Cryptographic authentication of responses in ATM traffic control protocols

The control flow of ATM traffic control protocols frequently includes untrusted elements (e.g. end systems), but there is no proper validation of their responses. This paper discusses the problem, describes possible solutions, and proposes the use of a cryptographic authentication scheme with very good scaling properties. Requirements for the cryptographic algorithm are specified, applicability of that concept to several usage scenarios is examined, and necessary architectural extensions to the traffic control protocol are illustrated on the example of ABT/VT