A simple and robust handover authentication between HeNB and eNB in LTE networks

Abstract

There are two types of base stations in the Long Term Evolution (LTE) wireless networks, Home eNodeB (HeNB) and eNodeB (eNB). To achieve seamless handovers between the HeNB and the eNB is critical to support mobility in the LTE networks. A handover from an eNB/HeNB to a new eNB/HeNB, suggested by the third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), requires distinct procedures for different mobility scenarios with a complex key management mechanism, which will increase the system complexity. Besides, it cannot achieve backward security in handover procedures. Furthermore, the existing handover schemes for other wireless networks are not suitable for the mobility scenarios in the LTE networks due to their inherent features. In this paper, we propose a fast and secure handover authentication scheme, which is to fit in with all of the mobility scenarios in the LTE networks. Compared with other handover schemes, our scheme cannot only achieve a simple authentication process with desirable efficiency, but also provide several security features including Perfect Forward/Backward Secrecy (PBS/PFS), which has never been achieved by previous works. The experimental results and formal verification by using the AVISPA tool show that the proposed scheme is efficient and secure against various malicious attacks.