Short authentication procedure in wireless data communications networks

In a wireless communications network comprising at least one authenticator and at least one authentication server, wherein the authenticator interacts with the authentication server for authenticating supplicants in order to conditionally grant thereto access to the wireless communications network, a short authentication method for authenticating a supplicant, comprising:

• providing a shared secret, shared by and available at the supplicant and the authentication server;
• having the supplicant provide to the authenticator an authentication token, wherein said authentication token is based on said shared secret available thereat and comprises a first hash function having a first hash function argument comprising said shared secret;
• having the authenticator forward the authentication token to the authentication server;
• having the authentication server ascertain an authenticity of the received authentication token based on said shared secret available thereat comprising having the authentication server apply said first hash function to an argument comprising the retrieved shared secret, a random value, and a second identifier of the authenticator, communicated by the authenticator to the authentication server;
• in case the authenticity of the authentication token is ascertained, having the authentication server generate a first authentication key based on said shared secret available thereat, and provide the generated authentication key to the authenticator, wherein said first authentication key is generated by applying a second hash function to an argument comprising the retrieved shared secret, the random value and the second identifier of the authenticator;
• having the supplicant generate a second authentication key based on said shared secret;
• and
• having the supplicant and the authenticator exploit a generated first and second keys for communicating with each other.