Back to results
US 8,300,827 B2Granted
Method and apparatus for updating key in an active state
AssigneeHuawei Technologies Co., Ltd.
InventorsYanmei Yang, Min Huang
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method for updating a key in an active state is disclosed according to the embodiments of the present invention. The method includes steps of: initiating a key update by a user equipment in the active state or a network side when a pre-defined condition is met; updating the key by the network side and the user equipment, and negotiating an activation time of the new keys. An apparatus for updating a key in an active state is also disclosed according to the present invention. With the present invention, the user equipment in an active state and the network side may actively initiate the key update procedure in different cases, thereby solving the problem concerning the key update for a session in an active state.
Claims11
A method for updating a key in an active state, comprising:
- initiating a key update procedure by a network side when a pre-defined condition is met;
- and
- updating, by an evolved NodeB (eNB) at the network side, air-interface keys based on a new key KeNB, and negotiating, by the eNB at the network side with a user equipment, an activation time of the air-interface keys;
- wherein the new key KeNB is generated during the key update procedure and informed by a Mobility Management Entity (MME) at the network side;
- wherein the negotiating, by the eNB at the network side with the user equipment, the activation time of the air-interface keys comprises one or more of:
- sending, by the eNB at the network side, a message carrying the activation time of the air-interface keys to the user equipment;
- sending by the eNB at the network side an intra-cell handover command to the user equipment, to instruct the user equipment to use the updated key after an intra-cell handover to a current eNB cell;
- carrying a key identification along with data packets of the network side, to indicate the key for decryption by the user equipment;
- carrying the activation time of the air-interface keys in a key update response message sent from the eNB at the network side to the user equipment;
- negotiating, by the eNB at the network side with the user equipment, the activation time of the air-interface keys, via a Security Mode Command (SMC) procedure;
- negotiating, by the eNB at the network side with the user equipment, the activation time of the air-interface keys, via a safe mode modification procedure;
- and
- negotiating, by the eNB at the network side with the user equipment, the activation time of the air-interface keys via an intra-cell handover procedure.
10 more elements
A user equipment for updating a key in an active state, the user equipment comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions for implementing a plurality of units, the units comprising:
- a terminal key update detecting unit, configured to determine based on a pre-defined condition whether a key update procedure needs to be initiated;
- and
- a terminal key update unit, configured to send a key update request message to a network side when the terminal key update detecting unit determines that a key needs to be updated, in order to negotiate, after a Mobility Management Entity (MME) at the network side informs an evolved NodeB (eNB) at the network side of a new key KeNB generated during the key update procedure, with the eNB at the network side about an activation time of air-interface keys updated by the eNB based on the new key KeNB;
- wherein the negotiating with the eNB at the network side about the activation time of the air-interface keys comprises one or more of:
- receiving a message carrying the activation time of the air-interface keys from the eNB at the network side;
- receiving an intra-cell handover command from the eNB at the network side, wherein the intra-cell handover command is configured to instruct the user equipment to use the updated key after an intra-cell handover to a current eNB cell;
- receiving a key identification along with data packets of the network side, wherein the key identification is configured to indicate the key for decryption by the user equipment;
- receiving the activation time of the air-interface keys in a key update response message sent from the eNB at the network side;
- negotiating, with the eNB at the network side, the activation time of the air-interface keys, via a Security Mode Command (SMC) procedure;
- negotiating, with the eNB at the network side, the activation time of the air-interface keys, via a safe mode modification procedure;
- and
- negotiating, with the eNB at the network side, the activation time of the air-interface keys, via an intra-cell handover procedure.
9 more elements
A Mobility Management Entity (MME) at a network side for updating a key in an active state, the MME comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions for implementing a plurality of units, the units comprising:
- a key update initiating unit, configured to initiate a key update procedure when a user equipment has performed an inter-system handover;
- and
- a key updating unit, configured to send a new key KeNB generated during the key update procedure to an evolved NodeB (eNB) via a context modification message, so that the eNB updates air-interface keys based on the new key KeNB and negotiates with the user equipment about an activation time of the air-interface keys;
- wherein the negotiating, by the eNB at the network side with the user equipment, about the activation time of the air-interface keys comprises one or more of:
- sending, by the eNB at the network side, a message carrying the activation time of the air-interface keys to the user equipment;
- sending, by the eNB at the network side, an intra-cell handover command to the user equipment, to instruct the user equipment to use the updated key after an intra-cell handover to a current eNB cell;
- carrying a key identification along with data packets of the network side, to indicate the key for decryption by the user equipment;
- carrying the activation time of the air-interface keys in a key update response message sent from the eNB at the network side to the user equipment;
- negotiating, by the eNB at the network side with the user equipment, the activation time of the air-interface keys, via a Security Mode Command (SMC) procedure;
- negotiating, by the eNB at the network side with the user equipment, the activation time of the air-interface keys, via a safe mode modification procedure;
- and
- negotiating, by the eNB at the network side with the user equipment, the activation time of the air-interface keys via an intra-cell handover procedure.
9 more elements
An evolved NodeB (eNB), at a network side for updating a key, the eNB comprising:
- a receiver configured to receive a new key KeNB or parameters required for generating the new key KeNB from a Mobility Management Entity (MME) at the network side, wherein the new key KeNB was generated by the MME during a key update procedure;
- and
- a key updating unit, configured to update air-interface keys based on the new key KeNB and negotiate with a user equipment about an activation time of the air-interface keys;
- wherein the negotiating with the user equipment, about the activation time of the air-interface keys comprises one or more of:
- sending a message carrying the activation time of the air-interface keys to the user equipment;
- sending an intra-cell handover command to the user equipment, to instruct the user equipment to use the updated key after an intra-cell handover to a current eNB cell;
- carrying a key identification along with data packets of the network side, to indicate the key for decryption by the user equipment;
- carrying the activation time of the air-interface keys in a key update response message sent from the eNB at the network side to the user equipment;
- negotiating with the user equipment the activation time of the air-interface keys via a Security Mode Command (SMC) procedure;
- negotiating with the user equipment the activation time of the air-interface keys via a safe mode modification procedure;
- and
- negotiating with the user equipment the activation time of the air-interface keys via an intra-cell handover procedure.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.