A novel method for key exchange and authentication with cellular network applications

As PCS evolves secure communication and authentication will become increasingly important. The authors propose a cryptographic scheme that allows to ensure the ongoing authenticity and security of connections in a wireless network. This is achieved by combining a zero-knowledge authentication scheme and a public key exchange protocol in a novel way. Due to the combination, both protocols gain additional security against attacks that would otherwise be successful. The scheme is applied to EIA/TIA-IS-41, the proposed standard for networking between mobile carriers