PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS OF AUTHENTICATION PROTOCOLS IN MOBILE CELLULAR NETWORKS

Abstract

The technology of cellular wireless communications is working dramatic changes in the way people interact with one another and exchange information in informatics' society. A decade ago, the prevailing paradigm for both telephone systems and computer networks was that the user went to the network, to a telephone handset or computer workstation that was "hardwired" to the broader networking infrastructure. Today, that paradigm has shifted to one where the network comes to the user wherever they happen to be. The ability to communicate through cellular telephones while on the move is taken for granted. This thesis explores the topic of authentication as it relates to the wireless network environments. Authentication, m the world of computers and communications security, is the process of confirming that a person - or a piece of computing equipment - is who or what they claim to be. Authentication is the key element of information security in any networking environment, but it takes on new elements in situations where users are mobile or cellular phone, for instance, can appear suddenly on different networks worldwide. The potential of cellular wireless communications to provide flexibility and new capabilities to the individual and the organization is clear. At the same time, the provision of ubiquitous infrastructures for wireless communications and mobile computing introduces new risks, particularly in the area of security. Cellular wireless communication involves transmitting information through the air, typically via radio waves, rather than through wires, making it much easier than in the past to intercept or eavesdrop on the communications of others. In addition, when communication is wireless, it is impossible to use the location of a user's network connection as an element in validating their identity. To exploit the potential of the technology, people must be able to roam freely with their cellular mobile communications products and, from the standpoint of the network infrastructure at least, to pop up unexpectedly in new places. While this characteristic provides the user with new freedom, it confronts the service provider and the system administrator with unprecedented security challenges.