New authentication architecture for GPRS networks

GPRS offers the user can always on connection to Internet and Intranet. Some of the services may require high level of security. This can be financial transaction over the Internet, or exchange of confidential documents from a company's Intranet to an employee. It is important to have strong focus on the security, so companies and persons that demand high level of security can take advantage of the services GPRS offered. What normally happens is that the services win against the security. This is in most cases adequate security for what a normal subscriber requires. The possible attacks against GPRS targets the equipment of mobile users, the radio access network, the GPRS backbone network, and the interfaces that connect the latter to other GPRS networks or the public Internet. The results of these attacks might be the compromise of endusers security, the users over billing, the disclosure or alteration of critical information, the services unavailability, the network breakdown, etc. The analyzed attacks and their consequences increase the risks associated with the usage of GPRS, and, thus, influence its deployment that realizes the concept mobile Internet. In order to defeat certain attacks and enhance the level of security provided by GPRS, specific security measures need to be proposed. Hence there is a need of new authentication architecture which prevents malicious actions (attacks), which threaten the GPRS network, the GPRS mobile users, and the data that either reside at the network or are transferred through it. © 2010 IEEE.