SMART: Next talk by Thomas F. La Porta [Security and IP-Based 3G Wireless Networks]

[Giorgio Zanin]

Mi scuso per l’oggetto della precedente email. Il talk sarà tenuto il prossimo lunedi.

 

Giorgio Zanin

 

 

 

Title           : Security and IP-Based 3G Wireless Networks

 

Speaker         : Thomas F. La Porta (The Pennsylvania State University)

 

Date            : Monday, May 29, 2006

 

Venue & Time    : Aula Alfa, 113 Via Salaria. 3:00 PM

 

Abstract        : Telecommunication networks are evolving from closed systems with

limited, standardized services, to open systems which will allow great

creativity in building and deploying new services.  These systems will

heavily leverage Internet technology in an effort to create this open

environment.  This evolution is being aggressively pursued by Wireless

Service Providers (WSPs). Along with the benefits of these networks

come increasingly high risks of a variety of attacks that may compromise

security.

Current, so called second generation (2G) wireless telecommunication

networks are implemented using standardized control protocols

for user and device authentication, mobility management, session

control and services control. These networks are closed in the sense that

control messages are exchanged on a private packet-switched network

based on the Signaling System No. 7 standards.  Because of their closed

nature, there are few successful attacks on these networks. The next,

so called third generation (3G) wireless telecommunication networks are

migrating towards IP technology, with the ultimate goal being an all-IP

network.  Standards for these systems, called the IP Multimedia

Subsystem (IMS) are being defined by the Third Generation Partnership

Projects (3GPP and 3GPP2).  These networks will use IP for

transport of information, and Internet protocols such as the Session

Initiation Protocol (SIP) and Mobile IP, for session control and mobility

management.  These networks open the possibility for IP-based

services and must interwork with 2G networks.

Because new services will be introduced in the IP-domain of these networks,

new attacks on 3G networks are possible.  Because IP networks are more

accessible than SS7 networks, the control portion of the 3G networks is now

more vulnerable to attack.  These attacks may be remote denial of service

attacks, or attacks that target the integrity of specific services. 

The means of the attack may vary depending on the interworking model used and the service being offered.  In this talk we discuss the different security risks in IP-based 3G networks, different attack types, and the trade-offs of high performance, open network architectures versus secure network infrastructure.

 

 

 http://www.dsi.uniroma1.it/smart/

 

Please feel free to extend this invitation to other interested people.