element of or derivable from the set of nonces from among the plurality of sets of nonces that is associated with the serving mobile network;
• and
• (e) engaging in communications through the serving mobile network based on the determining step.

An apparatus for facilitating authentication in a wireless network comprising:

• (a) means for transmitting an initial nonce value to a serving mobile network;
• (b) means for receiving an authentication vector from the serving mobile network, the authentication vector comprising a subsequent nonce value, a first value and a second value, wherein the second value was generated by a home environment associated with the means of (a);
• (c) means for generating a third value based on the first value and a first function that is shared with the home environment;
• (d) means for determining whether the third value equals the second value;
• (e) means for determining whether the subsequent nonce value is in a list of at least one value generated based on the initial nonce value and a second function that is shared with the home environment;
• and
• (f) means for engaging in communications through the serving mobile network, based on the determining steps.

An apparatus for facilitating authentication in a wireless network comprising:

• (a) means for storing a plurality of sets of nonces, each set comprising one or more values;
• (b) means for receiving an authentication vector from a serving mobile network, the authentication vector originating from an authentication center in a home environment network associated with the means for storing the plurality of sets of nonces;
• (c) means for extracting a nonce from the authentication vector;
• (d) means for determining whether the extracted nonce is either an element of or derivable from the set of nonces from among the plurality of sets of nonces that is associated with the serving mobile network;
• and
• (e) means for engaging in communications through the serving mobile network based on the determining step.

A computer-readable medium housing stored thereon instructions, which when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method comprising:

• (a) transmitting an initial nonce value to a serving mobile network from a user device;
• (b) receiving an authentication vector from the serving mobile network, the authentication vector comprising a subsequent nonce value, a first value and a second value, wherein the second value was generated by a home environment associated with the user device;
• (c) generating a third value based on the first value and a first function that is shared with the home environment;
• (d) determining whether the third value equals the second value;
• (e) determining whether the subsequent nonce value is in a list of at least one value generated based on the initial nonce value and a second function that is shared with the home environment;
• and
• (f) engaging in communications through the serving mobile network, based on the determining steps.

A computer-readable medium housing stored thereon instructions, which when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method comprising:

• (a) storing a plurality of sets of nonces, each set comprising one or more values;
• (b) receiving an authentication vector from a serving mobile network, the authentication vector originating from an authentication center in a home environment network associated with a device storing the plurality of sets of nonces;
• (c) extracting a nonce from the authentication vector;
• (d) determining whether the extracted nonce is either an element of or derivable from the set of nonces from among the plurality of sets of nonces that is associated with the serving mobile network;
• and
• (e) engaging in communications through the serving mobile network based on the determining step.